"What is it?" Alex asked, noticing the hesitation on her face.Anna looked at Shelly, patting her hand as she said, "If I am going to do this, you need to follow my lead.""You don't want to help us?" Adam asked, his eyes clouded with confusion."Ms. Howard, I know you must have reservations, but this is a murder case, and we need to take extra caution." Alex responded.Anna sighed, placed her elbow on the desk as she explained, "No, that's not what I mean. I know that you need my testimony to make sense of what happened that night. I know who might be behind this, but I need to know that you will follow my lead."Alex's face cleared in understanding at her words as he asked, "Why do you want us to follow your lead?"Anna stood up, walked over to the window in the room, and turned her back to them as she stared out at the city."We know how difficult this must be for you, Anna, but we need to know." Adam encouraged.Alex sighed deeply and stated, "Ms. Howard, this case is critical. If
By the time Anna got to the office, there was a kind of ease about her that even Nat noticed. Clayton was not on the seat as Anna passed by his table.“Anna?” Nat called as she walked into the office.“Yes? Did anything unusual happen while I was away?” Anna asked.“No, nothing. I’m just glad to see you looking calmer than you did yesterday and this morning.” Nat responded.“Yeah, I guess so,” Anna mumbled.Anna dropped her bag on her table, pulled out her chair, and sat down. She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.“Anna? Where did you go?” Clayton asked, coming into the room.“Should I not be asking you that same question?” Anna asked.“But I…” Clayton started to say.“Why don’t we get back to work?” Anna asked, smiling at them warmly.“I know there is something hidden behind that smile.” Clayton defended.“Did you find out anything about the envelope you gave to me?” Anna asked, changing the topic.“No, I told you he didn’t say anything to me. Why don’t you
At the Howard house, Nancy walked into the house in the early hours of the morning, her eyes bloodshot.“Nancy? Where were you all night?” Cordelia asked, trying to keep her voice low.“I was out, where else? I’m heading up to my room,” Nancy responded, trading up the stairs.“Do you want your father to get pissed with you? Does he have to worry about you doing something stupid?” Cordelia asked in concern, following her up.Nancy chuckled, shaking her head as she replied over her shoulder, “You don’t need to worry about me.”“But your actions say otherwise, Nancy? Did something else happen at work?” Cordelia asked.Nancy got to her door, pulled it open, and walked in, dropping her bag on the floor as she fell into bed.“Something did happen.” Cordelia stared at Nancy’s silence.“Can we talk about this later, Mom? I’m fr*aking tired and need some sleep.” Nancy responded, her voice muffled by the bed.“Won’t you go to work?” Cordelia asked.“I took the day off,” Nancy replied.“What hap
“Simon?” Anna called as she stepped into the house, walking straight to the kitchen to put the bouquet of flowers she had bought on the table. “Simon?” Anna called again, but the same silence met her in response. The well-lit Victorian house sat silent, the only sound being the ticking of the clock from the living room. "Maybe he is running late; it's that time of the year, and he has a lot to do," Anna muttered to herself as she checked the watch on her wrist. It was the end of the year; the cold winter days were getting shorter, and Simon's workload always seemed to increase during this time, despite Paul Parker, his uncle's offer of help, which he always turns down. Anna shook her head, not wanting to think about the drama between them, as she instead poured herself a cup of wine and waited for him to return. As she lifted the glass to her lips, she heard the doorknob turning. "Simon," Anna breathed as she stood up abruptly. The smile that lit her face coul
When Anna opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by a group of nurses who were all trying to revive her. “We need an IV line here,” a nurse shouted, pointing at someone else. “Her pulse is weak, BP dropping fast,” another nurse said from the other side of Anna. “Anna?” someone called out. Anna turned her head towards the sound and saw Lily, her best friend, with a crease of worry on her forehead. “I think she is awake now,” Lily said, getting the nurse's attention. “Hey there, take it easy,” the doctor said, holding her shoulder as she tried to sit up. “What happened?” Anna asked, her voice groggy as she looked around in confusion. “Take slow breaths; do you feel any pain or dizziness?” the doctor asked. “No, I just feel a little lightheaded,” Anna responded. “That’s okay, we will keep you hydrated and run some tests to make sure everything is alright.” The doctor stated. “Thank you so much, doctor,” Lily said, a look of relief on her face.
"Huh, I think you should go now, Anna," John interrupted, glaring at Nancy as he stepped in front of her. "What did you just say?" Anna asked. "Nothing you need to hear again, and by the way you should go visit your mother," Nancy snorted. Anna turned and, without saying a word, stepped out the door. She walked over to the car, got in, and sighed deeply. Lily noticed the concerned look on her face and asked, "Are you okay?" "I'm worried about my mom," Anna responded. "Do you want to go straight to the hospital now?" Lily asked. "No, let's go home, and then we can head there once I'm packed," Anna replied. "Okay," Lily responded as she drove out of the driveway and headed straight to Anna's house. "What do you want to do now?" Lily asked. Anna stepped out of the car when they got to the house; she walked straight up to her room, packed a bag, and came back downstairs. "Here, let me help you with that," Lily said, taking the bag from her. They were
Anna felt a movement on her nose, then she felt it in her nose; her eyes popped open as she sat up suddenly. The next thing she heard was the grin on her kid's face as they laughed at the funny look on her face. "Jasmine! Jayden! James!" Anna exclaimed as she tried not to grin. "Mom, you look so funny," James said, still laughing as he pointed at her face. "Oh really, you want to laugh, right?" Anna said, narrowing her eyes at them. She pulled all three of them towards her and started to tickle them, causing them to laugh uncontrollably. "Now don't try that on Mom again," Anna said, laughing as she stared at them, grateful for the gift of them. It's been five years and in moments like this her old life feels like it didn’t have all the pain she had experienced. "Mom, can we call Grandma now?" Jayden asked, sitting up. "Yes, let's do that; it's her birthday today," James supported, sitting up too. "Here I brought my tab and this," Jasmine added as she pulled
The airport was chaotic, a usual atmosphere in New Jersey around this time of the year. It was spring break with a lot of persons going on vacation. "It's been how long? Five years, right? How does it feel to be back?" Natasha asked Anna as they walked to the exit of the airport. Natasha Roberts had met Anna for the first time three years ago at the Fisher telecoms System, where Anna had come to put them through a cybersecurity course. The two had hit it off from there, fast becoming friends. On Anna's part, Natasha's personality reminded her of Lily. "I don't know how I feel, Nat; honestly, I don't think I want to feel anything for this place," Anna replied. "I understand that feeling. I don't know the whole story, but I got your back anytime," Natasha said with a warm smile. Anna smiled and replied, "Thanks, Nat." Barely five minutes after they got to the exit, Clayton appeared with a trolley in tow. All their bags were stacked on each other. "Okay, Billy, you go
At the Howard house, Nancy walked into the house in the early hours of the morning, her eyes bloodshot.“Nancy? Where were you all night?” Cordelia asked, trying to keep her voice low.“I was out, where else? I’m heading up to my room,” Nancy responded, trading up the stairs.“Do you want your father to get pissed with you? Does he have to worry about you doing something stupid?” Cordelia asked in concern, following her up.Nancy chuckled, shaking her head as she replied over her shoulder, “You don’t need to worry about me.”“But your actions say otherwise, Nancy? Did something else happen at work?” Cordelia asked.Nancy got to her door, pulled it open, and walked in, dropping her bag on the floor as she fell into bed.“Something did happen.” Cordelia stared at Nancy’s silence.“Can we talk about this later, Mom? I’m fr*aking tired and need some sleep.” Nancy responded, her voice muffled by the bed.“Won’t you go to work?” Cordelia asked.“I took the day off,” Nancy replied.“What hap
By the time Anna got to the office, there was a kind of ease about her that even Nat noticed. Clayton was not on the seat as Anna passed by his table.“Anna?” Nat called as she walked into the office.“Yes? Did anything unusual happen while I was away?” Anna asked.“No, nothing. I’m just glad to see you looking calmer than you did yesterday and this morning.” Nat responded.“Yeah, I guess so,” Anna mumbled.Anna dropped her bag on her table, pulled out her chair, and sat down. She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.“Anna? Where did you go?” Clayton asked, coming into the room.“Should I not be asking you that same question?” Anna asked.“But I…” Clayton started to say.“Why don’t we get back to work?” Anna asked, smiling at them warmly.“I know there is something hidden behind that smile.” Clayton defended.“Did you find out anything about the envelope you gave to me?” Anna asked, changing the topic.“No, I told you he didn’t say anything to me. Why don’t you
"What is it?" Alex asked, noticing the hesitation on her face.Anna looked at Shelly, patting her hand as she said, "If I am going to do this, you need to follow my lead.""You don't want to help us?" Adam asked, his eyes clouded with confusion."Ms. Howard, I know you must have reservations, but this is a murder case, and we need to take extra caution." Alex responded.Anna sighed, placed her elbow on the desk as she explained, "No, that's not what I mean. I know that you need my testimony to make sense of what happened that night. I know who might be behind this, but I need to know that you will follow my lead."Alex's face cleared in understanding at her words as he asked, "Why do you want us to follow your lead?"Anna stood up, walked over to the window in the room, and turned her back to them as she stared out at the city."We know how difficult this must be for you, Anna, but we need to know." Adam encouraged.Alex sighed deeply and stated, "Ms. Howard, this case is critical. If
Anna wriggled her hand, uncomfortable, but she knew there was no turning back from this. She had made a promise to herself to face this head-on, no matter how difficult it may be. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply before looking at Shelly.“Anna?” Shelly asked, stepping closer to her.Anna nodded and replied, “Yes,"“Anna!” Shelly exclaimed in shock, covering her mouth with her right palm.“Who is it, dear?”Anna looked up and saw him, Adam Turker, his head filled with trickles of gray hair. He looked almost the same as he did five years ago.“Hunnie, it’s Anna, Anna,” Shelly called out in disbelief.Adam got to them, his eyes filled with questions as he asked, “Anna? Is that you?”Anna nodded, forcing a smile as she tried to clear her voice, which was clogged with tears.“Oh my god,” Shelly exclaimed softly as she pulled Anna into her arms.Anna felt the softness of her hands around her as she finally let herself cry, releasing all the pent-up emotions she
“Did something else happen?” Noah asked, watching Simon.His eye that had been close to calm was now storming with fury as he cursed under his breath.“Gideon is flying back to the country! For f*ck's sake, did he learn nothing about business diplomacy? He is leaving all that sh*t there and flying back?” Simon stated, his voice hardened in anger.“What do you mean he learned nothing? There is probably nothing else he could do about the situation.” Paul defended.“You know that’s not true; we all bloody know that is not f*king true!” Simon snapped.“Don’t you dare curse at me, Simon!” Paul shouted at him.“For the life of me, how dense can Gideon be? I should have known better than to send him on that trip.” Angrily, Simon brushed back his hair in frustration.“What do you mean by you should have known better? Were you expecting him to bungle this up from the get-go?” Paul asked, his eyes narrowed.Simon didn’t answer, and Noah had picked up his phone to reach out to key directors over
Anna stared at the picture and at the date, a reminder of what happened. Lily's picture was displayed on her phone, her face all smiles as her phone alerted her to the fact that Lily had lost her life in her place five years ago."Anna?" Are you alright?" Nat leaned close to ask.She noticed the pale look on her face and was concerned about her.Anna was silent for a moment before finally admitting, "I think I need to go home.""What? Why? When are we celebrating your win?" Nat asked.Anna pulled out her phone and placed it face down on the table, trying to control herself. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she recalled that night."Please excuse me, I need to make use of the restroom," Anna said with a forced smile before standing up.Her walk to the restroom was slow and deliberate, her mind consumed with memories she had been trying to forget.Once in the restroom, she splashed cold water on her face, took a deep breath, and stared at her reflection in the mirror."I'm so
"Oh, my god! When did you guys plan this?" Anna asked, smiling at the grin on their faces.The small restaurant had a cozy atmosphere, with dim lighting and soft music playing in the background. It had been decorated and was only occupied by her team members.The tables were adorned with colorful balloons, and a "Congratulations" banner hung on the wall."Congratulations, Ms. Howard," they chorused.Anna felt filled with gratitude as she looked at their faces, glad they had actually won the bid."Thought you said none of them were going to show up?" Nat whispered to Clayton."Me? I thought that was you." Clayton asked."Thank you," Anna replied as they took their seat."Looks like Michael rented out the whole restaurant."Yes, he did. We got here and met the decor already in place." Evelynn stated, beaming."Looks like he is a thoughtful person after all," Clayton remarked, impressed."I guess I misunderstood him," Nat admitted with a chuckle.Anna smiled as a waiter walked up to them
"…Stay away from Simon, Anna," Charlotte said, her voice low and dangerous, before she stepped back.The lobby was filled with chatter as people made their way to the several elevators in the room. Some glanced over at Anna and Charlotte, wondering what the subject of their conversation was.Others assumed they were probably sharing ideas about their presentations.Anna's eyes were blank as she stared at Charlotte, unable to place her words with the thoughts in her head.Anna's lips curled up in a smile as she tilted her head to the right, her eyes locked on Charlotte."Do you think I just made a joke?" Charlotte asked in frustration.Charlotte's personal assistant walked up to her and said, "Ms. Hawthorne, the sponsor would like…""I'm not done here," Charlotte snapped at him, not even bothering to glance at him.She turned back to Anna, who still had a smirk on her face, and said, "Anna Howard, return to whatever hole you crawled out of. Simon was always mine, and I am taking him."
The whole room became silent as they all looked at Alicia. Her face was unreadable, her eyes darting around the room. The tension in the air was palpable as everyone waited for her to break the silence."And the winner is The Gary group!" Alicia announced at last.The room erupted into cheers and applause, with Nat and Clayton embracing each other in excitement. Alicia's expression softened as she smiled, glad at the reaction to the announcement."What just happened?" Charlotte stated in shock as she kept staring at the stage."The right thing," Simon whispered to her, standing up.Charlotte's face was a mix of confusion and disbelief as she tried to process the unexpected turn of events."Congratulations, Anna!" Nat screamed, hugging her."Please welcome Mr. Michael Gary, the CEO of the Gary Group," Alicia announced.Michael gripped Anna's hand and pulled her up with him as he said, "Come, this is as much your win as it is the company's."Simon felt irritated by the sight as he watch