Her phone displayed the name, and she was enraged.Nathaniel Harper.She breathed in deeply and pressed the answer button, leaving it on speaker."Aha, Princess," Nathaniel's voice was peppered with wit, silky smooth as good whiskey aged to perfection. "Second thoughts on your so-called victory?"Eliana's face was white. "Harper, please. I haven't got time for this."Nathaniel's smile broadened. "Oh, but where's the excitement in that? You're so eager to add me to your naughty list whenever you get a chance, and here I am, extending to you an offer Eliana."Saben roared with laughter. "An out? You're kidding me, Harper."Nathaniel ignored him entirely, all of his focus locked on Eliana. "Business as usual, Princess. Congrats today. I'll tell you, you're to be commended on that I wasn't so ready for how merciless you are."Eliana's fingers clenched into a fist in her hand. "Keep underestimating me, and I'll watch your company fold before you can say 'game over'."A whisper. Then a low,
The room was filled with journalists, cameras snapping away, quiet voices enveloping the mood. Eliana sat in the front row, impassive. Saben sat next to her, as calm as always.With the cameras rolling, Eliana leaned forward, voice firm but biting."I'm not going to stand here and have my reputation trashed by a man who earns his living at dishonesty," Eliana began, her icy eyes flashing into the lenses. "Nathaniel Harper has fabricated things to discredit my company, and I am not going to let him do that."The reporters burst out into a mad scramble of questions.One of the reporters in the front row stood up. "Miss Thompson, are you denying the accusations?"Eliana's lips curled into a small sneer. "Oh, I'm not denying them—I'm proving they do not exist."Gasps filled the room.She went on, her tone tinged with steel. "While we're sitting here, our lawyers are building proof of who actually sponsored these unsubstantiated allegations. And I can promise you—when we get to the truth,
Eliana rested against the table, drumming fingers in thought. "And if we can demonstrate him created doctored records, the case collapses?"Mark nodded. "Yes, but we're looking for solid evidence.Julia extracted a folder and pushed it across the table. "We have it."Saben's eyebrow went up. "Already?"Julia smiled. "Nathaniel erred."Eliana opened the folder, a triumphant smile curling her lips as she read over the fake documents. "He relaxed." She glared at Julia. "You are amazing."Julia shrugged. "I had a little assistance."Saben leaned forward. "Who?"The door opened and a man in a sharp suit entered. "Me."Nathaniel's former financial advisor, Richard Lawson.Nathaniel's second in command.Eliana's eyes glittered. "Ah, betrayal is so beautiful."An Hour Later Nathaniel was pouring himself a drink when his phone vibrated.Richard's voice answered. "We need to talk."Nathaniel chuckled. "Guilty for asking Eliana out?"There was a silence. "You should be worried, Nathaniel."Natha
Eliana leaned against the table, tapping fingers in contemplation. "And if we can prove him created falsified records, the case crumbles?"Mark nodded. "Yes, but we are looking for something concrete.Julia pulled out a folder and slid it across the table. "We have it."Saben's brow shot up. "Already?"Julia smiled. "Nathaniel made a mistake."Eliana opened the folder, a smug smile twisting her lips as she scanned the phony documents. "He relaxed." She glared at Julia. "You are incredible."Julia shrugged. "I had a little help."Saben leaned forward. "Who?"The door opened and a man in a crisp suit walked in. "Me."Nathaniel's old financial advisor, Richard Lawson.Nathaniel's second-in-command.Eliana's eyes sparkled. "Ah, betrayal is so lovely."An Hour LaterNathaniel was pouring himself a drink when his phone buzzed.Richard's voice responded. "We need to talk."Nathaniel laughed. "Guilty for asking Eliana out?"There was silence. "You should be afraid, Nathaniel."Nathaniel spun
Nathaniel's voice echoed in the room, his arrogance merely ruffled."Do you believe you won, Eliana? By sending me to jail? I will come back. To Sabrina Ultra—we are not done yet! I know you are watching this, Eliana. You don't have enough evidence. You can hold me for a couple of hours, but I will escape from here!"The cameras panned in on his angry face as the police led him to the police car. The reporters, starved for a spectacle, thrust microphones in front of him, recording each and every word.But Eliana?She just stood there.Unfazed. Unrattled. Unfazed.The press conference was over, but the real game was only beginning.Eliana stood at the front of the long, glass conference table, her team gathered around her. The huge screen behind her pulsed with information—live feeds from IT, remnants of Nathaniel's fake emails, and the financial skeletons still hidden in Harper Global's systems.Sabrina's voice crackled through the speaker once more. "He's applying for bail, Eliana."
NATHANIEL HARPER ARRESTED—CORPORATE FRAUD EXPOSEDHis fingers gripped the paper, the corners tearing in his hands. His son, next emperor of the Harper empire, being led off in handcuffs like some street punk.Not acceptable.His office door creaked open, and Victoria Harper stepped in, the sharp clicking of her heels on the marble floor filling the air. "William, did you see this?" She dropped a tablet onto his desk, the screen still glowing photos of Nathaniel's arrest.William took a slow breath, laying the newspaper down. "I've seen it.""This is a travesty!" Victoria cried, striding back and forth across the room. "Our name—our reputation—is being ruined because of him!"William sat quietly for a moment, then leaned back in his chair, fingers crossed. "Nathaniel was irresponsible."Victoria halted in her stride, her eyes narrowing. "You're writing him off?"He chuckled darkly. "On the contrary." His gaze turned sharp, dangerous. "I built this empire. No one—not Eliana Thompson, no
Nathaniel Harper lay slumped against the cold hard bench of his detention cell, fists clenched at his sides. His arrest still seared in his blood. Beyond the walls, the world watched—or rather, laughed—as Eliana Thompson flaunted her supposed triumph.He seethed.This was not finished yet.The cellblock door creaked open, and the sharp sound of high-end shoes on the concrete floor clicked behind him. Nathaniel's eyes lifted as his father, William Harper, entered, his attorney, Richard Cavanaugh, by his side.William's very presence thickened the air. The man was a power, a controller. But tonight, his blue eyes snapped with something else—revulsion.Nathaniel rose, locking eyes with his father. "Father."William didn't reply to the greeting. Instead, he sneered, shaking his head as he advanced a step. "What a sorry figure," he spat, his voice bitter and stinging. "My son—my heir—housed in a cage, while that Thompson girl struts around as if she's already conquered." Nathaniel's jaw c
Nathaniel Harper wasn't angry—he was raging. The glass screen of his phone was broken, the pieces scattered across his desk like a symbol of his shattered plan.Eliana Thompson had caught him off guard. Again.William Harper leaned against the window, his eyes fixed on the city below. His very presence was stifling, his silence more frightening than any tantrum."She humiliated me," Nathaniel snarled, running his hand through his hair. His chest seethed with the sting of failure, something he would not have. "She played you," William snapped back, his voice as hard as steel. "And now she's a victim and you're the villain to the world. Clean it up."Nathaniel's face clenched in anger. His father never did think him worthy, and this night was yet another failure for the books.William spun, eyes flashing with something deadly. "I told you, son. To win, you don't fight clean. You crush."Nathaniel breathed slowly, struggling to think. His father was correct—Eliana had used the sympathy
There was an awe stricken silence that swept over the room.Sabrina's breathing, too, had ceased. "What?"Eliana's mouth was dry. "He planted the bomb at the convention. And when that didn't work, he tried to kill me. If not for Nathaniel and Damian." she broke off her voice,".I would not be alive."Benedict's expression turned cold. "That abomination."Saben wasn't swallowing it, however. He was cold with anger. "And we're doing this on his word? He's a Harper. His father attempted to kill you. And now we're going to accept his word that he defected from his father?"Nathaniel's voice cut across him, hard but controlled. "I'm not my father."Saben snarled, advancing as if to hit him. "You carry his name, don't you?"Before this was allowed to go further, a third individual appeared in the room.Tap of cane on marble floors.Wendy Taylor.Leslie Auburn, Sabrina's mother, behind her. The two women who managed the families entered the room, their white faces contorted with horror and a
His own son—his own blood and flesh—had betrayed him.The treachery blazed hotter than the fires receding in the horizon."Shut up, Nathaniel," William snarled, striking his fist into the metal belly of the airplane.Seated across from him was one of his most dependable men, Marcus Steele, wiping blood from his mangled lip. "Sir, we should rethink. The Thompson family is not going away. They have money, they have connections—William's glare was toxic. "I don't care what they've got." Dead, deadly tone. "Eliana Thompson stole everything from us. And now my own son has the decency to be standing with her?"He spun on his pilot. "Faster. We have to get out of the city before the authorities surround it."Marcus hesitated before continuing. "Sir… Nathaniel can still be of some use. Maybe we could—"William pulled Marcus by the collar, dragging him towards him, inches from Marcus's face, his breath smelling of rage. "Nathaniel is dead to me. Hear me? DEAD."Marcus gulped hard, wide-eyed,
The centuries' weight—of blood and greed and war—hung heavily in the air.William chuckled, spinning the glass of whiskey in his hands. "You think you're superior to me? Different?"He approached closer, his voice as icy as cold water. "You bear my blood. You can fight it all you can, but you'll never be anything else but my son."Nathaniel's jaw snapped shut. "Then I'll spend the remainder of eternity denying you."William's eyes blazed with something—disappointment? No, anger.He slapped the whiskey glass on the table, and it broke. The sound echoed through the big room. "Then you leave me no choice."Nathaniel stood up. "What do you mean?His father's face hardened, his own face hard and unyielding. "You want to be allied with the Thompsons? You can. But listen to this, Nathaniel… from this moment on, you are not my son."The words cut deeper than a knife.Nathaniel's breath was trapped, but he strained himself up. "Then that makes two of us."For the first time in his life, he did
The drive back to the Thompson estate was tense. Eliana was in the backseat, her thoughts racing with Nathaniel's threat."There's another attack coming. Tonight."Damian was beside her, his face a mask as he checked his gun twice. The atmosphere was tense, heavy.Eliana addressed him. "Do you think he meant it?"Damian didn't look up. "Does it matter?"She frowned. "Of course, it matters."."No, Eliana." He finally met her gaze, his tone tough but soft. "The thing is, we have to assume he's lying. Because if he is, and we don't act, people die."She didn't appreciate that he was right.Eliana breathed in, smoothing out her hair. "If his father is involved, he won't stop until he gets what he is after."Damian leaned into the seat. "Then we don't let him have his way."His determination made her heart pound.For once, she wasn't alone in having to cope with this.Benedict Thompson stood in the security room, watching the live feed of the grounds of the estate. His jaw was clenched as
Nathaniel Harper did not look back when he left his father. Each step he made felt heavier, as though the burden of his family's transgressions was finally coming to catch up with him.He had spent his entire life attempting to validate himself before William Harper. Attempting to meet the standards of a man who regarded emotions as frailty, ethics as folly, and strength as the only concept worthy of consideration.Benedict Thompson stood before the fireplace, his fists gripping behind his back. The instant he discovered about the altercation at the commercial convention, he instructed for heightened security on the estate.He wouldn't let them have another attack.Sabrina sat facing him, her face set. "Are you certain about this, Benedict? Provoking them could create a greater problem."Benedict took a hard breath. "And doing nothing will leave us target practice. I won't sit idly by for that to happen."Wendy Taylor, Eliana's great-grandmother, struck her cane on the floor. "He's co
Damian took position beside her, his presence unbending. His hand was resting uncomfortably close to his gun, and Eliana knew that if she even moved her finger, he'd kill this man dead.But she was not going to let William have the pleasure of watching her lose control.She smirked. “That’s funny, Mr. Harper. Because from where I’m standing, you’ve already lost.”A muscle clenched in William's jaw. "You really believe that, don't you Eliana?""I don't believe. I know Mr.Harper." Eliana crossed her arms, her tone icy. "Your son is losing hold of his own conscience. Your empire is disintegrating. And soon enough, everyone will see you for what you actually are—a desperate old man holding on to whatever power he can still command."The room hung in silence. Everyone stared.Nathaniel sighed beside his father. He wasn't with William, definitely. He wasn't going to get himself caught up in things, though.William smiled, low and threatening. "Always had a quick mind, Miss Thompson. Too bad
The following day,The grand ballroom of Tokyo International Business Convention hummed with marble floors. CEOs, industry leaders, and investors walked around the room, sipping champagne glasses and making high-stakes business deals. Golden lights of chandeliers reflected against shiny marble floors, with a power and richness.Eliana Thompson pushed through the throng, demanding the notice of all present. She dressed in simple but elegant black that complemented her toughness, but under the coarse exterior smoldered fire. She did not come to make deals—she came to fight.She was not looking for this meeting.Nathaniel Harper stood in the middle of the room, talking to foreign investors. Wearing a well-fitted blue suit, he showed careless charm, his trademark smirk etched on his face as he shook hands with foreign investors.Eliana's fists clenched. Her own heart thudded in her ears as she stepped between them.Nathaniel hardly had time to react when she strode up to him, eyes blazing
Nathaniel closed his jaws. The words stung, betraying pain he had struggled to keep hidden all these years."Grandpa Paul suicided because he wanted to, Dad," he stated stubbornly but his voice did tremble with emotion. "Yes, the Thompsons were in the wrong, but both of them weren't he perfect. He himself well knew what he was letting himself in for when he fought it out with them.".William's eyes went black. "Don't you ever apologize to them! We were ruined by Benedict Thompson and his family! They sullied our name, they robbed us of all we had, and you—my own son—are here questioning me?Nathaniel balled his fists in his hand. "I'm asking you because I don't wish to be like you." His chest strained to fill the air for the effort of his words. "I don't want blood on my hands. And I sure as hell don't want to begin where a war should have ended after Grandpa Paul.".William's laugh was brutal and not amusing. "You do believe in peace? You actually think they're going to forgive and f
Wendy's head nodded in confirmation. "Exactly so. We don't have to spill blood to kill him—just cut him, in pieces."Benedict ran his hands through his face, the frustration percolating just beneath his placid surface. "This is risky. You all realize that, don't you? Once we go down this path, we can't turn back."Eliana remained steadfast, despite the burden of the impending war. "We crossed that line when they tried to kill me and Saben."Silence filled the room.Wendy breathed deep, holding on to her cane. "Then it's settled. We fight."Silence filled the room.Wendy breathed deep, holding on to her cane. "Then it's settled. We fight."Sabrina swallowed, holding Benedict's arm and she spoke again. "I just do not want to lose any of you."He softly said; in that instant she knew exactly what he meant. "I understand that feeling so well. I know the tears of this place will chase us out someday, but if it has happened, why should we let everything go while crying?"Eliana moved toward