تسجيل الدخولEmily I went to the prison three days later. I sat in a plastic chair and waited, my hands folded on the metal table. Then he came out. He looked smaller in the uniform. The gray at his temples had spread. He walked with a slight shuffle, the arrogant stride I'd known my whole life finally broken. He sat down across from me and smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure, daughter?" "I'm not your daughter." I kept my voice level. "I'm only here for answers. Grandfather was good to you. Took you out from the gutter and made you someone He gave you the company. He covered up your—" I stopped, glanced at the guard by the door. "He protected you. Why did you kill her? Why did you take everything when he was nothing but good to you?" He laughed. It started as a chuckle and grew into something wild, almost frightening. The guard shifted, hand moving to his belt. "Good?" David leaned forward, eyes bright with a feverish light I'd never seen before. "You think that old man was good? You thin
Emily Within a month of gaining my own people into key positions, I had enough evidence on my table to bury my father ten times over. Not just the embezzlement scheme I'd originally been chasing, but something far worse. Something that made my hands shake when I spread the papers out at 2 AM, alone in the study, with Adrian fast asleep in bed.My mother hadn't jumped. She'd been pushed. I already had doubts. But holding the medical report. I could feel tears stinging my eyes. I read it again, even though I'd already memorized every word. Adrian had pulled strings with his contacts at the police department to get it for me. Four months pregnant. She was four months pregnant when she died, carrying a child my father probably found a nuisance. Her fingerprints were found on the balcony railing, yes, but the bruising pattern on her arms told a different story. Someone had grabbed her. Hard. And the button clutched in her hand—a brass button from a suit jacket—matched the one missing from
Emily Evy, my assistant, came in the next morning, the door closing behind her as she made her report "there are concerns from the finance department about the restructuring.”"What concerns?” "They claim allocating much finds for compensation will affect this month's payroll""And the board? Any response?""None" she repliedIt was weird, my father and Martins were acting out of characters, I'd expected him to blow up by now. I looked up at Evy still standing there, "you can go. And let the vice-president know I would like to see him."Evy hesitated then bowed and leftI understood her hesitation. Everyone in the company knew I was on rocky ground with my father, but right now, I would prefer he lashed out and play his cards rather than keep quiet and act like I nothing was happening.My father came in a while later, coughing sharply as he took his seat before I even invited him to."Why have our almighty CEO asked for me? Trouble in paradise?" His tone was condescending, mocking.
Adrian The message came through before I finished my tea.I didn’t need to check the sender to know who it was. There were only a handful of people who would respond that quickly after leaving a negotiation table, and Frederick Hawthorne was one of them. A man like him didn’t delay decisions once he had made them—he acted.He's efficient, and that's why I work with him.I picked up my phone and opened the message."Done. She'll leave the country within forty-eight hours."Make it twenty four, and I can promise a 15% increase"His reply came almost immediately, "Deal"I smiled, setting the phone aside, reaching for my cup again. The tea had gone slightly warm, but I didn’t mind. Forty-eight was good.Twenty-four was better.The longer Vivian stayed in the country, the more room there was for disruption. With her cornered, she had the tendency to become reckless, that much was obvious from her stupid scheme at the party, I didn't want her causi g more problems.I stood, straightening
Adrian Frederick Hawthorne arrived punctually, as I expected. The café was quiet, private, and neutral—no distractions, no audience. I had chosen it for the simplicity of the transaction. Nothing more. Nothing less. He gave the nod and slid into the seat opposite me. “Adrian,” he said, voice smooth. “To what do I owe this meeting?” “I have a proposal,” I said, placing a folder on the table. The weight of it alone made him glance down, eyebrows raising slightly. “A proposal?” he said, leaning back. I nodded, glancing down at the file, “I heard your company is going through a rough patch,” I started. Vivian's scandal seems to have hit more than I expected I saw his jaw tighten, he knew I was the one behind it “I can get you back on your feet" I continued, "with even a ten percent increase in revenue. Guaranteed.” Hawthorne didn’t flinch. But I saw the flicker in his eyes—the calculation, the intrigue. He shifted slightly, a professional courtesy masking interest. “And the ca
Adrian I wasn’t surprised. Not even a little. The moment Martins turned to Rhoda and told her to apologize, I already knew how this would play out. He probably thought it was a smart move. A calculated sacrifice. Contain the damage. Preserve what little authority he still had. Show me—show us—that he could still maintain order in his household. But that was the problem with Martins. He always thought he was calculating. When in reality— He was predictable. Nine times out of ten, I could see exactly what he was thinking before he even acted on it. And that was precisely why he would never win against me. Not in the company. Not in this family. Not anywhere that required actual control. The old man saw it too. Long before anyone else did. I could still remember the conversations. The quiet frustration in his voice, hidden beneath layers of authority and pride. “Martins lacks presence,” he had said once, pacing slowly in his study. “He doesn’t command the room. He rea
AdrianThe moment I stepped into the small office of the woman, I knew this conversation would change everything. Her eyes were sharp, the kind that made you feel like she could read your thoughts before you spoke them aloud.“Mr. Carter,” she greeted me with a nod, “I’ve been expecting you.”“Than
EmilyWhen Adrian asked to meet, my first instinct was to refuse.Actually, that wasn't entirely true.My first instinct had been to stare at the message for a very long time, my chest tightening with a familiar ache I had worked so hard to suppress these past days.The second instinct had been to
Emily Adrian picked me up from work. As usual, he was discreet. He waited in the underground parking lot instead of pulling up at the entrance like he had the first time we met after work I'd warned him, and I was still surprised he actually listened. The underground parking lot was dim, quie
EmilyI didn’t hear from Adrian the entire next day.Not a message, not a call, not even one of those short, possessive little notes that usually had me reading and rereading them until my chest ached.He must still be angry.I wanted to call him so badly. I wanted to ask questions, explain myself,







