Mag-log inAt 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 “What about it?”“They have withdrawn.”“They what?”“They sent a notice this morning.”Edward’s grip tightened on the tablet.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
Celeste sat beside her George's bed for so long that the chair had started to feel like a part of her, her fingers trembled slightly as she wiped his face with a damp cloth. The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound filling the room.George laid motionless beneath the white sheets. The bruises that had once marred his faces over the past few days had begun to fade, but his eyes remained stubbornly closed."George," she whispered. She brushed a strand of hair from his brow with the back of her hand. "You have to wake up for mummy's sake." Her voice broke at the last word, she pressed her lips together and steadied herself. She had cried already. She would not cry again right now. She needed to be strong in case he could feel her.Days had passed since he had been admitted, yet there had been no significant change. Every morning she sat beside him, hoping that when she looked up, she would find him awake staring at her.The door opened.A doctor entered, followed by two nu
Adrian was halfway through a movie when his phone vibrated. He glanced down, it was Candace who had texted him. His thumb hovered over the screen.[Can we meet?]Adrian stared at the message for several seconds before locking his phone and setting it aside. He was not interested, not after the way she had treated him like he meant nothing.A minute later, his phone vibrated again. [Please, I know you have seen my message and that you are purposely ignoring me.]He ignored it again.Another message arrived yet again.[I know you are upset with, I just want us to talk]Adrian sighed but still he didn’t reply. Then the fourth message came.[There is something I need to say to you.]Before he could decide whether to answer, another text came through.[An amusement park address. I will be waiting for you.]Adrian rubbed his forehead, he should have ignored it. That would be the smart thing to do but rather he found his body moving and standing in his closet."I'm so pathetic," he said, to
Jules blinked three times, he wasn’t sure what he had just heard.“Excuse me sir but I didn’t hear what you just said.”Damien glared at him, he wasn’t going to repeat himself.Jules knew his boss wasn’t going to repeat what he had just said. He processed the question carefully.“Could you be more specific, sir?”Damien’s jaw tightened. The images were moving through his mind, Elena’s face in the corridor, the hurt in her eyes when she had pulled her wrist from his hand, the sound of her tears that had come through her bedroom door when he stood on the other side of it. He straightened in his chair.“Never mind, it’s not like you have been with any woman before.” The words came out without any form of sugar coating.Jules looked at his boss, his pride was hurt. “Sir I have actually been with a woman, I am sure I can be of help”“Never mind. Where are we with the E Atelier project?”Jules chose not to press the issue, he adjusted without comment. “The project is still on track.”“Has
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







