All Chapters of His Holiday Prohibition : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

THE BOARD ~SILAS'S POV~The boardroom usually smelled like espresso. Today it smelled like a funeral.I stood by the windows, my back to the twelve people who held my professional life in their hands. Below, Fifth Avenue was a hive of news vans and cameras. They were waiting for the King to fall."Silas. Sit down."Arthur Sterling's voice sounded old. Tired. Twenty years ago he had written my first check and called me a visionary. Now he sounded like he was talking to a problem that needed solving.I didn't sit. I didn't turn around. "The stock is down six percent. We've seen worse during product delays.""This isn't a product delay," Halloway snapped. "This is a PR nightmare. Have you seen the feeds? #BillionairePredator is trending globally. The restaurant video has forty million views."I finally turned. Kept my hands in my pockets. "My daughter had a public breakdown. It's a family matter.""It became a corporate matter when you put that girl on payroll," Arthur said, sliding

THE BLOCKAGE~MAYA'S POV~The quietness in Villa d'Ombra was louder than the protests in New York ever were. It was a deep, suffocating thing that sat in the corners of these old rooms, poking fun at me.I sat on the edge of the silk-covered bed, staring at my phone. I knew I shouldn't. Silas had told me to throw it in the lake, but I couldn't cut the cord. I watched the live stream from a news outlet in London. There she was. Chloe. My best friend. My sister in every way that mattered until I had ripped the heart out of our lives.She looked thin. Her eyes were rimmed with red, standing in front of a courthouse."My father isn't the man the world thinks he is," Chloe told the cameras, her voice trembling but sharp. "He's a man who uses people. He used my best friend. He's using his power to silence the truth. I am filing for a permanent injunction to freeze the King Trust. He doesn't deserve the crown he's wearing."The screen went black as I dropped the phone on the marble floor.

TWO SIDED FACE~SILAS'S POV~I stared at my phone screen.'Transaction Declined.' In red and mocking me. I tried another card. The black titanium. Supposedly limitless.'Declined.'I threw the phone across the room. It skidded across the tiles but didn't break."Silas?"Maya was in the doorway, wearing one of my linen shirts, hair messy from sleep. She looked soft. I felt like breaking things."Please.... Don't," I snapped, pacing. "Just don't.""Don't what?" She walked over and picked up the phone. Looked at the screen and went quiet. "The accounts?""Everything," I said. My voice sounded hollow. Like it was coming from somewhere far away. "The trust. The offshore holdings. The emergency cards. Genevieve got an injunction. I can't even buy gas."I laughed. It sounded harsh and Wrong. "For the first time in twenty-five years, I can't pay for my own dinner.""It's temporary.....""Temporary is long enough to lose," I cut in. "I have payroll for security. Fuel for the jet. Lobbyists wh

PAINFUL TRUTH~CHLOE'S POV~"I don't care if she's crying, Arthur. I care about the payout." I stopped dead in the hallway. My hand froze on the doorknob."The trust documents need her signature by tomorrow," Mom's voice came through the cracked door. She didn't sound like the comforting mother from the plane."She's unstable, Genevieve," a man's voice replied through speakerphone. "If she breaks before the deposition....""She won't break," Mom snapped. "I will keep her angry. Anger is useful.""And if she asks about your forty percent fee?""She won't. She's twenty-one and heartbroken. Easiest demographic to manipulate."My stomach dropped, nausea hit. It was hot and Biting."Just get the paperwork ready," Mom said. "Once the ink is dry, Silas is bankrupt and I get my cut. If Chloe needs therapy afterward, I will pay for it out of my newly acquired funds.""Understood."The line beeped dead. I pushed the door open. It slammed against the wall. Mom jumped, dropped her phone, and spu

ALMOST TAKEN ~MAYA'S POV~"I need to grab my laptop from the car," I told Chloe."Want me to come with you?" she asked."It's just the parking garage. I will be right back.""Okay. Call if you need me."I walked to my car alone, keys jingling. I pressed unlock, the car beeped. A van pulled up behind me. It was fast and blocked me in.The side door slid open, two men jumped out."Maya Vance?" one said.I backed away. "Who are you?""Get in the van.""No." I reached for my phone. They lunged, one grabbed my wrist, the other went for my waist. "Let go!" I screamed. I kicked one in the leg."Shut her up," the second man said.Three black SUVs slammed to a stop around us. "GET ON THE GROUND!" Russo roared, jumping out, his gun drawn.Silas's security team swarmed, weapons pointed at the two men."Drop her! Now!"They let go and put their hands up. Russo grabbed my arm. "Get in the car, Miss Maya.""What's happening?""Car. Now."He practically shoved me into his SUV, and slammed the door