All Chapters of DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter 11: The Judas ClauseThe air in the place, which was once a sign of freedom, now felt heavy and bad. Julian stood over the coffee table made of wood from the beach, his gun down but his body still tense, as Penelope fell onto a sofa made of woven rattan. The small silver thing she held called a flash drive was a piece of hope in a world that had become very dark."Penelope if Silas finds out you are here he will hurt you along with us " Julian said, his voice low and serious."He already has, Julian " Penelope whispered, her eyes red and wild. "I saw him on his study night. He was not just talking to Sterling, he was laughing. They planned the failure of the company from the start. Silas did not want to be in charge of a Vane Enterprises, he wanted to destroy it, get the insurance money and start a new company with Sterling using the Vane patents."Elena felt very angry and cold. "So the wedding, his marriage to you was all a trick? A way to distract the board while he stole t

Chapter 13: The Blueprint of a MassacreThe Indian Ocean spray felt like needles on Elena's skin as the small motorboat moved quickly across the waves toward the lights of Malé. Julian sat at the helm, his hands tight on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the device in his pocket that had just given them Sterling's ultimatum."He would not do that " Penelope whispered, her voice barely heard over the engine. "Sterling is a person but he is a businessman. He would not blow up a cathedral with important people from New York inside just to get back at someone.""It is not about getting at someone, " Julian replied, his voice low and scary. "It is about getting rid of everyone in his way. If the cathedral is destroyed the people in charge of Vane Enterprises, the delegation and all the evidence we have will be gone. He will say it was an attack or that the building was badly made and fell down. He will get the insurance money, buy the ruins for little and build his own business on our

Chapter 15: The Unwritten PageThe morning after the cathedral almost got destroyed the New York sun came up. It was really clear. This felt weird after the crazy stuff that happened the night before. Elena was standing on the balcony of the Vane penthouse. She was not a prisoner or a worker for them. She was a woman who had finally taken control of her own life.The city was really busy. The news was different now. The "Vane Scandal" was now called the "Vane Reckoning". Silas and Marcus Sterling were in jail and the Sterling Group was in trouble. Even the people who liked to take risks could not stop it from getting worse.Julian came out onto the balcony. He was wearing a white shirt and had a glass of orange juice in each hand. He did not look as sharp and mean as he used to. He looked calm which was new for Elena.The company called Julian an hour ago, he said. They wanted him to come back and be in charge again. They were going to say sorry to everyone. They wanted him to be on a

Chapter 17: The Final Blueprint The dust from the Vane empire's collapse had finally settled. It was replaced by the productive sound of a new beginning. Elena stood in the center of the Brooklyn warehouse. This was the space Julian had reclaimed for her. The industrial windows were clean. They let in a lot of light. The plank floors were bathed in the perfect light she had always wanted. The floral shipment for the opening gala was arriving at noon Marcus said. He was checking his tablet as he walked toward her. He looked energized. He was no longer the assistant to a struggling firm. He was the lead coordinator for The Narrative. The press list was also taken care of. There would be no paparazzi. Only architectural digests and literary journals would be there. Elena said it was perfect. Her eyes were on the layout she had personally drafted. She asked about the guest of honor. Marcus said he was arguing with the caterer about the champagne. He was gesturing toward the back of th

Chapter 19: The Master Copy The city was away from the top floor of the Brooklyn warehouse where Elena and Julian worked on their projects. The big open space was like a place where they could be creative. Elena sat at an oak table with Julian across from her. He was looking at some building plans for a community project they were working on. Sunlight came through the windows and made the dust in the air shine. This was very different from the meeting rooms where Elena used to go. Julian looked up. Saw Elena staring at the same page for a long time. "You have been looking at that page for twenty minutes " he said and put down his pencil. "Is something wrong with the ending of the book or are you just happy that we do not have to worry about photographers bothering us?" Elena looked at her book, the one that made her a writer again as Nora Vale. ". " She said softly. "I was just thinking about the name 'Ghostwriter' that Silas used to find me. It is weird that a name that was suppo