ECLIPSED BY THE ALPHA

Andrea Cromwell’s POV

My phone buzzed incessantly as I wrapped up the design I had been working on since morning. As the Founder and CEO of Ratio Architects, I didn’t have a moment of respite! I preferred it that way! Keeping myself busy helped me mend my shattered heart. It took me five long years to achieve my dreams. Yes, I was proud of my achievements! 

Entrepreneurship was an arduous journey with more bumps than a smooth sail, but I had soldiered on single-handedly. I was grateful to Sebastián Conrad, the CEO of Conrad Architects Worldwide, for giving me an opportunity! The alliance with Conrad got me a regular flow of work, money, fame, and success. 

When I started, I had nothing apart from a broken heart, tears, and a difficult pregnancy to deal with. It was a fierce battle for me so far, but I emerged as a winner! I could prove to the world that it wasn’t so easy to break me. 

I glanced at my phone to notice my grandpa Vincent Cromwell’s number flashing across the screen. A sense of dread swept across my mind. I had left my four-year-old twin boys with him to wrap up the work at Conrad Architects Worldwide, our main associate.

They were a worldwide architectural solution provider and trusted me with projects all the year round. I couldn’t disappoint them. With the final presentation an hour away, I crossed my fingers that they approved my design. The money involved was too much to ignore.  

I sighed at the phone constantly buzzing away, knowing I had to take this. The moment I accepted the call, I knew something was wrong. 

“Andrea, where are you?” I massaged my temples, wondering what was up now. 

“At Conrad, grandpa. Is everything alright?” 

“No, can you come over to Medicaid? Adrian fell from his bike!” My motherly instincts were immediately on high alert! Being a single mother to notorious twin boys with a business to manage simultaneously was the toughest thing to do! 

“God! I’ll be there right away!” Closing my laptop, I locked the office room before rushing down the elevator to the parking area. I didn’t have a minute to spare! I would return before the presentation and deal with it! 

“Andrea, the conference!” reminded Diane, the receptionist, as I rushed out. She wanted to say more, but I had no time to stop and gossip. 

“I’ll be right back!” 

Soon, I was bracing through the Downtown LA traffic to reach Medicaid, the reputed medical center in Crescent Drive, Beverly Hills, near grandpa’s house. I felt guilty for leaving my children and going to work when I could have opted for an easy way out.

I didn’t want an easy way out, nor did I want any financial help from my family! It annoyed them, especially my twin brother, Knox, but I paid no heed to his rantings. My grandpa Vincent Cromwell and my twin, Knox, wanted me to look into the family business, but it didn’t interest me. 

Five years ago, I handled the R&D sector of Cromwell Reckitt Group of Companies, our FMCG business, but it wasn’t my niche! I sighed at the memory! That was before my life turned upside down! 

In twenty minutes, I parked at Medicaid and rushed inside to see Adrian in a wheelchair with his leg wrapped up in a cast. Grandpa Vincent and his second wife, granny Catherine, stood by him with grave expressions on their faces. A gasp of horror escaped my lips as I stopped before them. 

“What happened to him, grandpa? Why is he in a wheelchair? Has he broken his leg?” I kneeled in front of my boy, who strangely watched me with a grin instead of tears. In fact, he looked proud of his injury!

“No, mom. Chill! It’s just a sprain.” Tears of helplessness welled up in my eyes as I touched his leg. I should have been more careful. I was surely a terrible mom! “Don’t cry, mom! I’m fine.” He reached out to wipe my tears away. 

“Sprain? Then why have they put up a cast?” I rose to face grandpa, not convinced at all. 

He gestured to Granny Catherine to take Adrian away. She nodded and pushed Adrian’s wheelchair towards the exit while grandpa turned to face me. 

“Don’t panic, Andy. There’s a hairline fracture on his knee. The doctor has suggested a complete bedrest for two weeks. I didn’t want to scare him. As it is, he’s trying to look brave for your sake.” 

“Fracture? Oh, my God! I knew they would be up to something with those new bikes.” 

“It’s okay. These things are a part of growing up. You can talk to his doctor. We’ve got this Andy! You can go back to work now.” I blinked at my grandpa, still in a dilemma. 

“Are you sure? Where’s Zayden? Is he okay?” Zayden was Adrian’s twin and the more notorious of the two! 

“He’s at home with Mrs. Hamilton! Don’t worry about him.” I released a sigh of relief and helped them to the car. I trusted Mrs. Hamilton, my grandpa’s housekeeper, more than anyone in the entire world. She has been a constant in our lives, having brought Knox and me up since the day we were born! She was more like a mother to me than my biological mom had ever been! After my parents’ death, Knox and I looked up to her for everything. 

After grandpa drove away, I had a word with the doctor about Adrian’s condition. The fracture would take time to heal. Until then, the doctor advised rest! I knew what that meant! Adrian wouldn’t be able to go to school! How would I skip work for a week? The only option would be to let the twins stay with grandpa at Cromwell Mansion until Adrian recovered.

I hated dumping my responsibility on others. For the last five years, I hadn’t moved into Cromwell Mansion but bought an apartment with my hard-earned money. My family didn’t understand my need to be financially independent! To them, I was reckless, stubborn, and temperamental, but I knew what I wanted. It was only to achieve something and prove to someone my worth. That someone was none other than my brother’s best friend, Zion Concorde, the father of my children!

Sadly, he never even took an update on me or his children. In fact, he didn’t even consider them his own. 

I blinked those unwanted thoughts away and rushed out of the medical center towards my car. I had buried that part of my life five years ago. Now, at the mature age of thirty-four, my priorities had changed drastically. I didn’t care about myself! I lived only for my two little boys! They meant the world to me! There was no place for Zion Concorde in our world. 

I was already five minutes late for the presentation, but Sebastián Conrad liked my work too much to protest. Having known one another for almost four years, he knew he could depend on me. As I drove on, I groaned at the traffic conditions. At this rate, I would arrive late!

Just as I expected, I rushed into the office almost twenty-five minutes later! There was a pin-dropped silence all around as everyone sat in their cubicles with grim faces. Was Conrad mad at me today? 

Just then, his PA, Laura Westwood, emerged from the conference room and sighed with relief at seeing me. “Where were you?” she whispered, her face pale and solemn. Something was terribly wrong today! I had never seen Laura this serious in all my three years of association with her. She was an easy-going, happily married woman, unlike me! 

“I’m sorry! I got held up. Is Mr. Conrad mad at me?” I rushed to my office to get my laptop while Laura followed me inside. 

“Oh! Don’t you know? Mr. Conrad is in New York. He hasn’t been coming to the office for almost a week. There’s a rumor that he has sold off the company to some global architectural giant!” 

I gaped at Laura for a split second, trying to absorb the news. I had been so preoccupied with the latest project that I had no time to meet Mr. Conrad lately. With a degree in engineering, he was never interested in Conrad Architects, his father’s business. “Sold off? To whom?” 

“You’ll find out everything at the conference. Please hurry! The new CEO is here already, and he’s mad at all of us!” My heart sank at the prospect of facing a stranger. Surely, today was the worst day of my life. My feet trembled with apprehension as I followed Laura to the conference room. She pushed the door open for me to enter, but I was already a nervous wreck. Would the new CEO insult me? Would he refuse to work with my company again? 

“I hate tardiness! I must say, I’m quite disappointed with everything here.” 

I froze at the doorstep on hearing the voice. It was one I could recognize, even in my dreams. It was the voice of Zion Concorde, the man I least wanted to meet! Why was he here? After he destroyed me in every way, what did he want from me now? 

“Sir, Ms. Cromwell is here!” announced Laura before I could stop her. Now there was no escape. I would have to face him after five long years!