EMMA“It was Kian,” Hailey whispered as the door creaked wider and the footsteps stopped just outside the study.I stepped forward slowly, heart thudding, and sure enough—there he was.Kian.He looked just as shocked to see me as I was to see him.His hand still gripped the brass doorknob. His eyes flicked from me to Hailey, then to the folder half-hidden beneath my coat.“What are you doing in here?” he asked.I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I squared my shoulders and asked, “Why are you in here?”He blinked. “I should be asking you the same thing.”“No,” I said, voice firm. “You shouldn’t. Because I do have a reason.”Kian’s jaw tightened. “Emma… you know you’re not supposed to be in this part of the house.”“And neither are you,” I replied coldly. “But here we are.”A moment of heavy silence passed.“I’m leaving now,” I said sharply and turned to go, feeling the weight of his stare boring into my back.“This is suspicious,” Hailey muttered as we moved down the corridor.I did
EMMASelena looked like she wanted to protest—but she didn’t.“Who would have the power to pull that off?” I asked. “The access? The money? The motive?”She didn’t answer.Selena’s eyes dropped to the floor.My blood ran cold.“You’re thinking of someone.”“I’m thinking of too many people,” she said tightly. “You don’t understand how many enemies your father had, Emma. Not all of them wore a suit and smiled at you in boardrooms. Some were buried deep inside the family. Inside E&J.”I swallowed. “Is that why Edward never told me the truth? Because the truth would tear the company apart?”Selena didn’t answer.“I need to know,” I said. “I need everything. Files. Names. Contacts. I’m going to find out who did this. And when I do, I don’t care who falls with them.”Selena studied me for a moment. Then she gave a single nod. “Okay.”“Okay?”“I’ll help you,” she said. “But you have to promise me something.”“What?”“That you don’t go after anyone until you know for sure. Don’t throw accusat
EMMA“You were with him when it happened?” Kian’s voice broke through the silence, low and strained.We were all gathered in the hallway outside Edward’s room. The paramedics had left. The doctors had confirmed what we already knew. Edward Smith, the patriarch of E&J Empire, was gone.Hailey stood by the wall, arms folded across her chest, jaw clenched tight. “Yes,” she answered finally, her voice barely audible. “He collapsed in front of me.”Lucas ran both hands through his hair and leaned back against the opposite wall. “And he said something before he died?”I nodded. “He said it wasn’t Margaret who killed my father.”Silence dropped again. Sylvia shifted uneasily beside Lucas. “What does that mean?” she asked, but there was no curiosity in her voice—only fear.Hailey looked at me then. “Did he say who did?”“No.” My voice cracked. “He never got the chance.”Kian’s eyes were dark, unreadable. “This can’t be real. We just—he was fine yesterday.”“No, he wasn’t,” Hailey cut in. “He’s
EMMA“This is E&J Empire,” Margaret scoffed, rising to her feet, her voice slicing through the room like a blade. “My husband Smith’s company. What the hell are you talking about?” She turned sharply toward Daniel. “Now that he’s dead, you all think you can throw me out like trash?”“Let them finish, Margaret,” I said, my voice calm even though my chest burned with the urge to scream.Her eyes flared with rage. “No. This is wrong from the beginning. Me? Stepping down from my husband’s company? Hell no. Aside from being president, I also hold the largest secret shareholding. You can’t just erase me.”“Are you talking about me?” a crisp, confident voice rang out from the doorway.I turned toward the sound and saw Hailey enter, poised and composed as ever.Margaret blinked, visibly thrown. “What?”“Oh, not me directly,” Hailey replied, her lips curling into a knowing smile. She gestured toward the hallway. “My personal assistant, Fiona?”A woman stepped in—elegant, poised, unreadable. Fi
EMMAGrandfather’s words hit me like a tidal wave. Kian wasn’t part of the Wilson bloodline. Neither was Lucas. The truth of my family was unraveling before my eyes, each new piece of information more incomprehensible than the last.“But… how? How is this possible?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as the weight of the revelation crashed over me.Edward’s frail hand tightened around mine. “It’s all because of Margaret. She killed your mother… She murdered Joel and Smith. She played us all for fools.”My breath caught in my throat. “Margaret… she killed my father?”Edward nodded solemnly, his face a portrait of exhaustion and regret. “Yes. And Lucas isn’t even your brother. He’s Smith’s son, not Joel’s. Kian is… well, he is Smith’s son too. Hailey’s son.”The words didn’t register at first. My mind felt like it was being twisted, turned inside out. “Hailey? But how could—”“Hailey had her reasons,” Edward interrupted, his voice growing weaker but urgent. “She wanted revenge on Marg
EMMAJust as Sylvia was about to lash out, the door to the hospital room opened with a sudden creak, freezing everyone in place. The doctor’s voice was calm but firm. “Who is Miss Emma?”The tension in the room spiked, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. Hailey, her smile stretched unnervingly wide, pushed me forward, her fingers cold against my arm. “Here she is.”I hesitated but stepped forward, the knot in my stomach tightening. “Yes, me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, though the weight of all their eyes on me made it hard to breathe.The doctor didn’t acknowledge the others. “Grandfather wants to speak with you,” he said, turning to me with an air of urgency.Margaret, quick as ever, yanked my arm back with surprising force. “It’s only right I go in first. After all, I’m his daughter in law,” she snapped, her voice cutting through the stillness.“No, he said Miss Emma,” the doctor replied sharply, his eyes narrowing. “I heard him clearly, Mrs. Margaret. I’m not