تسجيل الدخول"The article about Astera and Horizon merger has people panicking and the stock price fall is the urgent thing we need to address immediately." William commanded the room right away."Regarding this, I will make a statement in a public press conference. The merger of Astera and Horizon won't happen based on public rumor that my son tried to steal my legacy."The silence hung on the air.Chadwick showed his smug satisfied grin without trying to hide it. The other board member held their breath.Ashworth exhaled deeply, Nerissa look at Vance in concern.And Vance... He went rigid right away.He had told Ashworth about the possibility of the merger in the future once everything is stabilized. But now William made it clear it won't happen. He wanted to argue and tell his father why the future merger is a great posibility. But after the last argument, he was afraid that they would clash again in front of everyone here. He could only hold himself together as his jaw tightened."That is why,
Vance had called for emergency board meeting once he went to Astera. He had informed that the board member had been gathered in secret meeting without him once the article was released and the stock price had dropped drastically. Chadwick had planted a bomb to sway the other shareholder to be on his side and made sure they have mindset that Vance was a threat to the company since his last radical idea about salary decrease for executive employees.Vance sat at the head of the long mahogany table. His face was calm, but his hands were still. Nerissa sat beside him, her tablet open, her eyes scanning the room. Across from them, the board members sat in their usual positions. Gerald, the old guard who had voted for Vance. The other old guard and directors. And Chadwick, the thin man with the sharp smile. He was at the far end of the table, his fingers steepled, his eyes gleaming.He looked like a man who had already won.The tension was palpable, some of the shareholder already decided
The notification appeared at 6:47 AM.William was in his study, a cup of coffee in his hand. He was slowly recovering and trying to be productive again when his tablet buzzed. He glanced at the screen. A news alert from a financial publication he followed.He tapped it open."BLACKWOOD BETRAYAL: HORIZON GLOBAL POISED TO SWALLOW ASTERA SPIRE — SOURCES SAY CEO VANCE BLACKWOOD PLOTTING TAKEOVER OF FATHER'S EMPIRE"William's hand froze. His coffee cup hovered mid-air.He read the article once. Twice. Three times."Sources close to Astera reveal that CEO Vance Blackwood, also the founder of Horizon Global, has been in secret talks to merge his father's company into Horizon, effectively seizing control of his father's empire. Insiders question whether Blackwood is acting in the company's best interest or pursuing a personal vendetta against his own family."He set the coffee down. His hand was shaking.His phone buzzed. He ignored it.Another buzz. Another. His voicemail was filling up."Mr
The morning sun was bright over the city beach.Sam pulled the Horizon van into the parking lot and killed the engine. He got out without a word, walked to the back, and began unloading the gear. Tanks. Masks. Fins. A waterproof tablet for mapping. A cooler with water and snacks.Celeste stayed in the passenger seat for a moment, watching him through the windshield. He moved with easy efficiency, his hands sure and steady. He didn't look at her. He was too busy being excited to do the diving and brought her into all of these ilogical trouble.She got out. two minutes later. Her tablet and a leather portfolio on her hand. She found a spot on the sand far enough from the water to stay dry, but close enough to observe.She sat down. Opened her tablet to start the real job, not these nonsense of diving in the monday morning when other people busy go to work.She had spreadsheets to review. Data to analyze. Reports to file. That was why she was here. That was her job.Around her, the beach
The sea air hit Lydia's face the moment she stepped out of the car.She stopped and closed her eyes. Breathed in.She could almost feel it in her tongue and nose, salt air. She also noticed kelp, something green and alive. It was nothing like the recycled air of Astera Spire, nothing like the perfume and coffee of the executive floor. This was nature, and she didn't realize how much she need it after years."You okay?" Derek Okafor appeared beside her, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with the easy confidence he brought everywhere.Lydia opened her eyes. "Fine. Just... adjusting.""Adjusting," Marcus Kwame repeated from behind them. He was shorter, leaner, with round glasses and a perpetually furrowed brow. He carried two bags and a waterproof case that probably held equipment he refused to trust to anyone else. "We've been in the car for four hours. You've had time to adjust.""Four hours in a car is different from four hours breathing salt air."
The silence filled the room. Celeste's words echoed through everyone's mind.Highly allergic to a popular charming guy.After what felt like an eternity of absorbing the words, the silence was first broken by Daniel's burst of laughter."Is that a new kind of allergy? How unbelievable!" He held his stomach as his shoulders trembled with laughter. Priya shot a death glare at him. Nerissa and Vance watched him silently. Sam tilted his head, his mouth slightly open. Celeste looked at him as if he were the strangest person who dared to laugh in this situation.His laughter grated on her nerves. She could feel her jaw tightening, her fingers curling against the leather portfolio. She did not understand how anyone could find this amusing. There was nothing amusing about being forced into proximity with someone whose very presence unsettled her.Daniel caught himself. "Sorry..." He brushed his jacket and tried to compose himself. "I am sorry."But his eyes still held a glint of mirth. Celest
The printed email sat on my keyboard. I picked it up. The words were careful, but the meaning was clear. Chen was trying to cause doubt. He was trying to hurt the project, and to hurt me.The handwritten question mark at the bottom was the only note. It wasn't an order. It was a test.I didn't feel
Zane was in the kitchen when she woke up.She knew before she opened her eyes. The smell of coffee. The soft clink of a mug. The sound of eggs cracking against the side of a bowl.
The house felt smaller than she remembered.Nerissa stood in the living room, her bag still in her hand. Everything was the same. The couch they'd picked together. The photos on the walls. The kitche
Neither moved.The hum of his laptop filled the silence. Her pulse was loud in her ears. His hand was still wrapped around hers, warm, solid. His thumb rested against her wrist, where her heartbeat r







