Vows of fortune のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

**Hostile Takeover**More terrifying news.She needed to maintain a strong front to handle whatever news was coming, no matter how terrible it might sound.“You weren’t answering my calls, and you didn’t even reply to my emails,” Mr. Collins said, his voice laced with concern. “You got me worried. Well, I’m glad you finally answered.”A hard lump formed in her throat, and a wave of icy dread tied her stomach in a knot. She tried to come up with possible reasons behind his call but could think of nothing positive. Was the news so bad that he had decided to break it to her over the phone rather than waiting for her to return to the office?A terrible thought crossed her mind: if the Head of Partnerships himself was contacting her, it could only mean something negative. Perhaps more investors had withdrawn. Maybe a different partner had disengaged again. Her heart rate began to increase.She forced herself to lie, attempting to sound calm. “I… I’m sorry about that. I had a lot going on

The warningEven after he stormed out of the boardroom, Kane’s words continued to echo in her ears.For a moment, Sophia remained speechless, staring at the closed doors. Her hands were pressed to the long table’s edge and her jaw was clenched.She had worked extremely hard to get here, and she refused to be shaken by a disgruntled worker no matter how powerful. Since she was the CEO she would behave as such.She moved slowly to retrieve her purse from the other end of the table. The boardroom had a new appearance. It had been tense, judgmental, and full of voices just a few minutes ago.At this point the chairs were scattered, papers were abandoned and water glasses were only halfway full.The weight of the recent events made the air feel dense and heavy.“It's time for congratulations.”It startled her to hear the voice, Mr. Collins was approaching her when she turned around. He smiled kindly and walked with ease.Sophia calmed down a bit. “Without your warning, I won't be here.”Wi

A wife's doubtThe front door clicked open and Sophia entered the huge mansion.She usually arrived home from work at a much earlier hour than this one.All she needed was a good sleep to ease the stress from today's activity at the company.Although, something still bugs her mind. She wasn't sure yet but she feels Adrian must have put Florence to it. How else do you explain Florence showing up on a TV show?The woman hates her and wouldn't want to do anything that would tilt to her favor except someone had pushed her into doing it.In the living room, she met Adrian on the couch with his laptop on his thigh. His face was a hard line of focus. But he glanced up from it the moment he felt her presence.They made eye contact just as he closed his laptop. “You're back? I wasn't expecting you to be home so early,” he said, and then flicked his wrist to check his wristwatch.She moved to a sofa and dropped down on it. “I finished on time.”“I see. How was your day at work? Made new enemies

The secret bathThat Saturday morning, the glow from Sophia's laptop screen filled the room. The first light of the day was starting to break forth from the darkness of the previous night. But to her, the day had begun hours earlier.She was working on her laptop with a practiced efficiency as she went through her emails. Although, the responses were businesslike but there was a hint of anxiety in each one.The previous few weeks had flown by. The days had passed in a blur of activities, a bewildering series of meetings, and signing various paperwork for some important properties that were up for lease.Every signature was a tiny act of surrender that felt heavy. Her father created this empire with the intention of building and selling dream homes and seeing families move into them.However, they were at a loss. They needed to boost their finances by renting out some of their father's properties, if they were to recover from the company's downturn.After a long, restless night spent s

DesiresSophia dragged her gaze from his chiseled chest and hard abs. And her eyes landed on his face.His lips were stretched into a smile.He wasn't startled or upset. He looked down at her amusingly as though he had just caught a kitten in the milk jug.And that look was worse than anger, that knowing playful look. Her ribs were pounded by her heart. She grasped the white towel, that was wrapped around her body with a shaking hand and pulled it tighter like a shield.She looked everywhere but his face as she looked to the floor. Right then, she wished the earth would split open and engulf her.Her bare feet, felt cold on the tiled floor which contrasted sharply with the heat radiating up her neck and into her face.Two long, silent steps brought Adrian closer to her. He confined her by placing both hands on the wall above her head.She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and see the tiny beads of sweat trickling down his temples, from what must have been a workout because