ANMELDENAlessa’s POVI looked at the reports still spread across the table."Alessa." She warned."I'm going," I said, and started stacking papers.She watched me with the expression of someone trying very hard not to smile. "He's been waiting for this for a while, you know."I smiled. "Lisa.""I'm just noting." She said with a shrug. "You're just noting nothing." I closed my laptop. "Go home.""I love how you think that tone still works on me." She was already packing her own bag, betraying that she had been waiting for this moment. "You look nice, by the way. The blue works.""Goodnight, Lisa."She winked. "Have fun.""Goodnight-""Text me.""Lisa."She left, laughing. I sucked in a breath and pulled out my compact mirror, checking my face and fixing my makeup.When I was done, I grabbed my coat and bag, heading downstairs. Jason was outside, leaning against the building with his hands in his pockets and looking at the street. He turned when the door opened, and a bright smile envelope
Alessa's POVThe boardroom smelled the same as it always had and I had sat in this room hundreds of times. I knew every face around this table.Today, some of those faces were not happy with me."What you did," Gerald Fitch said, setting his pen down, "was bypass every established protocol for internal misconduct. There are procedures, Miss James. You ambushed your own brother in front of cameras.""He ambushed me in a burning building," I said pleasantly. "I thought we would try it my way."There was a ripple around the table, and I caught some people trying to hide their smiles. "The reputational damage alone-“ Gerald snapped."Is significantly less than the reputational damage of forty-three million dollars in undisclosed transfers coming out through a regulatory audit," I said. "Which it would have, eventually. These things always do." I looked at him steadily. "I chose the version where we controlled the narrative. That distinction matters to shareholders and it will matter in
Alessa’s POVThey started to whisper, the camera clicked faster but I didn’t move. "JR Corps was built on a principle that was established before I was born and it was for this company would stand for integrity." I kept my gaze moving across the room. "I want to talk to you about what happens when someone inside this company decides that principle is an obstacle."I looked at Jason at the side of the room. He gave the smallest nod.The screens behind me came to life and then a recording of Jason’s voice filled the entire eoom. As he spoke, murmurs filled the room, board members rose to their feet and even my family were shocked. I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes forward, and raised one hand. "There's more."The noise subsided and I nodded. "Exactly one week ago, I was abducted." My eyes found Jason as I kept speaking. “And I was left to die in a burning building. The individual who coordinated my abduction was a woman named Laura. And the individual who contracted her…”I fin
Alessa's POVThe mirror on the wall told me things I wasn't ready to hear.The bruise along my jaw had faded to a sickly yellow-green. My wrists and head still ached with a low persistent throb that the painkillers did nothing to help. I looked at myself for a long time then I straightened my shoulders. I had a press conference to attend. I heard the knock before I could respond, the door opened. "Alessa." He stepped inside, and he actually looked concerned. "You look better. How are you feeling?""Strange," I said. "Everything still feels very far away. The doctors say that's normal."I lied to everyone and told them I lost my memory, pretending not to remember anything that happened three weeks ago. So now, they all saw me as fragile. It was working, I needed them to believe that for my plan to work. He sat on the chair beside my bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "The press conference today," he said, gently. "Are you sure about this? It's too soon."I need t
JASON’S POVThe first thing I was aware of was the sound of rhythmic beeping that seemed to be keeping time with the ache behind my eyes.The second thing was the light pressing through my eyelids even before I opened them.The third thing was my mother's voice, saying my name over and over. Slowly, I opened my eyes to find harsh white ceilings above me. I turned my head carefully, and there they were, my parents, seated beside the bed. My mother was leaning forward with both hands wrapped around mine, her eyes red. My father sat beside her, his face was emotionless but I could see the tears in his eyes. He was the one to see me first and a strangled sound left his throat. My mother screamed and threw herself on me.“He’s awake! Oh, God!” She pulled back, her body trembling as tears poured from her eyes. “Call the doctor, please!” My father bobbed his head and rushed out of the room, while my mother fussed over me. "Mom." My voice was too low for me to hear. "Where is she?"My
JASON’S POV"Turn left here," Mayowa said, his eyes fixed on the laptop balanced on his knees. “The signal was strongest coming from this road."I turned hard, the tires screaming against the asphalt. The speedometer kissed a hundred and ten and I pushed it higher."Jason." Mayowa's voice was tight, the way it always got when he was about to say something he knew I didn't want to hear. "I need you to understand what we're doing right now."My jaw clenched tightly. "I know what we're doing.""Do you? Because the way I got this location is not exactly something I can explain to a judge.” He paused and sighed. “We bypassed two federal-level encryption protocols and piggy-backed off a private satellite network. If this goes sideways-""Mayowa." I snapped, interrupting him. He shook his head, still talking. "I'm serious. We could both be looking at-""Mayowa." I glanced at him. "Is she there or not?"He exhaled then glanced back at the screen. "She was but the signal dropped four minutes
I glanced around the restaurant, but no one seemed to be paying us any particular attention. Most people were absorbed in their own conversations.I shook it off and returned my attention to my friends."So," Fatima said, setting down her wine glass with a satisfied smile. "I have news.""Good new
Two days later, the boardroom was packed. Every seat at the long table was filled, and there was an energy in the air that made my skin tingle with anticipation.I stood at the head of the room and Lisa was beside me managing the presentation slides, as I walked through the revised Meridian partner
My eyes were burning from the strain of reading under fluorescent lights, and there was a persistent throb behind my left temple that promised a migraine if I didn’t take a break soon.I’d been staring at the same paragraph for five minutes, the words blurring together into meaningless shapes.But
I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror, turning from side to side, admiring my figure.The silver dress my mother had forced me into clung to every curve, the slit running up my thigh feeling scandalously high. The neckline was tasteful but somehow made my bust look fuller and my hair







