로그인Sophia sat on the edge of the bed, empty bottles sprawled around her feet as she tried to think about the last twenty-four hours. She was still wearing yesterday’s clothes. She hadn’t showered — she had simply drowned herself in alcohol the moment she stepped inside the house.Her mind kept replaying the words Eric had said to her, calling her stupid, calling her foolish.And she couldn’t disagree with him. Her eyes were bloodshot from being awake all night, searching for a solution to her current dilemma.How was she going to get two hundred million pounds for William? Hell, how was she going to tell him she had thrown his money away on a dud?She raked her brain, trying to think of who she could ask for that kind of money.There were only a few people she could think of at the top of her head — one of them being Eric, the other being William, and a few other childhood friends.What would she do? Ask them all to donate a few million to her?“If I did that, I’m no better than that slu
Eric stared at her retreating back as she walked away. She was so uptight with him.He wanted to praise her for what he had seen inside the boardroom, but it seemed the same professional boundary she had placed on Sebastian still applied to him.He blew out a quiet breath as her figure grew more distant. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I have other things to handle.”He walked out of the building. His reasons for coming here had been accomplished. Now he had to return to work.“Before then, I need to have a chat with William.”He got into the car that was idling by the curb. “Sterling & Sinclair Royal Depository headquarters.”The driver started the car and drove toward the location.As soon as they parked, Eric stepped out and walked straight to the receptionist.“Is Mr. Sterling available?” he asked.She stared at him in shock for a moment before recognition dawned on her.“Ye-yes, sir,” she coughed to hide her stutter. “Mr. Sterling is in his office right now. Let me call to notify him.
“Alright,” Eric said, sitting up straight. “I came here to talk about the land bought close to the project.”Autumn’s eyes narrowed slightly at his words. She wasn’t aware he had bought land so close to the project.*Is he stupid or something?* she thought, staring at him. *There’s no way he knew this much and still made the same mistake.*“Yes, it was brought to my notice that a purchase was made by King’s Construction — both parcels totaling over two hundred million pounds.”Eric nodded in confirmation and opened his mouth to speak—“It’s quite ironic, don’t you think?” Sebastian cut in. “That Mr. Kingston chastised me for not knowing the laws, and still made the exact same mistake. Doesn’t that make you worse than me?” The insult was aimed directly at Eric’s intelligence.“Cat got your tongue?” Sebastian turned to Autumn. “You were very vocal when criticizing me, but you can’t do the same for your ex-husband. Is it because you once shared a bed with him that makes him exceptionally
“Mr. Kingston, what are you doing here?” the director asked.Eric’s gaze rested on the director before shifting to Autumn, then landing on Sebastian with a cold glare.“I’m here for my meeting,” he said, closing the door behind him as he walked in, deliberately ignoring Sebastian’s presence.“Mr. Kingston, your meeting with me is scheduled for later. I’m currently in the middle of another,” the director said, clearing his throat.“There will be no need for a later meeting. We can handle both here, one after the other.” Eric walked further into the room. “I heard that what Mr. Thorne came to discuss is similar to my own.” He watched Sebastian from the corner of his eye, searching for the slightest ripple of emotion.“It would be more beneficial to handle both together, rather than waste time.”The director sighed at his words. “What do you think, dear?” he asked Autumn, gesturing toward a seat two places away from Sebastian.Autumn’s eyes snapped up at him. She stared at the smile he d
Sebastian walked confidently into the meeting room, his strides radiating smug satisfaction as he remembered the events of the previous day.Sophia had called him, crying hysterically about the lands being useless and worth nothing. She told him about the money she had spent on them.He rolled his eyes at her annoying temper tantrum.“You should have done a bit more due diligence on them,” he told her coolly.“You were the one who gave them to me!” she yelled. “You told me it was safe. You gave me the documents!”“I did not say they were safe. Don’t twist my words, Miss Simone. I only told you they were vacant.” He snorted at her crude demeanor. “You’re the one who made that horrible mistake. You didn’t do your proper research, and now you’re blaming me for it.”“I will tell Eric! I will report everything to him. You scammed me out of two hundred million, you demon!” She was screaming profanities at him. He just let out a crude laugh at her behaviour.“By all means, please do. I would
A few days later…“…we also have the—”Gabriel burst through the door without knocking while Eric was in the middle of a meeting. Eric looked up at Gabriel’s panicked face and felt his heart drop into his stomach.He instantly flashed back to the warning he had given Gabriel a few weeks ago — that he must be informed immediately about anything regarding Autumn.He sat up straight.“My apologies. Something has come up on my end. I have to excuse myself.” He disconnected from the call. “Send the minutes to my assistant.”He removed his earphones and stood up to grab his coat.“What happened to Autumn?” he asked.“Sir, this doesn’t concern Madam,” Gabriel answered, still panicking.Eric paused, his hand freezing on the coat. His eyes snapped back to Gabriel.“Then what the hell made you run into my office like that?” His hand dropped. “Is it Fin?”Gabriel shook his head.“Gabriel, I will fire you,” Eric said, walking toward his desk, annoyed. “If it’s not about my wife or my son, then wh
I had spent the last few days trying to settle into the new house in Edinburgh. On the outside, everything looked perfect. The stone walls were strong, the air was fresh, and we were far away from the chaos of London. But inside the house, a different kind of war was starting.I had tried to get to
Autumn’s POVWe had finally arrived in Edinburgh. After the flight and the long drive from the private airfield, I was physically exhausted. The city was beautiful even in the dark, with its old stone streets and the looming castle in the distance, but I was too tired to truly appreciate
Autumn POVI sat down on the sofa, staring at the TV. A broadcast of an interview was playing on the screen, the bright lights of the television reflecting in my eyes. The words being said echoed in the vast, space of the living room. It felt like the house was too big now, especially with the
We had finally returned home after spending three grueling days at the hospital. The sterile smell of antiseptic seemed to have seeped into my skin, and the constant beep of monitors still echoed in my ears. Finn was much better, his laughter returning as we walked through the front doors of the es







