The queen is back

"Ladies and gentlemen! I welcome you here in the auction of.. the Williams corporation." Steven said that with a heavy heart but he was quick to compose his inner feelings and continued with the speech.

"I, Steven Williams, is the founder of the Williams corporation. I started this journey from scratch with nothing. It's not like I had nothing, I decided to have nothing when I started this journey. I have dreamt of this since I was born maybe." He chuckled a little. "My work, my dream and my journey was my first love. I fell in love so hard with them that my only motto was to give them a comfortable life if that makes sense. My father had told me before I started this, 'Son, fall in love with your work in return success will fall in love with you.' And that's exactly what happened to me. But my father also told me one more thing, 'Son, no matter how high you rise, never forget your roots.' And that's exactly what I did. I always kept my feet down and never let ego come in my way." He stopped when suddenly everyone started clapping.

He was a respected person in the industry. He is a really down to earth person who did his works with utmost honesty and that made even his enemies respect him.

"Thank you, everyone. So, what I was saying is it's time for me to come back to the roots and let my saplings rise. Today is the auction of my hardship and I want to request that whoever is going to buy this, please respect my hard work. One more thing I would like to add is when I started from zero there was another Williams corporation that was established by my father and which I rejected to inherit. That time my father supported me saying it was his time to get back to the roots. So, I hope you will support Aiden till it's time for him to return to the roots." Saying that Steven ended his speech and came back to his family.

He is a really strong man. There wasn't an ounce of pain in his eyes for his hard-earned company which he was going to lose forever today.

Aiden hugged him tightly as soon as he came toward them.

"Thank you, dad." He mumbled in the hug.

"Make me proud, my boy." Steven said with a smile. 

"I will." Aiden replied with determination.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! Let's start with the bidding process. Please take your seat in the bidding section whoever is interested in buying the company." Mr Roy announced through the mike and everyone interested started to walk toward the bidding area.

Aiden looked at his parents one more time before walking toward the stage with Elena to take their seat with other important board members. Everyone had taken their seats. Aiden looked at the people who sat in front of him in the bidding section.

A lot of famous and successful businessmen and women were here to buy his company. Apart from the businessmen, there were a lot of celebrities who also showed interest in buying the company because if they get to buy it, it will be a great benefit for them. The connection that the Williams corporation holds is incredible. Then his eyes landed on Aaron Knight, sitting in the front row with his date tonight, Olivia Lockhart. Ignoring her he looked back at Aaron.

Aiden has mixed feelings about him. One moment he thinks if Aaron buys the company he would destroy it in every way possible to take revenge but the next moment he thinks no matter what happens Aaron would never do anything that could hurt his father. But his sudden interest in everything is the thing that was piercing Aiden. But he ignored those thoughts because they were meaningless right now.

"Why are you looking at the door every second? Are you expecting someone?" Aiden asked Elena with a frown who was eying the entrance eagerly now and then.

"Huh? Oh, no. I am not looking at the door." Elena said with a nervous smile.

"Yes, you are," Aiden argued with a frown.

"No, I am-..." Elena was going to deny again but Roy cut their conversation short and they concentrated back on the bidding.

"Okay, so they were the rules now we may start the bidding."

***

"...And now I announce the owner of Williams corporation-.." 

Aaron was already halfway through the stage when a familiar voice stopped him at his step. This familiar voice stopped his heartbeat and at the same time it started to beat erratically.

"AIDEN WILLIAMS! THE ONE AND ONLY OWNER OF THE WILLIAMS CORPORATION!" 

Everyone stood up from their seats and looked at the owner of the voice in shock. The only neutral person is Elena who already knew about this. She was standing there in her usual confident and graceful glory. 

It's her. Athaliah Williams. The one and only. The owner and founder of AW fashion world. 

She was wearing a long, skinny dark green dress. It was one shouldered. It reached her five inch up to her ankle and has a front high slit in her left leg that reached her mid-thigh. Her hair was back to its usual raven black colour. She was wearing black high pencil heels which she was handling like a pro. She was also carrying a black leather purse which was boosting her confidence some more. 

She was looking as stylish and sexy as ever. Nobody could compete with her fashion sense in the industry before and today she proved it again that it will remain the same. 

Every man present in the room started ogling her long legs openly and unintentionally that made Aaron's blood boil in rage. Every woman present in the room started to envy her beauty. The shock of her sudden return subsided for a moment when she started to make her way toward the stage.

She walked toward the stage as gracefully and confidently as ever. She walked like she owned the place and slowly everyone present in the room started to believe the same.

"Excuse me, may I have the microphone, please?" She asked with a sly smile to the announcer.

"Su.. su.. sure, ma'am! Here you go, please." The announcer stuttered at first in nervousness. 

That's the kind of aura Athaliah carries around her and it was good to feel that again. 

No one still moved from their places. Everyone was standing in their places and was looking at the scene before them with astonishment.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I would request you all to take your seats back." Athaliah requested which sounded more like an order.

Everyone quickly took their seats and the paparazzi who was shocked till now also started to take a lot of pictures of Athaliah and was ready to bomber her with questions any moment if it wasn't for the guards that followed after her. Athaliah looked around the room to see everyone but Aaron Knight was still glued to his place and was looking at her emotionlessly. She ignored him and looked back to the front.

"Thank you. Now I would like to proceed with the events. I, Athaliah Williams, am here to claim my company, AW Fashion world, back. Also as a shareholder of the thirty-five per cent of Williams corporations, I call the auction off." She announced confidently. 

Then she turned toward her brother, Aiden and without showing any expression she turned her face away from him and looked at the board members, bank workers from whom they have taken the loan and other important official workers who were here to maintain law-related works along with Roy.

"Let's get done with the official work. I will pay half of the loans now and the other half will be paid here only, by the majority shareholder of the company, Aiden Williams, also the one and only owner of Williams corporation. Mr Roy?" She called for their company lawyer.

"Ye.. yes?" Roy replied unsurely.

"I seek your help in the procedure." Athaliah stated and Roy had no other choice than to agree to her words. They started to walk toward the table where the paper works were going to take place.

"Wait a minute!" An angry voice suddenly spoke up and gained everyone's attention toward her.

Athaliah looked at the source of the interruption.

Olivia Lockhart. 

Athaliah looked back at Aaron looking at Olivia with a frown. She heard Olivia was his date tonight. 

'Looks like she succeeded in trapping him into her webs of love.' Athaliah thought.

"How can I help you, miss?" Athaliah asked in a professional tone without showing any signs of emotions.

"Who are you?" Olivia asked angrily.

"Athaliah Williams." Athaliah answered curtly. She folded her hands in disinterest because she knew it was going to take time.

"Who do you think you are?" Olivia asked in irritation seeing Athaliah's lack of interest in talking with her.

"Athaliah Williams." She again replied curtly but this time in a 'duh' tone.

Everyone laughed out loud at that and it embarrassed Olivia a little but angered her a lot. 

"Do you think we are stupid? Do you think we will believe any imposters coming up to us and claim herself as Athaliah Williams and we will believe them? As everyone here knows Athaliah Williams is dead." Olivia stated and she smiled in triumph.

Athaliah hit her forehead with her palm and brought her microphone back toward her mouth.

"Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, my bad that I forgot such an important thing. But thanks to Miss Locktart for reminding me of this. I warn you it's going to be a long evening. Now I would like to call someone in to solve this. Come in." She ordered some people to enter the hall on her phone.

"It's Lockhart!" Olivia snapped at her in annoyance.

"Is it?" Athaliah asked in humour and then ignored her again.

Suddenly around five people entered the room. Aaron and Athaliah's family's brows furrowed in the realization of who those people were.

"Please come up to the stage." She ordered them again.

They walked up to the stairs and stood in formation. 

"So ladies and gentlemen I would like to introduce them to you. He is the police officer who investigated my case two and half years ago, she is the doctor who treated me after I met the accident, he was the one who took me to the hospital after my accident, he is the one who made me a fake identity card, she is the one who arranged a ticket for me to London and her, Elena Swift is my main witness. They will prove that I am Athaliah Williams." She completed her speech and turned toward Mr Roy.

"Mr Roy, I would like you to note down everything I say here on." Athaliah ordered and Roy ran to prepare to take notes.

"Okay, so I will explain everything in my word and these people here will confirm my statements." Athaliah stated once again.

Even till now no one from her family uttered a word.

"I am Athaliah Williams, everyone knows I met with a deadly accident two and a half years ago. But what no one knows is I was only hurt in that accident. I was badly injured and he took me to the hospital and I was fine. But as everyone thought I was dead, for some personal reasons I didn't want to break their misconceptions. This doctor here is to confirm that I didn't die in that accident also nobody ever got my dead body. Then came the police officer, as I wanted everyone to think I was dead I contacted him to dismiss my case saying I am missing but not dead. It was something everyone assumed. He gave me a new identity card and she bought me a ticket for London in her name and that is where I was till now. Still, I would like to ask them if everything I said is legit?" Athaliah asked turning toward those people.

They all confirmed everything she said was legit one by one.

"Cool, Miss Elena Swift. I would like to ask you why did you visit London in two and a half years more than 30 times when we never visited London before. Also, you don't have any relatives or business there?" Athaliah asked as formally as she could.

"I used to visit you, my best friend there. I knew from the start that Athaliah Williams was alive. I tried to make her understand several times to return but she is an adult to take her decision independently." Elena said while masking her emotions well.

Aiden and the Williams couple looked at her in shock. 

She knew everything from the start!

"Perfect!" Athaliah exclaimed with a clap. "If it isn't enough I have my dad here and I have arranged for a DNA test. We will get the results in 15 minutes right here. I guess that will be enough proof. Let's do it fast and then get done with the company."

She smirked back at Olivia in triumph, ignoring the burning gaze she was getting from a particular Aaron Knight.