MasukNathan’s office felt smaller than ever — like the walls were slowly closing in on him. His steps were quick, restless, as he paced from one end of the room to another.The large office that usually felt imposing and powerful suddenly seemed suffocating. The city skyline stretched beyond the glass walls, but he barely noticed it. His mind was elsewhere.He couldn’t think straight.Every thought that entered his mind clashed with another, creating a chaos only grief and confusion could breed.“Why didn’t you tell me this since, Marcel?” His voice broke through the silence, sharp and accusing.Marcel, who had been standing near the window all along, turned to face him.There was a flicker of guilt in his eyes, his lips parting slightly before the words came. “I’m sorry, Boss. I wanted to tell you, I really did. But you came back from Houston… different. Calmer. Focused. I didn’t want to destroy that peace you’d just found.”“Destroy it?” Nathan repeated, his tone cutting. “This is Char
It had been two days since Nathan returned from Houston, but to those who knew him well, it already felt like two months.The man who walked into Mills Corp that Monday morning was not the same man who left.The bitterness that once clung to him like a second skin had melted away. His tone, his posture, even the way he greeted the staff, all of it reflected something softer, calmer.When he arrived at the building that morning, the receptionist had almost dropped her pen when he paused to ask about her weekend.The security men at the gate still talked about how he smiled at them and said, “Thank you for your service.”It was strange. This was Nathan Mills — the same man who used to walk through the company halls like a storm cloud, scattering everyone with his temper.Even Marcel was unsettled.“Nathan,” he said that morning in the office, leaning on the edge of the table with a curious stare, “tell me the truth, did you undergo brain surgery in Houston?”Nathan looked up from his f
The Cooper mansion glowed that evening — lights glimmering across the long driveway, the soft hum of music drifting from the main hall, and laughter echoing from every corner.It was Megan’s birthday, and Charlotte had made sure everything looked perfect.Guests had begun to arrive, their voices rising above the rhythm of the music.Megan, bright and graceful, was surrounded by her friends, their laughter blending into the cheerful chaos of celebration.But outside, away from the laughter, Charlotte stood by the garden rail, her phone pressed to her ear again. The call went straight to voicemail.Caleb’s number had been unreachable for hours. Her heartbeat grew heavier with each failed attempt.Earlier, she’d called his secretary, the woman had said he left the office around 4 p.m., cheerful, carrying his briefcase as usual. That was the last anyone saw of him.Now it was 6:40 p.m. The party had begun, and still no word from him. The lights, the laughter, the music — none of it seemed
The early morning flight to Houston felt like the longest journey of Nathan’s life. He sat by the window, staring blankly at the clouds, his mind replaying Sophia’s trembling voice over the phone.He couldn’t eat, couldn’t think straight. His fingers tightened around the armrest each time guilt pricked his heart.The cabin was quiet around him. Businessmen typed on laptops, flight attendants moved calmly through the aisle, and a child somewhere behind him laughed softly, unaware of the burdens adults carried.Nathan barely noticed any of it.His thoughts drifted from one disaster to another.The collapse of Mills Corp.Mrs. Okeke walking away.Every memory felt like another stone added to the weight crushing his chest.For years, he had believed he was untouchable.Now everything around him was falling apart.When the plane finally touched down, he wasted no time.A cab was waiting outside the terminal. He forwarded the hospital address Sophia had sent him, and the driver sped off thr
The silence in Nathan’s office was heavy enough to crush him. He had been pacing from the window to the door and back again for almost ten minutes, his thoughts scattered, his chest tightening with every step.He stopped once, staring at the framed photo of his father on the wall — that proud smile, the same office, the same view.“Is this how it ends?” he muttered. His reflection in the glass window looked like a stranger. “Is this how Mills Corp dies?”He cursed under his breath and walked back to his desk. The bottle of whiskey sat there, half-empty, almost mocking him.He poured himself a glass and swallowed it in one gulp.The burn down his throat felt like punishment or maybe relief. He sank into his chair, elbows on the armrest, head heavy with regret and rage.The office that had once felt powerful now felt empty. The polished furniture, the awards lining the shelves, the expensive artwork on the walls — none of it brought him comfort anymore. Every corner of the room reminde
The boardroom was unusually cold that morning. Eleven executives sat around the long mahogany table, eyes lowered, hands clasped, the tension was so thick it could choke.The large screen on the wall still displayed the latest financial report: Mills Corp’s market value drops another 20%, adding to the previous 39% decline. Fifty-nine percent total loss in just a few weeks.Nathan sat at the head of the table, shoulders slumped, eyes sunken from lack of sleep.His tie hung loosely, the man who once commanded boardrooms now looked like someone fighting ghosts.“Fifty-nine percent,” he repeated slowly, his voice hoarse. “We are losing everything my father built.” He paused, looking around. “You are my senior executives, men and women who helped raise this empire. So, tell me…” his voice hardened, “how do we fix this?”No one spoke. Only the faint hum of the air conditioner filled the silence.A few exchanged nervous glances, others pretended to be busy with their pens or notes.Nathan
Celine stood frozen for a split second, watching the way Nathan’s grip tightened around Charlotte’s wrist, watching the way his brows knit together as if some buried memory was clawing its way to the surface. Panic surged through her chest. Her heart raced so loudly she was sure everyone around co
“Charlie sis,” Celine called again, her lips curved into that familiar fake smile that never reached her eyes. “To celebrate my wedding with Nathan next week, Mom and Dad booked a private dining room at Trans-Hilton Hotel. You should come too.”The words settled in the room like dust.The name of t
Nathan ripped the chain bracelet off Charlotte’s wrist with brutal force.The sharp tug sent a fresh wave of pain through her arm, and she cried out softly, collapsing fully onto the cold floor. Her fingers curled weakly as she gasped for air, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Blood smeared h
The car moved smoothly along the dimly lit road, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the heavy silence inside the SUV. Streetlights flashed past the tinted windows in slow, measured intervals, casting fleeting shadows across Nathan's face. He sat rigidly at the back, his posture stiff and







