All Chapters of Love in the Shadows of Legacy: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Alexander's POV"Gentlemen," I said as the last investor took his seat in the conference room, "Thank you for making time on short notice."Louis Bronc, head of Bronc Capital, nodded. "Your email said it was urgent. We're concerned, Alexander. The transition has been… quite unusual."Unusual. A diplomatic word for complete chaos."That's actually why I wanted to speak with you privately." I pulled up the presentation I'd spent last night preparing. "I want to give you an honest assessment of where Thompson Enterprises stands right now.""Where's Miss Rose?" Klint Wu, managing partner at Wu & Associates. "Shouldn't the CEO be present for this discussion?""Miss Rose is focusing on internal operations," I said smoothly. "Given her limited experience, I thought it would be more productive for me to address your concerns directly. I hope you don't mind."Translation: I deliberately scheduled this meeting during her department head review so she couldn't attend even if she knew about it.

Alexander's POVI couldn't stop thinking about her presentation.Three days later, and it still played on loop in my head. The way she'd walked into that conference room like she owned it—which, technically, she did. The way she'd turned my careful undermining into an opportunity to shine.The way she'd looked at me afterward, eyes blazing with righteous anger and something else I couldn't name.Maybe you should stop trying. I sat in my office at midnight, her words echoing.The company was quiet. My laptop was open to financial records. I'd been reviewing donor histories, trying to understand Richard's connection to Lily.He'd given millions to foster care programs over eighteen years. Art education initiatives. Scholarships for disadvantaged youth.And always anonymously.Why anonymously?I pulled up older records, going back further. Twenty years. Twenty-five.And I noticed a pattern emerging.Starting twenty-six years ago.Right around when Lily would have been born, Richard

Alexander's POVThe office was silent at 2 AM except for the hum of the HVAC system and my own breathing as I stood outside Richard's personal office.Not the CEO suite that Lily now occupied but the smaller private office at the end of the executive floor where Richard had spent most of his time in his final years.I'd walked past this door a thousand times but never gone inside without permission, and even now, with Richard gone, it felt like trespassing.My key card beeped and the lock clicked open.Inside, the air smelled faintly of the cigars Richard used to smoke despite the doctor's orders and the leather of old books. I closed the door behind me and stood there for a moment, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness before turning on the desk lamp.The room looked exactly as Richard had left it with papers still scattered across the desk and his reading glasses folded on top of a book about impressionist painters. His coffee mug sat on a coaster, probably still containing the l

Chapter 0018Alexander's POVI found James in his office at 6 PM reviewing quarterly reports and I didn't bother knocking before walking in."We need to talk."He looked up from his screen and something in his expression told me he'd been expecting this. "Close the door."I kicked it shut harder than necessary and crossed my arms. "Bruno Sterling just emailed me asking if I thought Lily's idea about integrating the financial reporting systems was feasible. When the hell did she start having ideas about financial reporting systems?""Maybe she's learning.""Don't play stupid with me James. Two weeks ago, she didn't know what EBITDA stood for, and now she's proposing system integrations?" I moved closer to his desk. "What did you do?"James set down his pen and met my eyes without flinching. "I gave her some resources to help her understand how the company actually works.""You what?""I gave her reading materials and suggested she work more closely with Sterling. That's it." His voice

Alexander's POVI was running late to the Morrison Gallery opening because a conference call with Tokyo investors had gone longer than expected, and by the time I pulled up to the venue, the event was already in full swing.Marcus Chen had texted me three times asking where I was because, apparently, several major collectors wanted to discuss potential partnerships, but all I could think about as I straightened my tie was whether Lily would be there.Of course, she'd be there; she was the CEO, and Thompson Enterprises was the primary sponsor, but knowing it intellectually didn't prepare me for actually seeing her.I walked through the entrance and scanned the crowd out of habit, cataloging familiar faces and potential business opportunities the way Richard had taught me years ago.And then I saw her.Lily stood near a large abstract painting, talking to Margaret Sutton, and she wore a midnight blue dress that made her look like she belonged in this world of wealth, culture, and refine