Mag-log inAmber POVGrandpa walked into the press conference looking like he had been waiting years for someone to annoy him publicly.The woman with the supposedly defective bag was there.So was her lawyer.So was the bag.Reporters filled the room.I watched everything from bed.Because apparently this was my life now.The accusations came quickly.Poor materials.False advertising.Luxury pricing for inferior merchandise.One reporter asked whether Asher Corporation had knowingly sold defective products.Grandpa didn't argue.He didn't threaten anyone.He simply looked at the woman."May I see the bag?"She handed it over.Grandpa examined it briefly.Then looked toward her."Could you provide the bag identification number given to you by the salesperson?"The woman hesitated."What?""The identification number."She looked at her lawyer.Grandpa waited."I don't have it with me.""That's unfortunate."Then he asked, "Your receipt?"Another hesitation."I lost it."The room changed.Reporte
Amber POVBy the time I reached six months pregnant, I had discovered something important.Bed rest did not make time move faster.If anything, it made every day approximately seventy hours long.The twins were getting bigger.So was I.My blood pressure had improved enough that the doctor was no longer threatening me with hospitalization every time she saw me, but I was still under strict orders to rest.And after a month of investigating Asher Corporation, we finally knew how bad the problem had been.Very bad.The good news?Not a single one of the low-quality products had reached another customer after we'd discovered the scheme.The moment Emilia confirmed my suspicions, Pamela and her team had quietly started separating questionable inventory.By the time the full audit exposed the scale of the operation, everything was already contained.Low-quality materials were removed.Finished products made with questionable materials were isolated.Warehouses were checked.Distribution wa
Amber POVMy grandfather arrived that evening.I should have known something was wrong when Mrs. Sun entered the bedroom with him.Together.They had been disagreeing about practically everything since I'd married Jason.Seeing them united was terrifying."No."Neither had spoken yet.Grandpa frowned."What do you mean, no?""Whatever you're about to suggest."Mrs. Sun crossed her arms."You haven't heard it.""I don't need to. You're cooperating."Jason coughed suspiciously.I looked at him."Whose side are you on?""The babies'."Traitor number three.Grandpa sat down."I want you admitted to the hospital.""No.""Amber.""No.""Your blood pressure remains unstable.""And I'm being monitored."Mrs. Sun spoke next."Then we've reached a compromise."I looked between them."I don't like that word anymore.""If you refuse hospitalization, we'll hire a doctor to remain here."I stared at her."A doctor.""Yes.""Living here.""Or staying on the property.""No."Grandpa's patience visibl
Amber POVThree days into the warehouse surveillance, Jasmine called me.I answered immediately."Please tell me you found something.""No."I stared at the ceiling."I don't like you anymore.""You never officially admitted you liked us."Daniel's voice came through somewhere in the background."She called us for help. That means she likes us."Noah added, "Or we're cheap labor.""You're free labor," I corrected.Jasmine laughed.They had spent the last three days rotating between the warehouses Pamela had identified.They'd watched employees.Photographed vehicles.Tracked authorized shipments.Followed two trucks that had left at unusual hours.One turned out to be carrying damaged promotional displays for disposal.The other had been making a perfectly legitimate emergency delivery.Nothing.Not one trace of the premium materials that had disappeared from Asher Corporation."No suspicious movement?" I asked."Some," Jasmine answered. "Nothing connected to your missing inventory."
Amber POVThe problem with discovering that my former fiancé and his father might be involved in something much darker than we'd imagined was that the rest of my problems didn't magically disappear.Asher Corporation was still being robbed.Emilia was still undercover.Jasper was still watching her.The audit had started.And somewhere, potentially eighteen months' worth of premium materials had disappeared without appearing on any legitimate resale market.I stared at the warehouse list on my tablet.Jason glanced at me."What are you doing?""Resting.""You're making that face.""What face?""The one that usually costs someone their job."I ignored him.The audit had created exactly the reaction we'd wanted.People were nervous.Departments were checking records.Managers were suddenly very interested in inventories they'd ignored for months.If the people stealing from Asher Corporation had been storing the original materials, this was when they'd move them.The problem was that I
Amber POVJason was worried.I was furious.There was a difference.Jason sat beside me on the bed, staring at the frozen security footage for what had to be the twentieth time.Mr. White.Oscar.Both covered from head to toe.Both carrying suitcases.Both slipping through an emergency exit at White Manor like criminals who knew exactly how to disappear without being noticed.They hadn't been kidnapped.They hadn't vanished mysteriously.They had run.And I was furious because I had made a mistake.I thought I had already destroyed them.Not literally.Financially.Socially.Professionally.I'd watched the White family's reputation collapse.I'd taken back what belonged to me.I'd watched Oscar lose the company we'd created together.I'd exposed lies.I'd stripped away enough of their influence that I genuinely believed they couldn't hurt us anymore.Apparently, I'd underestimated them.Again."I should have gone further."Jason finally looked away from the screen."What?""I should h
I didn’t cry. I didn’t shake. I didn’t look back, or mourned the life and the years i will never get back, lost forever. I just went home, time to pack and say goodbye to my old life. The penthouse doors opened with biometric recognition the moment I stepped inside. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Marb
It did not take long for Victoria to fabricate a lie, but the explosion didn’t come from the board.It came from a live broadcast.Victoria stood behind a polished podium, composed as ever. Cameras flashed. Reporters leaned forward.“I did not intend to involve myself publicly,” she began, voice s
They called her in. No delay. No warning. The door opened ten minutes later. Amelie walked in looking immaculate — refreshed, polished, perfectly styled. Not a trace of nerves in her posture. At least not until her eyes landed on me. For a fraction of a second, the color drained from her face
We moved quickly through the hallway. Adrian walked behind me, gun raised, covering the corridor while I forced Henry Watson forward. The mansion was quieter than expected. Too quiet. Which meant either the guards were regrouping… or Jason was already on his way. I glanced over my shoulder.







