The silence of the Hayes mansion this afternoon was disturbed by a woman’s sharp footsteps and a voice that kept rising and falling with unrestrained anger.It was Vanessa.She was at it again.Since the last twenty minutes or so… She has been pacing the wide living room, her hands slapping the air with impatient gestures, as if her rage needed more space than her body could give.A few paces away in the same room, her husband, Nate, was sitting on the arm of one of the sofas.His tie hung loose around his neck. He had not been able to say much since they returned from headquarters, but Vanessa had not given him any chance.“You told me it was just a year break, didn't you!” she shouted, spinning around to glare at him.“Now it's a fucking year, Nate! Now it’s been five good years! Five! Yet I'm stuck in this house like some pathetic 12th-century housewife? .... Also again…tell me…how the hell did Isla become a shareholder? Did you give her that? Did you hand her the seat that should
The silence in the office kept stretching. That was after Isla’s earlier command to her daughter to leave, and now the small child stood frozen, her tiny hand still holding on to her father’s, her own eyes darting back and forth between the two faces she loved and feared losing.Imani’s lips trembled. Her chest rose quickly; her wide, innocent eyes shifted to her mother, then back to Damien, then to her mother again. The confusion on her face was heavy, but it soon began to melt into a painful plea neither adult could grant.“Imani,” Isla called again with a voice as hard as iron. “Come here…I said.”The little girl hesitated.And then Isla’s patience ran out. She surged forward with her arm shooting out, gripping Imani’s small wrist with a firmness that left no room for argument.Damien jerked. Instinct pushed him to step in, to reach, to stop this, but halfway there, he stiffened with one of his hands hanging useless in the air. All he could do was stand there limply grinding hi
In less than fifteen minutes, Isla’s car shot itself into the hospital grounds like a javelin. She swerved into the nearest space, barely turning off the ignition before throwing the door open and stepping out; her chest vibrated up and down, and her face was pale white with alarm.The hospital’s bright entrance loomed before her, but before she could rush inside, she caught sight of the three of them…. Caden, Tiara, and Sophia were already outside…hurrying toward her all at once.Their faces were frantic, drawn tight with what looked like great fear.Seeing them like this without yet knowing what had happened to Imani…it only made Isla’s panic tighter, her body tensing as she threw her arms out with her voice breaking into a sharp demand.“What is going on here?”“Where is my daughter!?”She yelled at Tiara with her voice shaking through the open space.Tiara stumbled forward at that point, her movements wild and clumsy, like someone drenched in icy water and unable to find balance.
The boardroom continued to choke with the same kind of tension as all eyes stayed on the secretary.The lady’s fingers were still hanging over the glass box, carefully drawing out the final folded slip of paper. After she pulled it out, she held it with both hands as though it were some sort of sacred seal; her movements were so slow, heavy with suspense.Nate’s chest was rising and falling far too quickly; his hand kept pulling at his sleeve button.Sweat gathered on his brow. His eyes, up till now, refused to blink.Grandmother Hayes sat stiff, her gaze as sharp as daggers.Vanessa was ghost-pale. Her entire body trembled with the urge to just stop this imminent catastrophe.Finally…the secretary started to unfold the slip. Scanning its contents with just one glance, then she lifted her chin slowly to look at the room.It was at this point that she spoke, keeping her voice clear and unshaken.“The final vote… is in support of….” Her eyes lifted, looking steady as everyone else hel
Damien was in the lobby area of his mansion, slumped against one of the sofas. He was feeling tired, the kind of tired that was becoming second nature to him these days. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, hanging a palm over his mouth to let out a small yawn. And just when he finished doing that, his phone started to ring, bringing a sudden glow to the large screen. His eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, reaching for it, as he picked and unlocked it. The message he saw next made his feet press harder to the ground, “Come to the hospital. Now. Room 405. Trust me.” It was from Collins. His face pulled tight next, his brows merging together until his forehead formed a deep crease. His stomach dropped as he stared at the message, as if rereading it would make its urgency clearer. “What the hell is this about…” He murmured under his breath, the words rough and low, barely audible to even himself. And right after asking the question, he was already on his feet. He sighed a
Isla shifted back in her chair after the brief tense exchange with Nate. She straightened on her seat and folded her hands neatly on her lap, keeping her face smooth and free of any obvious expression. But Nate had still not looked away. His gaze remained stubbornly on her, dark with the weight of things unsaid, his entire face was so tight as though it was hurting to keep it steady. He looked like he was trying to search her face for some answer, some weakness, but Isla’s eyes had already moved beyond him. Her attention had detached long ago, floating elsewhere in the room. Time started to edge forward and in the middle of that, a small interruption came. A whisper of quick shoes, the faint rustle of expensive fabric. It was the sight of Grandmother Hayes and her daughter-in-law Vanessa entering the boardroom together, They slipped into their seats with all the eyes in the room tilting in their direction while their own focus soon inevitably funneled toward whom they had co