جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

RICHARDI had not taken a full breath since morning.The news report still played in my head like a cursed recording as the private jet cut through the clouds toward Boston. I could have used the company helicopter, but I did not want anyone asking questions, tracking schedules, or reporting my movements to the board. Those men watched everything these days, especially me.So I rented the jet quietly and left without a word.I sat by the window with my jaw clenched, watching the sky while thoughts crashed through my mind. Karen had called me earlier asking if Palmer Group had anything to do with the move against A.A. Biotech. I denied it immediately. I had sounded firm, almost offended.At the time, I believed I was telling the truth.Now, after what I had seen on the news, after hearing whispers and connecting details I should have noticed sooner, I was no longer sure. The board had made it clear that they wanted A.A. Biotech. They wanted its patents, its research team, its market va

LENAI had chosen a quiet café tucked into a side street near Pioneer Square, far from the louder downtown rush and busy enough that no one would care who sat in the corner booth.Jazz played softly through hidden speakers, and the low hum of conversations blended with the hiss of the espresso machine. It was perfect. Quiet, discreet and forgettable.Exactly what I needed.Tom sat across from me, dressed the same way he always dressed when he wanted to appear unimpressed by the world. Dark coat, clean shirt, silver watch, and those narrow glasses he kept adjusting whenever he was thinking too much. He had flown in from Paris the night before after I called him. We had known each other for years, long before he became one of the most cautious corporate lawyers I had ever met.He stirred his coffee once, then looked at me over the rim of his cup.“How certain are you?” he asked. “And I mean legally certain, Lena. Not emotionally certain.”I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the boo

JASONEven after I arrived at the hospital that morning, I still felt annoyed.I hated admitting it, especially to myself, but Karen had gotten under my skin. She had ignored me the night before, walked away without a proper explanation, and left me standing there like I meant nothing. The memory of it stayed with me all through the drive to work, and even after changing into my coat and beginning rounds, the irritation sat heavily in my chest.Normally, work had a way of clearing my head. Patients needed attention, nurses had questions, charts had to be reviewed, and emergencies never cared about personal feelings. The hospital forced you to focus whether you wanted to or not.By noon, I had seen enough people to forget my own name.There were ranges of patients to be attended to on a daily basis. An elderly man with chest pains. A little girl with a stubborn fever. A businessman who thought skipping sleep for three days was somehow impressive. A mother panicking because her son swal

LENA.I sat alone on the balcony of my suite, one leg crossed over the other, my fingers curled around the stem of a crystal wine glass. The evening air was cool against my skin, carrying the distant sounds of the city below. From this height, the streets looked harmless. Tiny headlights moved like streams of fire, and people were nothing more than shadows rushing from one place to another. It was almost peaceful.Almost.I took another slow sip of wine and let the taste settle on my tongue as I thought of Karen.My assault on her had left her in shock and confusion. She had never seen it coming, and that made it sweeter. Women like Karen always believed they were too clever to be touched. They walked through life with pride stitched into their bones, convinced no one could truly bring them down simply because they fought their way up.I smiled into my glass.She had no idea I was only warming up.“I’m just getting started, love,” I murmured to the night.The words felt good leaving m

RICHARDI sat in my car with my forehead pressed against the steering wheel, my fingers hanging loosely around it as though I had forgotten what they were meant to do. The silence inside the car felt too loud, filled with everything Karen had said and everything she hadn’t. My chest felt tight, like I had been running for miles, yet I hadn’t moved at all.Karen’s face lingered in my mind, the coldness in her eyes sharper than any insult she could have thrown at me. Her decision had already been made before I even opened my mouth. There had been no room for explanation, no space for truth. To her, I was the cause of everything that had gone wrong, the reason her life had taken this turn, and nothing I said could change that.And the worst part was… I couldn’t even blame her.I let out a long breath, dragging my hand down my face. “You really messed this up, Richard,” I muttered to myself, my voice barely audible in the stillness.Time passed without me noticing. The world outside conti