LOGIN(C&A Sardines)The sleek black SUV pulled up to the curb of the C&A Sardines headquarters, the glass-and-steel tower reflecting the morning sun. The door was opened by security, and Camille stepped out.June followed a step behind, tablet in hand, the silent engine of Camille’s daily operations."What’s my schedule for the day, June?" Camille asked, not slowing her pace as she glided through the lobby."You have the quarterly review with the production heads at ten, a lunch meeting with the logistics partners at one, and at four, you’re signing off on the new marketing campaign." June read off the screen. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before adding, "And you have dinner at 6:00 PM with Mr. King."Camille stopped dead in her tracks. The sudden stillness in her posture was more intimidating than her stride. She slowly pulled her sunglasses down, her gaze icy."Roderick?" She asked, her voice dropping to a dangerously level."Yes, ma'am." June replied, bracing herself.Camill
Taylor paced the vast living room of the villa like a caged animal, her red gown from the event still clinging to her body, heels abandoned somewhere near the couch. She kept replaying the moment in her head — the way Roderick had frozen when Camille stepped onto that stage. The shock in his eyes,no... The hunger, the longing.“This can’t be happening.” She whispered, her voice cracking. “Camille can’t be back, and with a son? No. No, that boy isn’t his. She probably got knocked up by some random man after she ran away. She moved on, right? She had to.”Her hands shook as she grabbed a crystal vase from the side table. She stared at it for half a second, then hurled it across the room with a scream. It shattered against the tiled wall, its shards scattering everywhere.“Arghh!” The sound tore out of her throat raw and ugly.She clutched her chest breathing hard. He looked at her like she was his everything. Like he desperately wanted her back in his arms. The memory made her want t
The applause slowly died down as Camille stood at the center of the stage, microphone in hand, lights glowing softly against her skin. She looked every bit the powerful woman she had become.“Thank you.” She began, her voice clear and steady, carrying through the grand ballroom. “Three years ago, I started C&A Sardines with nothing but a dream, a little savings, and a lot of fear. Today, standing here, I am incredibly proud. Not just of the company, but of the woman I had to become to build it.”She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the room.“C&A doesn’t just stand for premium sardines. It stands for Camille & Adrian Sardines. My son, Adrian, is the reason I fought so hard. He is my inspiration, my motivation, and the reason I wake up every single day determined to build something lasting. To every single person who believed in me when I was starting from nothing — my team, my partners, my investors, thank you.”“None of this would exist without you, and to everyone here tonight
It was 6pm. Roderick stood in front of the mirror in the master bedroom, adjusting the cuffs of his tailored black tuxedo. The invitation to the C&A Sardines grand branch launch had come as a VIP pass, just like every other powerful name in Crown City. These events were usually opportunities growing companies use to network and find new investment prospects. If the numbers looked good tonight, he planned to put serious money into this rising company.He left the room and crossed the hallway to Taylor’s suite. Pushing the door open, he found her still sitting at her vanity, curling her hair with slow, deliberate movements.“You’re still not ready?” He asked, irritation clear in his voice.“I’ll be done in a minute, Roderick.” She replied sweetly, not even looking at him.“You’ve been doing that for hours. I honestly don’t even know why I agreed to let you tag along.”Taylor dropped the curling iron with a loud clack and spun around in her chair, glaring at him. “Are you being serious
Three years had changed everything.Camille Lockhart had not run far. She had simply moved to the city of Havenport, three hours away from Crown City far enough to hide away for the meantime, close enough to keep one eye on the man who had broken her. From nothing but the small bundle of cash she had saved and a single contact from an old college friend who believed in her, she had built C&A Sardines from the ground up. She had spent sleepless nights pitching to small investors, charming reliable partners who saw her vision for premium, sustainable canned sardines that actually tasted like luxury instead of cheap filler. She had gathered a tight circle of allies — a lawyer, a marketing genius whom is her PA, and partners who invested in her company despite knowing whom she was.She kept her name off every document. The public face of C&A was a faceless board. No one in Crown City had any idea that the quiet, beautiful Mrs. King who had vanished three years ago was now the anonymo
NINE MONTHS LATERTaylor had fully moved into the villa months ago and wasted no time making herself at home. She redecorated the villa, changed the furnitures in the main living room to her taste, and ordered the staff around like she hadn't been the mistress of the house for years. She was now heavily pregnant, her belly round and prominent, and she carried it with pride, rubbing it constantly whenever Roderick was around.But things had changed.Roderick had become colder and more distant. He provided everything for Taylor— the best doctors, designer maternity clothes, expensive cravings delivered at any hour, but emotionally, he was miles away. He worked longer hours, sometimes stayed at his penthouse in the city for days, and when he was home, he barely spoke to her beyond basic check-ins.Right now, Roderick sat in his private study on the top floor of the villa, phone pressed to his ear as he listened to one of his men giving his reports about the search for his wife.“Still







