Chapter 1. TWO HOURS TOO LATE

Nina groaned and pulled her pillow over her ears as her phone rang again. Whoever was calling refused to give up. The vibration felt like it was drilling into her skull.

“Five minutes…” she mumbled, turning her face deeper into the pillow.

The phone rang again. And again.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Then, with pure frustration, she yanked her pillow off her head and grabbed the phone without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?” she said in a sleepy, annoyed voice.

“Ms. Brooks!” Jemima’s panicked voice shot through the speaker. “The board meeting is about to end!”

Nina blinked. Slowly. The words didn’t sink in at first. “The… what?” she whispered.

“The BOARD MEETING!” Jemima half-shouted. “Everyone has been waiting for you, but the directors are rounding up. Clara is already….”

Nina didn’t hear the rest.

Her eyes flew to the time on her screen.

12:00 PM.

Exactly 12 noon.

Her heart stopped.

She shot up from the bed like someone poured hot water on her.

“Twelve?! Jemima, the board presentation was scheduled for ten!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“I—I’m coming!” Nina shouted and hung up immediately.

Her phone fell from her hand as she jumped off the bed. She didn’t understand how she had slept so deeply. Her alarms didn’t ring. Not even one. She always set three.

Her body felt strange and heavy, as if someone had tied invisible weights to her limbs. She pushed through it.

There was no time.

She didn’t bother to shower or even brush her hair. She didn’t check the mirror. She just grabbed her laptop, shoved her feet into the first pair of shoes she saw, and ran.

 The Brooks mansion was always busy in the morning—maids moving around, cooks going up and down, her parents arguing over business calls, Clara complaining about something as usual.

But today? Everywhere was silent.

Her voice echoed as she called out, “Mom? Dad?”

Nothing.

She hurried downstairs, skipping steps, praying to see someone—anyone.

When she reached the living room, her stomach twisted.

The house was empty.

Cars gone.

Chairs pushed back in a hurry.

Breakfast plates already cleared.

Everyone… had left her.

Her chest tightened. “No… they didn’t. They wouldn’t.”

This was the first major presentation in the Brooks family since the announcement about choosing the next heiress. Her parents had repeated the instructions for weeks: Come early, look bold, show the board your strength.

And they left her?

She tried calling her mother. No answer.

 Her father. Straight to voicemail.

 Clara. Switched off.

Nina’s hands shook.

Her keys fell twice before she managed to pick them up. She didn’t even check the mirror, barely aware of her tangled hair and the mark her pillow had left on her face. She didn’t care. She only knew she had to get to Hart Holding before everything collapsed completely.

She rushed out the front door and sprinted toward her car.

Her mind was a chaos of questions.

Did they forget about her?

 Did Clara wake her before leaving?

 Why didn’t her alarm ring?

 Did someone touch it?

She slid into her car, started the engine, and sped out of the driveway.

……..

The road blurred as she drove, her mind racing faster than the car. She clutched the steering wheel tightly, praying the board members were still there, praying her parents would at least let her explain, praying Clara hadn’t…..

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen.

Unknown Number.

For a split second, she wondered if she should pick it… Then….

A loud horn shot through the air.

Her heart jumped. A black SUV swerved into her lane. Nina panicked and turned her wheel too sharply.

BAM!

Her car hit the SUV’s bumper.

Her head jerked forward. Her bag spilled to the floor. Papers scattered everywhere.

She stopped breathing for a second.

“Oh no…” she whispered, gripping her chest. “Please, not now. Not today.”

The door of the SUV swung open, and a tall man stepped out. Sharp eyes. Strong build. Dressed in a simple black shirt and fitted trousers. He looked like someone who didn’t blink unless necessary.

He walked toward her car, slow and calm, which somehow scared her more.

Nina stepped out quickly. “I’m…I’m so sorry. I didn’t see… I mean, I was distracted.. not distracted, just in a hurry….

The man raised a brow. “You hit my car.”

His voice was deep but calm.

“Yes. I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I mean, I was thinking, but too much at once.”

He looked at her—the messy hair, the pale face, the panic in her eyes. Something in his expression softened, just slightly.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

The question broke whatever strength she was holding on to.

“No,” she blurted. “No, I’m not. I’m very late, and everyone left me behind, and my sister—” She stopped herself, realizing she was rambling to a stranger. “I’m sorry. I don’t have time. I can fix the damage. I’ll—I’ll contact you later.”

She rushed to her bag to find a pen.

The man grabbed her wrist gently, stopping her.

“You’re shaking,” he said.

Nina pulled her hand back. “I have a presentation. A very important one. I already messed up, but I can’t let everything fall apart. Please… I need to go.”

He studied her for a moment, then nodded once. “Go.”

She blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Just drive carefully.”

Nina didn’t trust her voice, so she nodded instead.

As she got back into her car, she saw him watching her with an unreadable expression. She didn’t know why, but the look made her chest tighten.

She drove off quickly, unaware that the stranger’s eyes followed her long after her car faded into the distance.