MasukThe doctor had left, and the television had been switched off by Celeste. She didn’t want George asking questions or anything that would stress him.George lay back against his pillow, trying to process everything.His head still felt foggy, his body ached. Every thought seemed to come through a haze. He stared at the ceiling for several moments before turning toward his mother.Celeste sat beside him, still clutching his hand as though she feared he might slip away again.“Mum?”Her eyes immediately lifted to his.“Yes, baby?”George frowned.“What happened to me?”Celeste’s smile faltered.“How did I get here?”“Baby… you don’t remember?”George closed his eyes, trying to think.Fragments of memory flashed through his mind.Him lying on the grass after being punched by the man that came out of nowhere. He blacked out. All he remembered was waking to being tied up to a chair, his eyes blindfolded and getting beaten to a pulp by the people who took him.George slowly opened his eyes.
The television was still running in the hospital room. On the television screen, reporters continued broadcasting live from outside JH Industries. Headlines flashed across the bottom of the screen while analysts speculated about the future of the company.Neither Celeste nor Victoria noticed what was happening behind them.George’s fingers twitched first, a slight movement. His fingers moved again.His hand shifted against the blanket. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered.The bright hospital lights immediately assaulted his vision. George winced but he didn’t make a sound.His head felt heavy, his body felt too weak to move.For a moment, he simply lay there, trying to make sense of where he was. The rhythmic beeping of monitors filled his ears.His eyes slowly adjusted to the bright lights.He turned his head, he looked around the room. He took note of the equipment inside and interior of the room. He realized he was at the hospital. He caught sight of his mother and Victoria standing in f
The atmosphere outside JH Industries had become an uproar.The reporters positioned themselves at the entrance, each one desperate to be the first to break the story.Camera crews scrambled for a good position but were being held back by the security.Microphones were raised.News vans lined the street.Every few seconds another live broadcast began.“We are standing outside JH Industries where federal investigators have spent the last several hours conducting a major operation …. ”The reporter was interrupted by shouting.“The agents are coming out!”Instantly, dozens of cameras swung toward the entrance.The glass doors opened.A team of investigators emerged carrying sealed evidence boxes.Behind them came the leader of the operation, Agent Daniel Hayes.The moment reporters recognized him, the crowd surged forward.“Agent Hayes!”“Agent Hayes, over here!”Microphones appeared from every direction.Security personnel struggled to keep a path open as journalists fired questions.“A
At that exact moment, his phone rang.He answered before the second ring. "What?!"The voice on the other end was his assistant, she was panicking."Sir!.""What has happened now?""The Financial Crimes Division Investigators are here. They arrived ten minutes ago. They came with boxes,a warrant and their evidence teams." The room spun, Edward gripped the phone tighter. His face went white."They are taking everything. The company’s financial records, servers, computers, hard drives. Everything.""Sir, you need to get back here immediately!"Edward felt his knees weaken. "I am coming." He ended the call.He stood completely still. Then he turned and walked out of the door."Edward!" Celeste's voice followed him into the corridor. "Edward, where are you going? Edward!"He did not stop.Celeste stood in the centre of the room with her hands at her sides, and the magnitude of what she had done finally settled in.She raised her hands and looked at them. They were trembling.She began pa
Edward calmed himself down, he was panicking and that wasn't good. He had to be calm to think clearly.The words echoed in his head. "How do you like my present?"Suddenly he shouted his assistant's name. "Claire!" His voice thundered through the office. A few minutes later, his assistant rushed into the room. "Sir?" Edward pointed at the reports scattered across his desk. "The investors, the projects and the company pulling out. Tell me exactly who they are." Claire immediately grabbed a folder. "Our joint project with Baxter Construction has been terminated.""Next""North Star Holdings, Greystone Capital" Edward's eyes narrowed. "Who else?" As Claire continued listing names.Something clicked. The realization suddenly hit him. Every company, every investor. They all had one thing in common, their relationship with Carrington Group. Beads of sweat gathered on Edward's face; his throat went dry. "Oh my God." Claire looked confused. "Sir?" Edward stared blankly at the list. "It
Morning began like no other at JH industries. Edward Sterling sat behind his desk reviewing quaterly projections when a knock sounded at the door. Before he could answer, his assistant rushed inside. Edward looked up immediately. His assistant's expression alone told him something was wrong . “What is this?”“Our joint project with Baxter Construction”Edward frowned. “What about it?”“They have withdrawn.”“They what?”“They sent a notice this morning.”Edward’s grip tightened on the tablet. “Why, what reason did they give?”“They cited strategic restructuring”“That’s nonsense.”The assistant remained silent, because they both knew it was absurd. Baxter Construction had spent nearly eight months negotiating the project. Companies did not simply walk away from investments worth millions. Not without a reason.Edward tossed the tablet onto his desk. “Get them on the phone right away.”“I already did that”“And?”“They are not taking our calls”The office went silent. A bad feeling
Elena was greatly astonished, as she looked around she saw a fountain that danced in the circular driveway, water cascading over smooth stones. The building itself seemed to go on forever, wings extending in both directions from the main entrance."Oh my God," Elena whispered."The Carrington estat
Elena stood in the middle of her small apartment. It felt strangely quiet, almost hollow, as if it already knew she was leaving. This was the place she had once called home. She had rented it temporarily, promising George they'd buy a proper house after the wedding. Their house, he had called it,
The name still sounded strange, but Elena was beginning to accept it. For one year, she would be Mrs. Carrington. She would live in this man’s home, care for his son, and play the role of his wife.Damien leaned forward, pressing the intercom button. “Drive”, he commanded the driver."Wait!" Elena
They had reached the board members; Mr. Chen, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Davis, and several others, all holding drinks and engaged in what had probably been an intense discussion before Elena’s entrance had stopped everything.Elena turned to face them with a warm, professional smile that was worlds away from t







