♣ CHAPTER 37 ♣Liam and Tina sat quietly at the small table. The air between them was heavy. Liam leaned forward slowly.“Tina, do you have a picture of Raymond?”Tina frowned. “Why?”“Just show me. Please,” Liam said.She reached into her phone, opened her gallery, and tapped a photo. She turned it to face him. Liam stared at it for a long second. His heart skipped.“No,” he whispered.“What?” Tina asked.“This... this is Clark,” Liam said.Tina blinked. “What are you talking about?”Liam grabbed the phone. “Tina, this is not Raymond. His real name is Clark. He changed his identity. This is the same man William’s been hunting for years.”Tina’s mouth parted. “What? You’re joking.”“I wish I was,” Liam said. “But this is him. This is the bastard who tried to ruin William’s family. And now… he’s using you.”“No,” Tina said slowly. “He wouldn’t…”“He would,” Liam snapped. “He’s smart. He’s dangerous. And he’s playing a long game. You said he’s been acting strange. Disappearing. Taking c
♣ CHAPTER 36 ♣Tina sat quietly on the bench outside the office building, sipping her coffee. Liam walked up slowly, his hands in his pocket, then sat beside her.“You okay?” he asked.“I’m trying to be,” she answered.Liam turned slightly to face her. “Can I ask you something?”“Sure,” she said.“This Raymond,” Liam said, voice calm. “I know he’s your boyfriend… but I’ve never seen him. Not even once.”Tina looked away, then back. “You’re right. You haven’t.”“So who is he really?” Liam pressed.“I’ll tell you,” she said, “just not now. I need to figure out something first.”“Tina,” Liam said slowly, “if there’s something I should know—”“I said I’ll tell you, Liam,” she cut in, not harsh but firm. “Just trust me.”Liam nodded. “Alright. I trust you. But please… don’t keep me in the dark for too long.”“I won’t,” she said softly.---Later that day, in the private lounge upstairs in William’s company, Kate leaned over a file on the desk. William was beside her, arms folded.“You foun
♣ CHAPTER 35 ♣A week passed.Kate was healing well. Her strength was back. Her eyes were brighter. The doctors said she was lucky.William stayed by her side.That morning, she walked into the kitchen, where William was slicing apples."You’re cutting them too thick," she said.He looked up. "You’ve been watching me?"Kate pulled out a stool and sat. "I’ve been watching everything."William placed the knife down. "You hungry?""No. Just wanted to see your face."He smirked. "You missed me?"Kate crossed her arms. "Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve been stuck in a hospital room for a week. I would’ve even missed Carlos."William raised a brow. "Careful. That man wants you dead."She leaned closer. "Then tell me why. Tell me what really happened to my parents."William went still.Kate saw it. His jaw tensed."I’m serious," she said. "No more lies."William walked to the fridge, opened it, didn’t take anything, then closed it again."They were killed," he said, voice low.Kate’s heart dropp
♣ CHAPTER 34 ♣The sun was just rising. The parking lot behind Kate’s company was still quiet. A man in a dark hoodie bent beside a black Range Rover—Kate’s car.He looked left, then right. No one.He pulled out a small device from his pocket, unscrewed a piece near the brake line, and attached something new. It clicked into place.He wiped the sweat off his face, stood, and dialed a number.“It’s done,” he whispered.A deep voice answered, “You made sure the brakes will fail?”“Yes, boss. One stop and they’ll snap.”“Good. Now disappear. If she survives, you know what to do next.”The man nodded, even though the caller couldn’t see him. “She won’t survive.”The line went dead.---Two hours later, Kate walked toward her car, holding her bag and a coffee cup.“Ma’am, are you sure you don’t want the driver to take you?” her assistant called from the entrance.Kate smiled. “No. I need to clear my head. I’ll drive myself.”She got in, placed her coffee in the holder, started the engine,
♣ CHAPTER 33 ♣In a dark, quiet room, lit by one overhead bulb, a man sat behind a polished table. His suit was sharp. His eyes were colder than stone. He dialed a number on his phone and waited.The call connected.“Carlos,” the man said.Mr. Carlos’s voice came through the line. “You got news?”“It’s time. Plan A failed. Time for Plan B.”Carlos grunted. “She’s getting bold. The board listens to her now. She’s even cleaning up my mess.”The man chuckled low. “Then it’s time to make a bigger mess.”“Go ahead,” Carlos said. “What do you need from me?”“Silence. I’ll handle everything. But when it’s done, you better keep your promise.”“You’ll get your money. And a seat on the board.”The man smirked. “Good. Tell your girl to stay out of my way. Or she won’t like what comes next.”Carlos’s voice dropped. “Just make sure William and Kate fall. I don’t care how.”The call ended.---Liam stepped out of the elevator, holding a stack of documents. He checked the list on his phone.“Alright
♣ CHAPTER 32 ♣The next day,Kate sat in her office, eyes fixed on the report in front of her. Her fingers tapped the desk lightly. She had barely slept. The confrontation with Rachelle still played in her head.,The lies, The accusations and The anger.Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Tina.> “Don’t let her get to you. You’re stronger than this.”She has called Tina in the morning, when she was preparing for work, and has explained what happened to her the previous night and how William surprisingly defend her.Kate smiled a little, then stood up and walked to the window. The city was alive,Busy,Loud and Ruthless.Just like business.A voice echoed in her head—“This company must stay in the family. You’ll have to fight for it.”And she would.A knock on the door.“Come in,” she said.One of the senior board members stepped in. Mr. Alfred. He is Old, tall, and always watching.“Miss Kate,” he said. “The board meeting is in twenty minutes.”“I’ll be there,” she replied.He nodded
♣ CHAPTER 31 ♣ Kate took a shaky step back. “What… What are you doing here, Rachelle?”Rachelle tilted her head mockingly, her red lips curving into a smirk. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you? You disappeared like a coward. No goodbye. No explanation. Just vanished.”William looked between them, confused and suspicious. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”Kate’s voice cracked as she answered. “We were roommates… back in Texas. But things… things ended badly.”Rachelle scoffed. “Badly is an understatement. You ruined my life, Kate.”Kate’s face tightened. “I didn’t ruin anything. You made your own choices.”Rachelle stepped forward, eyes burning. “You turned Lucas against me. You lied to him. You told him I cheated—when you knew nothing!”William’s gaze snapped to Kate. “Lucas? That Lucas?”Kate looked down, her hands trembling slightly. “He was Rachelle’s boyfriend before he became my friend. I didn’t tell you because… it’s complicated.”Rachelle laughed bitterly. “Complic
♣ CHAPTER 30 ♣The Dray’s mansion was alive with the soft whispers of maids and guards. They were chatting and moving about quietly.Kate rolled from one side of the bed to the other. Her phone buzzed on the shelf beside her bed. She reached for it and noticed it was an unknown number.She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and yawned like a hungry lion before answering.“Hello,” she said lazily.“Hey, girl. Good morning,” came a cool and smooth voice.“Please, who is this?” she asked.“It’s a friend from Texas,” the voice chuckled.“I really don’t know... I’m not that social with people.”“I know. I won’t beat around the bush. It’s Lucas.”Her eyes widened. “What? Lucas? Is that really you?” Her voice brimmed with surprise and happiness.“Yes, the one and only Lucas.”Kate jumped out of bed. “Are you in Greensville?”“Yes, I’m right in front of your mansion.”“Really?” She rushed to the window, pulled the curtain aside slightly, and peeked out. Lucas was standing beside his car, smiling broadl
♣ CHAPTER 29 ♣Kate wakes up feeling light,she gets off the bed and walks into the bathroom and she freshen up.Few minutes later,she was fully dressed up and she walked down from the stairs and enters the dining room. She sees her Mother-in-law,Mrs Dray , sitting in the dining room with William sitting opposite him.“Good morning, Mrs Dray.” Kate greeted and sits.“Did I ask you to sit?” Mrs Dray asked angrily.“Mom…!” William calls.“Don't you dare call me that,if you want to call me Mom,then tell this trash to get out of this house.” “Do you really think I care about this marriage of a thing.” Kate states, rolling her eyes.“Seems you've grown wings. Now you have the guts to talk back to me.” Mrs Dray shouted.“I'm not a thing that you can just use as a leverage,then dump off like a trash.”Mrs Dray scoffs. “William this is what you call a wife, this trashy thing.” She points toward Kate.“She's not a trash Mom, she my wife!” William defended.“Seems, she's feeded you something an