ANMELDENPatricia sat behind her desk. She picked up her phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in a long while.The call connected after several rings.“Hello?”“Daniel.”There was brief silence on the other end.“Patricia?”“Yes.”Daniel's voice immediately became cautious. “What happened?”“There's been a development.”“What kind of development?”Patricia leaned back in her chair. “Someone found out about the payments.”“What?”“Elena discovered the payments made to Westbridge.”Daniel swore under his breath. “How?”“She was looking through the company's financial records.”“You knew she was doing that?”“I knew she was suspicious. I didn't know how far she had gotten.”Daniel's voice hardened. “Patricia, this is exactly what I warned you about.”Patricia's eyes narrowed. “Don't start.”“You were supposed to make sure those records were never found.”“They weren't found.”“She knows about the payments.”“She knows the payments existed. She doesn't know why they were made.”“That is alr
The tension between Elena and Maya had eased; Maya felt great relief that she did not have to keep what she knew hidden anymore. She was still trying to take in the bombshell that her boss had dropped about her marriage being a contract marriage.Maya immediately sat up. “I forgot to ask, what were you doing in the archive?”Elena looked at her. “The archive?”“Yes.” Maya folded her arms. “You were in the finance department before you nearly collapsed. What were you looking for?”Elena sighed. “I was looking for some documents.”“What documents?”“Documents that contained payments made to Westbridge Consulting Group.”Maya's eyebrows lifted.“Westbridge?”Elena nodded.“I found several payments made to them over almost two years. The problem is, there is no active contract with them. They aren't registered as one of the company's vendors either.”Maya's expression became serious.“And you found this yourself?”“Yes.”“Why didn't you tell me?”Elena hesitated.“I didn't want to disturb
Elena stared at Maya. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.Maya's tears continued to fall, and despite everything Elena was feeling, watching her cry hurt more than the betrayal.She was angry; Maya had followed her and discovered something she had desperately wanted to keep hidden.But this was Maya; seeing her break down made Elena's anger feel suddenly unbearable.“Maya…”Maya quickly wiped her cheeks.“I'm sorry.”Elena's chest tightened.“Don't cry.”“I can't help it.”Maya tried to laugh, but another tear slipped down her cheek.“I was so scared, boss.”Elena's expression softened. She slowly reached for Maya's hand.“Come here.”Maya looked at her, and Elena pulled her closer. The moment Maya felt Elena's arms around her, she broke down again.“I thought something was going to happen to you.”Elena closed her eyes; Maya buried her face against Elena's shoulder.“I kept thinking that one day I would come into your office and…” Her voice broke. “I couldn't finish that thoug
Maya barely spoke as she helped Elena back to her office.Elena walked beside her, one hand pressed against the side of her head. The pain had not disappeared; rather, she was trying hard to endure it.When they reached the office, Maya opened the door and guided her inside.“It’s fine. I can walk by myself,” Elena said quietly.“I know.”Maya pulled the chair back.“Sit.”Elena stared at her for a moment before lowering herself into the chair. The moment she sat down, another sharp wave of pain ran through her head.Her fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. She closed her eyes, just a little longer. She could handle it; she had handled worse.Maya stood in front of her, watching.“Boss …”“I’m fine, don’t start with the lecture.”“You almost collapsed.”“I said I am fine.”Maya's jaw tightened.Elena opened her eyes and looked toward the drawer beside her. The medication for situations like this was inside.She could take it now; the pain would ease, but Maya was standing ri
The finance department had become unusually crowded; employees had gathered around the entrance, quietly talking among themselves.Some stood with their arms folded while others whispered to the people beside them. No one seemed to know exactly what was happening, or at least, no one wanted to say it too loudly.Maya walked into the building a little later than usual; she had overslept. She was practically running inside because of how late she arrived.She stopped when she noticed the crowd. Her eyebrows pulled together.“What happened?”Nobody answered her.Maya looked around, trying to see past the people standing in front of the finance department.“Excuse me.”She moved between two employees.“What's going on?”She didn’t get any response. She was about to ask again when she heard two employees talking behind her.“I heard Elena was the one who found the problem.”“Really?”“Yes. She went straight to the finance department this morning.”“What was she looking for?”“I don't know.
Elena stood so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor. Patricia knew there was no other explanation.She walked straight out. Her face was cold, but anger burned beneath it. She headed directly toward Patricia's office. Several employees looked up as she passed, but Elena didn't acknowledge them. She didn’t care who saw her.Her steps were quick and purposeful. She headed straight toward Patricia's office. When she reached the door, she didn't knock. She opened it and walked inside.Patricia was sitting behind her desk; she looked up from her desk.For a moment, neither woman spoke.Then Patricia smiled.“Well, this is unexpected.”Elena closed the door behind her.“You knew.”Patricia leaned back comfortably.“Knew what?”Elena walked toward the desk."Don't do that."Elena walked closer."I'm not in the mood for games."Patricia leaned back in her chair."I don't know what you are talking about."Elena let out a short laugh."You always do this.""Do what?""Act innocent w
Damien knew he was attractive but after his wife passed away, he had not felt the same way for another woman. He had learnt to ignore advances with practiced ease."Good morning, Dr. Mitchell," he replied briefly , his tone making it clear he was here for business, nothing more.Dr. Mitchell turned
Elena made it to her car before the shaking started. She climbed into the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white, taking deep, shuddering breaths that did nothing to steady her racing heart.Victoria’s pregnancy announcement had struck her like a knife to
“Elena?”Elena’s head snapped up. Standing at the bottom of the escalator, shopping bags from the hospital gift shop in her hands, was Victoria.Her stepsister’s eyes widened with surprise, then immediately narrowed with calculation as she took in Elena, the medical information packet clutched in h
Back at the mansion, Elena finally stirred around noon. She blinked against the dim light filtering through her curtains, disoriented for a moment. Her body felt heavy.She reached for her phone immediately, and as the screen lit up, a calendar reminder flashed: Dr. Turner - 12:00 PM - Brain Tumor







