ANMELDEN“From Laurent Financials.”Amelia sat a little straighter in her chair.“What can I do for you, Mr. Laurent?”“A lot, Miss Hart.”The words slipped out so naturally that Amelia immediately felt a flicker of irritation, though she couldn’t quite explain why.There was a brief pause before Roy cleared his throat.“My apologies, Miss Hart. That… came out rather poorly.”His voice softened into one of practiced politeness.“I was wondering if you could spare me a little of your time. I’d like to discuss a business opportunity with you.”Amelia glanced at the clock on her office wall.She had a lunch break in forty minutes.“I have lunch in forty minutes,” she replied evenly. “There’s a café just across from Hart Corporation. If that works for you, we can meet there.”“That would be perfect,” Roy answered quickly. “I’ll be there.”Without another word, Amelia ended the call and returned to the files on her desk.Yet somehow…The conversation lingered in her mind.⸻Forty minutes later, Ame
Amelia sat behind her desk, a stack of files spread neatly before her.One after another, she reviewed documents, signed reports, and responded to emails, yet not a single word seemed to register.For the life of her, she couldn’t concentrate.It had been two days.Two days since that unforgettable evening at Daniel’s house.In the span of a single night…She had gained a boyfriend.And shared her first kiss with him.A smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it.Not only had Daniel kissed her…She had kissed him back.Just as eagerly.Just as desperately.The memory alone was enough to make her cheeks burn.She could still remember how weak her knees had become in his arms, how her heart had pounded wildly against her chest, and how every sensible thought had completely abandoned her.“Oh goodness…”She buried her face in her hands.“I almost embarrassed myself.”What made it even worse was remembering how Daniel had been the one to stop.Not her.Him.She could still hear his
Victoria stood rooted to the spot outside her father’s office, every instinct telling her to walk away.But she couldn’t.Her hand remained frozen on the door handle as the voices inside continued.“Isn’t she your flesh and blood?” another man asked, genuine disbelief evident in his voice. “Why would you talk about your own daughter like that?”Roy Laurent scoffed.“She’s always been spoiled.”His tone was dismissive, almost irritated.“I haven’t asked much of her, yet she couldn’t even help me secure Kingsley Technologies.”He let out a frustrated sigh.“I’m losing money every time those stocks take another hit.”Victoria felt her stomach tighten.A wave of nausea rose in her throat.Then came the words that shattered what little hope she still had.“She’s just as useless as her mother was.”The tears she had been desperately holding back escaped without warning.They streamed silently down her cheeks.Inside the office, the conversation continued as though her entire world hadn’t ju
Victoria didn’t have it easy either.Perhaps this was the life she had carved out for herself.Caught between the two men who had once meant everything to her, she now found herself wondering if either of them had ever truly seen her.Her father.Her husband.The two people she had spent years trying to please.And yet, both of them seemed to treat her as though she were nothing more than a tool.She wasn’t a successful businesswoman like Amelia.She didn’t have a company to call her own.But that didn’t mean she was struggling financially.Far from it.Her bank accounts were always full.If Alexander wasn’t transferring money into them, then Roy Laurent was.She had never lacked luxury.Designer clothes.Exotic vacations.A mansion.Anything money could buy.Yet none of it could fill the emptiness she carried inside.Money had purchased her comfort.It had never bought her happiness.Over the past few weeks, she had quietly followed everything happening at Kingsley Technologies.The
The moment the office door clicked shut behind him, silence filled the room.Alexander walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city and loosened his tie.His board expected him to spend the next hour finding solutions to Kingsley Technologies’ problems.His assistant probably assumed he was reviewing financial reports.Instead…His thoughts wandered somewhere else entirely.Amelia.He stood motionless, staring at the skyline without truly seeing it.The company could wait.The board could wait.Even Victoria’s growing indifference barely crossed his mind anymore.Lately, she had become unusually distant.Their conversations had grown shorter.She no longer asked about his day.No longer waited for him to come home.No longer seemed interested in the future they were supposedly building together.Once, that would have bothered him.Now…He hardly noticed.Because every thought in his mind revolved around Amelia.Was she happy?Did she know?Did she realize she was be
Back at Kingsley Technologies, things had been anything but smooth.For weeks now, the company’s performance had been on a steady decline.Sales had slowed dramatically.Customer demand wasn’t nearly as strong as it had once been.Projects that had once seemed guaranteed successes were now struggling to gain traction, and investors had begun questioning the company’s direction.Perhaps the most alarming sign of all was that even the lowest-ranking employees could sense it.The atmosphere throughout the headquarters had changed.People whispered in hallways.Meetings ended in tense silence.Every department seemed to be holding its breath, wondering what would happen next.Unfortunately, the biggest problem wasn’t the market.It was the people leading the company.The power struggle between Alexander Kingsley and Roy Laurent had quietly resurfaced, and this time it was beginning to poison the entire organization.Kingsley Technologies was slowly drifting toward dangerous waters.Alexan
The car door closed with a soft, final click.Amelia leaned back into the seat, her chest still tight, her pulse refusing to slow. The city lights streaked past the window as Daniel eased the car into traffic, the engine’s low hum filling the silence that followed them out of the restaurant.Neithe
Alexander didn’t remember the drive back.Didn’t remember the turns he took.The lights he passed.The distance he covered.Only that he was sitting in his car now.Still.And alone.The engine had long gone quiet, but he hadn’t made a move to step out. His hands rested loosely on the steering whee
Alexander didn’t walk in immediately.The car engine had gone quiet minutes ago, but he remained seated, his gaze fixed on the restaurant just across the street. The soft glow of lights spilled through the glass windows, warm and inviting, a sharp contrast to the tension coiled tightly in his chest
Alexander had not moved from his desk for a long time.Not because there was nothing to do.But because nothing in front of him seemed important enough to hold his attention.The reports were open.The numbers clear.The decisions waiting.And yet.His mind refused to stay there.It kept drifting.







