Novels by Zari

Aiden's Pov I stood outside Blackwood Tech at seven in the morning and stared up at the building that used to be mine. The sun was just coming up and the glass windows reflected the orange sky and it would have looked beautiful if I did not feel so hollow inside. Security should have stopped me from coming in but when I walked through the doors the guard just nodded. My name was still on the access list because nobody had bothered to remove it yet. That hurt more than it should have because it meant I was still technically part of the company but only as a ghost. I took the elevator up to the executive floor and when the doors opened everything looked the same but felt different. A few early employees were already at their desks and they all stared at me when I walked past. Some of them looked away quickly and others whispered to each other and I knew they were all talking about me. The disgraced CEO who lost everything. I walked toward my old office but stopped when I got close.

Vivian's Pov I got to the café thirty minutes early because I wanted to see who this person was before they saw me. I sat in my car across the street and watched people go in and out and tried to figure out which one sent me that text. My hands shook a little when I gripped the steering wheel and I hated that I was nervous. I had not slept at all last night thinking about the embezzlement investigation and how fast it was moving. The forensic accountants were finding everything and it was only a matter of time before they connected all the dots back to me. I needed help and this mystery person said they could give it to me. At exactly eight o'clock I got out of my car and walked across the street. I wore sunglasses even though the sun was barely up because my eyes were red and tired and I did not want anyone to see that I had been crying. The café was small and quiet with only a few people inside. I looked around and saw a man in a dark suit sitting at a corner table in the back.

Elliot's Pov When I got to the door it opened before James could knock and Liam stood there. My older brother looked exactly the same. Tall and broad with the same dark hair as me but his was always perfectly styled. He wore a suit even though it was Saturday and he smiled when he saw me but it did not reach his eyes. "Welcome home little brother," Liam said. "This is not home," I said. "It is now," Liam said and stepped aside so we could come in. I walked past him into the entrance hall and the ceiling was so high it made me feel small. Everything in the house was expensive and old and had been in the family for generations. The floors were marble and the walls had paintings of dead relatives who all looked miserable. I fit right in. "Your room is ready," Liam said. "I had the staff clean it and put fresh sheets on the bed." "I am not staying long," I said. "We will see," Liam said and there was something in his voice that made me want to scream. James took off his coat an

Elliot's PovThe car was so quiet I could hear my own breathing and it made everything feel worse. I sat in the back seat with the box of my things on my lap and stared at the divider between me and the driver. My father James sat next to me looking out the window at the city passing by and he had not said anything for twenty minutes.The box was not heavy but my arms ached from holding it. Inside was a coffee mug that said World's Okayest Assistant that Maya had given me as a joke and some pens and a notebook and a small glass paperweight that Aiden had given me after I finished a big project. He said it was for good work but the way he handed it to me made it feel like more than that.I wanted to throw the paperweight out the window."You will stay home now," James said without looking at me. "No more games."My hands tightened on the box and I felt anger start to build in my chest. "I am not playing games," I said."Then what do you call this?" James asked and finally turned to loo

Aiden's Pov I sat in my apartment with all the lights off and the city glowed outside my windows like a million small fires. The glass of whiskey in my hand was warm now because I had been holding it for an hour without taking a single sip. My brain would not stop replaying the moment I fired Elliot. The way his eyes went wide first like he could not believe what I was saying and then how his whole face just collapsed. I did that to him and I did it in front of everyone because I wanted them to see that I was still in control. But I was not in control anymore and maybe I never had been. My phone buzzed on the table and I looked at the screen. Dad was calling again and this was the fifth time tonight. I watched it ring until it went to voicemail and then a minute later it buzzed with a text. "Answer your phone. We need to discuss the transition." I threw the phone across the room and it hit the couch. The transition meant Vivian taking over my company and me having nothing. Dad g

Vivian's POV I walked into Aiden's office the second he left the building and it felt better than I ever imagined. This office should have been mine years ago when I first started at Blackwood Tech. I ran my hand across his desk which was now my desk. I sat in his chair which was now my chair and looked out his windows at the city view which was now my view. Everything I wanted was finally mine. "Ms Stone?" one of the security guards said from the doorway. "What would you like us to do with Mr Hayes's belongings?" "Box them up and throw them out," I said without turning around. "I don't want any trace of him left in this building." "All of it?" the guard asked. "Every single thing," I said. "Yes ma'am," the guard said then left to follow my orders. I pulled out my phone and called my assistant. "I need you to draft an email to all employees. Effective immediately Elliot Hayes is banned from Blackwood Tech property. If anyone sees him they are to call security and have him rem