LOGIN“Alright, sit down, lady!!” Brock pushed her down, forcing her to sit on the sofa next to her husband's chair. “Now, behave, the two of you,” he demanded with a cold grin. “Believe it or not, we really want to do this peacefully. We hate having to disrespect old people."Bron stood up, then turned his cold eyes to his brother. "Put the papers back together," he ordered.Brock's cruel grin vanished, replaced by total confusion. He looked at his brother, then at the torn pieces on the floor. "What? And how the hell am I going to do that?”"Use the tape in your pocket," Bron interrupted, his tone carrying real authority. "The tape you brought in case we needed to tie them up. Fix the papers."Brock realized his older brother was serious and didn't argue. He reached into his thick jacket, pulled out a roll of heavy clear tape, and knelt down. He gathered the torn pieces, set them flat on the coffee table, and began to work. The loud, harsh sound of the plastic tape unrolling filled the r
The room went completely silent after Samuel refused to sign the papers.The thought of doing what Bron has asked for was unthinkable. This house had been Samuel and Linda’s safe haven for decades.It was where they raised their only daughter Hazel and built their lives. But looking at the two men standing in their living room, the house didn't feel like a home anymore. It felt like a cage. The silence was so heavy that when the broken pieces of the plastic pen hit the floor, the small crack sounded like a gunshot.With an annoyed growl, Brock pushed himself off the wall instantly. He had been waiting for this moment since they got here. He was hoping for a reason to use a little more force so he could put his hands on that old man who had attacked him at the restaurant. And this was his chance. “You think this is a joke?” he snapped, stepping forward.Bron didn’t move. Instead, he turned to give Brock a look and raised his hand in a gesture to stop him. “Brock,” he said, not raising
He gestured toward Brock with the smallest possible movement of his hand.Brock said nothing. He just stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes moving past Linda into the house like he was already taking stock of what was inside."I'd like to speak with you and your husband," Bron said. "May we come in?"Linda didn't move out of the way, "My husband is resting.""I understand," Bron said pleasantly. "I'll keep this brief."He said it in a way that made it clear the question had not actually been a question and then he stepped forward and didn't stop despite the fact that she was standing by the entrance blocking him. Linda had no choice but to step back from the door so they could peacefully walk in. Samuel was in the small sitting room when they came in. He had heard the knock from his chair by the window and had already pushed himself upright, his face arranged into the careful calm of a person who had been expecting something like this and had been dreading it with equal measur
A few minutes earlier before se walked in. Hazel paused just outside the heavy mahogany door of Maxwell’s office, the heat of his morning coffee seeping through the cardboard sleeve into her palm. She could barely feel it as her full attention was on what was being said behind that door.The door to his office was cracked open just a fraction, but it was enough for Victoria’s sharp, amused voice to drift into the hallway.“There is nothing going on between me and my assistant. We are not involved. I don't have feelings for her. It was a… practical decision." Maxwell's voice came through. Hazel chewed on her lower lip. She wasnt the type to eavesdrop. However she couldn't help it. This was too interesting to walk away from. She had spent the last day agonizing over why he had actually hired her. If he truly wanted revenge, the easiest route would have been to torpedo her chances at this dream job and send her packing. Instead, he had handed it to her. Why? The talk coming from insid
"I didn't want to be late," Hazel said, keeping her voice as calm as possible. She didn't mention that she’d been up since four in the morning, jumping at every sound outside her window, worried that it might be Brock and his brother coming to collect their money. Or that the early bus was the only way she felt safe getting to the city.Maxwell nodded once."Good," he said. "Come into my office."Hazel grabbed her notebook and followed him. She watched him sit behind the massive desk that seemed to make him look even more powerful. She was still in disbelief that this was the same man she had dared to insult.He didn't start working immediately. Instead, he stared at a closed file for a long moment, his thumb tracing the edge of the folder. He found himself absent minded all of a sudden. He was now thinking about the journal. About his father playing a part just to be loved, and his mother playing a part just to get ahead. He looked up at Hazel, who was standing there waiting for a
The journals were stacked to one side. He had been putting off reading them properly. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't want to read them and get emotional or sad.However today he was bored enough to pick them up. He picked up the first one and opened it. Inside the front page, in handwriting that was neat but not careful, someone had written a date from twenty nine years ago.Maxwell stared at the date for a moment.Twenty nine years ago, his father had been roughly the same age Maxwell was now, or more accurately 27 years old. He turned the page and started reading.The food arrived forty minutes later and Maxwell hadn't moved.The entries were not dramatic. That was the first thing that struck him. His father didn't write like a person who knew he was going to die young and leave things unfinished. He wrote like a person who expected to have time. Observations about the business, frustrations with suppliers, occasional notes about books he was reading or thing
"Yeah, the cameras are outside on the red carpet. Don't worry though they're not allowed inside the actual event," Natasha explained. "It's just standard media coverage for charity events."Maxwell nodded, feeling slightly better about that.Twenty minutes later, they pulled up smoothly to the Gran
Maxwell's anger grew with every word. Frank wasn't just stealing money - he was betraying the entire company. Selling secrets that Marcus Sterling and his team had worked years to develop. "Obviously you refused the bribe.""Of course I refused!" Cedric said emphatically. "I'm not a traitor. I've w
When everyone in the room looked at Victoria, they could tell that she was absolutely furious. Years of stolen trade secrets! And not only that, it was all stolen by Debra and Ramon, the very people she despised for the way they treated her nephew.Victoria turned to look at Maxwell. Her expression
"Well, they're quite expensive," the man explained carefully, as if talking to someone who couldn't understand basic economics. "I'm just trying to save you from embarrassment at the register.""Money isn't an issue," Maxwell responded firmly, getting slightly irritated by everyone's assumptions ab







