Skylar
Jason sat beside my hospital bed, carefully peeling a hard-boiled egg for me. “Things aren’t looking good for Cole,” he said. He placed the egg on a small plate and began peeling the second one. “I heard that the directors of his company are antagonizing him. It’s escalating fast.” Hearing this instantly made me feel guilty because I knew Cole was in this position because of me. He had chosen to stand by me and had gone against Minister Adams… now he was paying the price for it. I lowered my gaze to my hands resting on my lap. I wished there was something I could do. Anything. A way to help him carry the weight, a way to shoulder part of his burden so he wouldn’t be fighting alone. But here I was, stuck in a hospital room, my body still healing and my mother lying unconscious in another ward. I couldn’t even take care of myself properly… how could I possibly help Cole? Jason’s voice broke into my thougSkylar Jason sat beside my hospital bed, carefully peeling a hard-boiled egg for me. “Things aren’t looking good for Cole,” he said. He placed the egg on a small plate and began peeling the second one. “I heard that the directors of his company are antagonizing him. It’s escalating fast.” Hearing this instantly made me feel guilty because I knew Cole was in this position because of me. He had chosen to stand by me and had gone against Minister Adams… now he was paying the price for it. I lowered my gaze to my hands resting on my lap. I wished there was something I could do. Anything. A way to help him carry the weight, a way to shoulder part of his burden so he wouldn’t be fighting alone. But here I was, stuck in a hospital room, my body still healing and my mother lying unconscious in another ward. I couldn’t even take care of myself properly… how could I possibly help Cole? Jason’s voice broke into my thoug
ColeOne week later…“Mr. Al Mansoor, I assure you that everything is under control. The rumors flying around are nothing but baseless lies. I can promise you that.”On my screen, Mr. Rashid Al Mansoor’s face didn’t look as convinced as I hoped. He was one of the company's biggest foreign investors, known across countries for being wise, careful, and never one to act on impulse. His sharp dark eyes studied me like he was searching for cracks in my voice.“Cole,” he finally said, “the rumor is already everywhere. They say your company is losing its footing. That you mismanaged the partnership funds and that the collapse is only a matter of time. If such words reach my ears all the way in Dubai, you can imagine what the other investors are already thinking.”I kept my voice even though my chest tightened. “I can assure you, none of that is true. Not a single cent has been mismanaged. The reports flying around have no evidence because they a
ColeThree days later…“… and as you can see here,” Brian, the head of strategic operations, said while pointing at the chart on the projector, “if we continue at this growth pace, we’ll hit a thirty-percent increase in quarterly revenue. But…”The door to the briefing room suddenly burst open with a loud bang.Brian’s words died in his throat, and every head in the room instantly turned towards the door.Uncle Adams angrily stormed in, his face filled with rage. He didn’t even bother to glance at anyone in the room and marched straight to me, angrily slamming a thick stack of documents on the table.“What,” he roared in rage, “is the meaning of this?!”Everyone sat frozen in shock. Nobody even dared to breathe too loudly.I didn’t need to glance at the documents. I already knew what they were. In fact, I had expected this moment… just not this soon.I cleared my throat and kept my voice steady. “Everyo
ColeI stared at Skylar in shock.Uncle Adams?Before I could say anything, Skylar quickly shook her head, almost like she regretted saying it.“M-maybe I’m wrong,” she stammered, her eyes wide and nervous. “Maybe it was a coincidence or something. I mean… I’m not trying to assume anything that…”“Skylar.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and she flinched. I forced myself to take a deep breath and lowered my tone. “Are you really certain you saw the diamond-shaped number on the man who almost shot you?”Her lips trembled. She hesitated a little before she finally nodded. “Yes. When I saw the guard’s tattoo, the memory just… came back to me. I remember vividly… I even thought it represented the number of people the man had killed, and I was so scared that I was going to be his next victim.”I froze, staring at her again because I knew about those tattoos quite well.Those numbers weren’t random. I knew
SkylarI flinched the moment a hand landed on my shoulder.“Hey,” a voice said softly. “You okay?”I turned and found Jason standing there, looking at me with concerned eyes. I forced myself to nod quickly.“Yeah… I’m fine,” I muttered.Jason looked at me a second longer, like he wasn’t convinced. Meanwhile, the guard had already pushed Grandpa’s wheelchair away, disappearing down the hall with Mr. and Mrs. Rothem behind him.“You look a little pale,” he said softly the moment they were gone, tilting his head as though studying my face. “Are you sure you’re alright?”This time, I forced a smile. “I’m good. Just… a bit tired, that’s all.”Jason studied me again, but then he let it go. He leaned closer, brushing his lips gently against my forehead.“Call me if you need anything, okay?”I nodded, then he turned and left the room. The second the door clicked shut behind him, I let out a shaky breat
Skylar The door slowly opened. “Skylar!” Jason came in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Rothem. Cole slowly withdrew his touch and leaned back in his chair. Mrs. Rothem hurried forward and didn’t waste a second before she sat beside me, reaching for my hands. Her palms were warm, her touch so gentle that for a second, I thought I must be dreaming. “Oh, Skylar, how are you? Are you hurt badly? Do you feel pain anywhere?” Her voice trembled as she searched my face with worried eyes. “I…” My voice stuck in my throat. Before I could answer, she leaned forward and pulled me into her arms. I froze, stiff as stone, as she hugged me close. “I’ve been so worried about you, my dear. You have no idea how frightened I was when I heard what happened.” My arms hovered awkwardly in the air before I finally let them fall against her back. Was Mrs. Rothem… hugging me?