MasukAs the news had circulated throughout the country, an emergency board meeting was called for.The arrival of the company’s executives would have attracted little attention.But today was different. The situation was different because of the news vans that remained parked across the street.Reporters who still lingered near the entrance.Every executive arrival was being watched and shown to the public.A black Mercedes rolled through the security gates first. The vehicle came to a smooth stop near the main entrance.The driver quickly stepped out and opened the rear door.Martin Reynolds emerged. He adjusted his suit jacket and glanced toward the reporters gathering nearby.Instantly, cameras began flashing.“Mr. Reynolds!”“Do you have a statement regarding the federal investigation?”“Are reports of investor withdrawals true?”Martin ignored every question and continued walking.His polished shoes clicked against the pavement as he entered the building without a backward glance.Ano
After Celeste finished recounting the night she had found him lying on the street, tears were already flowing down her cheeks.She had spent days sitting beside the hospital bed, wondering whether her son would ever open his eyes again.Celeste continued, she sniffed at each interval before speaking again “You were lying on the street.”George listened, the words sent a chill through him. He was imagining what would have become of him if his mother had found him any minute later.Celeste’s voice broke repeating the same sentence. “I found you lying lifeless on the street, you were badly injured.”“There was blood everywhere.” She shivered. The memory clearly haunted her. “You weren’t moving.”George felt his chest tighten.“I…”“You were barely breathing.” Her shoulders shook. “I thought I had lost you.”George looked away. The image forming in his mind was terrifying. He couldn’t remember it but judging from his mother’s reaction, it had been far worse than he imagined.Celeste press
The 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 fir
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
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
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







