All Chapters of ONE NIGHT STAND WITH MY STEPFATHER : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The rest of the night disappeared without sleep. I stayed in my home office, staring at two things lying on my desk. Arthur Bennett’s letter. The acquisition contract. Every time I reached for one, my eyes drifted to the other. One told me to let go. The other told me to keep fighting. Neither gave me an answer.By the time sunlight slipped through the curtains, I had made one decision. I wasn’t signing anything until I met David Lawson to see what he had for me. If he was wasting my time, I would still go to the board meeting afterward. Twenty minutes. That was all he had asked for. I showered, changed into a navy suit, and tied my hair back. Before leaving the house, I picked up Arthur’s letter. I folded it carefully and slipped it into my handbag. For some reason, I wanted it with me. Almost like I needed his courage.My phone showed the address David had texted before sunrise. A small café near the financial district. Nothing fancy. Nothing suspicious. Just a quiet place. I was u

The chairman looked at me without blinking. “Miss Harrington…” His voice was calm. “Where did you get this?” Every eye in the room shifted toward me. I could almost hear my own heartbeat. I took a slow breath. “A man named David Lawson gave it to me this morning.” Silence. Then one of the board members frowned. “David Lawson?” Another executive turned toward him. “You know him?” He nodded slowly. “I’ve never met him personally.” The room stayed quiet. “But I’ve heard of him.” Several people exchanged confused looks. The chairman lowered his eyes to the proposal again. He turned another page. The finance director stood and walked closer. “May I?” The chairman handed him the document. He adjusted his glasses and quickly scanned the first few pages. His eyebrows rose. “This isn’t an acquisition.” One of the lawyers leaned forward. “What is it?” “It’s an investment proposal.” The room changed instantly. People who had looked bored a moment ago were now paying full attention. Th

The stage collapse wasn’t an accident. Nobody in the room spoke. I couldn’t take my eyes off the envelope. Was the stage collapse a plan? The words kept repeating in my head. I looked at the chairman. Then at the assistant. “Who delivered this?” “I don’t know, ma’am.” “What do you mean you don’t know?” “It was left with reception.” “Did they see who brought it?” “They said the person was wearing a helmet and left immediately.” The room grew quiet again. The chairman looked at me. “You don’t know anything about this?” “No.” One of the lawyers leaned forward. “Perhaps you shouldn’t open it.” “It could be a trick.” I stared at the envelope. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. But after everything that had happened… I couldn’t ignore it. “I have to know.” I carefully broke the seal. Every person in the room watched me. Inside was a smaller envelope. And beneath it… several photographs. I pulled the photographs out first. The moment I looked at the first one, my heart stopped. It s

My fingers refused to move. I stared at the message on my phone, reading it over and over. Stop looking for the truth… or the next stage that collapses might be that building you are in. A chill ran down my spine. Whoever sent it knew exactly where I was. They knew I was still inside the building. I looked up. The chairman was speaking with the forensic officers, but I barely heard a word. I walked straight to him. “Sir.” He turned to me. “What is it, Miss Harrington?” Without saying anything, I handed him my phone. He read the message once. Then again. The color drained from his face. He looked at his assistant. “Call emergency services.” She blinked. “Sir?” “Now.” She grabbed her phone without asking another question. The chairman turned to security. “I want everyone evacuated from this building immediately.” The room exploded with questions. “What happened?” “Is there a fire?” “What’s going on?” The chairman raised his voice. “There has been a credible threat against

The front door opened just after six. Evie’s mom, Amelia stepped inside carrying two shopping bags and a small bouquet of flowers she had bought on her outing. She kicked off her shoes and smiled as she looked around the living room. The house was quiet. Too quiet.“Evie?” she called.No answer. She set the bags on the dining table and walked toward the kitchen. The lights were off.“Evie?” she called again.Still nothing. A small frown appeared on her face. Normally, Evie was supposed to be home before evening. Especially now she's trying to fix a lot of things together. She's still supposed to send a message regardless. Amelia checked the clock. 6:23 p.m.“Maybe she’s in her room,” she murmured.She climbed the stairs and knocked gently on Evie’s bedroom door. “Evie, I’m back.”Silence. Amelia opened the door. The room was empty. The bed was untouched. Her laptop charger was still on the desk. Amelia slowly closed the door. Something felt wrong.A car pulled into the driveway. A mom