Regina's POV The clock on my dashboard glowed 9:58 PM. Damn it. How time did fly. I sat in my car, engine off, staring at the empty parking garage.It was dark. Too dark to see anything, like those kinds of place you only saw in crime shows — right before something terrible happened of course."Breath in, Regina." I was desperately trying to comfort myself now because, I just knew I had to! I gripped the steering wheel tightly despite the fact that every part of me screamed to drive away. But whoever sent that message knew things.Things I needed to know if I had any hope of surviving this nightmare.At exactly 10:00 PM, I forced myself out of the car. The air was cold and damp against my skin.I heard my heels clicking loudly on the cracked concrete, like I were something from a horror audio clip. My breath was shaky as I heaved in. The sound echoed off the empty walls, made me feel even smaller, more alone."Hello?" I called out, my voice shaky. great. Just like any horror story h
Regina's POV Going home I couldn't help but think about all that had happened. I didn't know who to in fact trust again. Even with Nicholas not telling me that as a warning, I didn't know if I could trust him too.Once inside, I happened to see a letter right in front of my doorstep. I picked it up and saw that it was a note from Nicholas himself..except, it was a hand written note so I doubted that there was any way any one could have even forged his hand writing.A smile worked it's way over to my face. I hadn't noticed someone behind me but the figure snatched the note from me and when I turned back to check, I saw that it was none other than Jenna."What the heck? It's starting to get annoying. Really!" I yelled out because I really had been terrified!"Aww it's a note from some mysterious person. We have a company breakfast meeting tomorrow by 9. Be there before then." She was smiling as she read out loud what was on the note. "You weren't actually thinking of firing yourself, w
Regina's POV I barely slept that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that photo.Me—caught in a candid I never took, framed by shadows I never noticed. Alone and feeling somewhat exposed. Somewhere out there, someone was watching.And worse—they wanted me to know it.I kept checking the locks, the windows, the tiny crawl space in the hallway closet, like a paranoid wreck on the brink. The silence in the apartment was louder than any scream.By morning, I was a husk of myself—red-eyed, bone-weary, stomach in knots.But I still pulled on my blouse, tugged on my blazer, and forced my feet into those black heels that made my toes ache.If they wanted to break me, they’d have to come harder.I wasn’t giving them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble.I walked into Walton & Co with my head high and my heart pounding like a war drum.The minute I sat down, Jenna materialized again.Like she’d been waiting. Like she knew.She dropped a coffee on my desk—black, no sugar, exactly how I l
Regina's POV I barely slept.Again! I hated how consistent this was starting to become.Morning came too fast, dragging my body out of bed like a corpse clawing its way out of a shallow grave. I moved on autopilot, dressing in my usual armor—black dress, black heels, black coffee. Every layer meant to shield. Every sip meant to steel.At this point, showing up at Walton & Co wasn’t about loyalty.It was about defiance.Every step into that glass and steel building was an act of rebellion. I was tired of letting them win the small battles. The whisper campaigns. The sidelong glances. The carefully timed “jokes” that weren’t jokes at all.But the second I walked into the office, I knew.Something had shifted.The air was thick, humming with barely contained energy. People whispered behind glowing screens, their eyes flitting to me, then away, like I burned too bright to look at for long. I felt stripped bare, like a spotlight followed me from the elevator to my desk.The rumors had gro
Regina's POV"There's a problem, it's still not balanced!" Dawn's scream was deafening. I shifted back a bit from her loud wails. I needed to concentrate... This was fucking not my day. My whole body was shaking as fear crept through me, more like anxiety. Today was Dan's birthday and he was throwing a party that evening...basically in about two hour's time. I needed to get him the perfect present, then pick up the cake for his party and also manage to get dressed in less than two hours! And here I was, still at work sorting out the variance issue at hand. Everyone stared at me waiting for me to work some magic, even though clearly, I was just a simple finance assistant just like them."Oh my goodness, we're dead! We're gonna die!--" Slap! It was meant to be a small pat on her cheeks to keep her quiet but it ended up becoming a loud slap. I couldn't concentrate with her screaming and crying! "I'm so sorry, Dawn, but please stay with me here!. Are you with me?" I said to her calml
Regina's POV I smiled, turning to face him. When I tried to hug him, he stylishly moved back, pushing me away from him. "What, are you being serious? I could never miss your party." His expression was a stern one, deep brows furrowing. Dan was handsome, though lately I wondered what was with the new look. His dark brown hair styled neatly all the way back was his usual hairstyle but now his hair had turned to whitish blonde, and was cut shorter too. He was still handsome though, with his pale brown sexy eyes and charming dimples that crinkled whenever he smiled. "I feel like you've been avoiding me, Dan. What is it?" "Good evening everyone," in a sweet sonorous voice, a pretty lady in her mid fifties announced. Dan's mom was a lot of things, but she was never modest. Her outfit was extravagant and I wondered how she even walked in those huge heels and flared gown. Then the way she spoke, it was like she was God and we were mere peasants she created with her bare hands. "Please
Nicholas's POV The meeting had been time consuming and I was so happy once I'd got to kick everybody out. Miles was the only one left, and that was because he was my P. A and somewhat my best friend. "Alright then, I'll order what we'll have for dinner tonight." Mike said, and I didn't know if he was joking or being serious. I heaved in a deep sigh and closed the files before me to focus on him. "Mike, it's two in the afternoon, we just had lunch two hours ago, and you're already thinking about dinner?" "I shouldn't have mentioned. My bad." He turned and was about to leave, as if what I had just said didn't matter at all. Then he paused, maybe remembering something. "Sir, are you going to let her go just like that?" I groaned in disbelief. "Dude, I hate it when you call me sir." "Sorry, Mr. Walton--" "--oh for the love of God--" "--I'm talking about that smart finance assistant." Mike successfully ignored me and went on with his little talk. "She left in her resignatio
Regina's Pov I almost lost confidence in myself with the way Peter and Lizzy glared at me with soured expressions. They were clearly mocking me and jealous I'd been called to do work they couldn't do. That's right, I'd loved to think that to myself. A short while later, I alerted everyone I was done and had found where the fault was from. "Alright Dawn, you should call for the attention of Mr. Nick--I mean, Mr. Walton." Or was it Nicholas? "No why should Dawn do that? Clearly I was part of the people who went to call the attention of Mr. Walton. I'm going to meet him and tell him the issue has been solved." Lizzy said with her shoulders up high. "But you weren't even part of us when Regina asked that we searched through the files from last month!" Dawn objected. "That's right," Mr. Isaac supported. "Regina, you go ahead and tell Mr. Walton we're done here as soon as we settle Frank." I nodded, ignoring Lizzy and Peter's protest. "You're right. Thanks guys," besides,
Regina's POV I barely slept.Again! I hated how consistent this was starting to become.Morning came too fast, dragging my body out of bed like a corpse clawing its way out of a shallow grave. I moved on autopilot, dressing in my usual armor—black dress, black heels, black coffee. Every layer meant to shield. Every sip meant to steel.At this point, showing up at Walton & Co wasn’t about loyalty.It was about defiance.Every step into that glass and steel building was an act of rebellion. I was tired of letting them win the small battles. The whisper campaigns. The sidelong glances. The carefully timed “jokes” that weren’t jokes at all.But the second I walked into the office, I knew.Something had shifted.The air was thick, humming with barely contained energy. People whispered behind glowing screens, their eyes flitting to me, then away, like I burned too bright to look at for long. I felt stripped bare, like a spotlight followed me from the elevator to my desk.The rumors had gro
Regina's POV I barely slept that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that photo.Me—caught in a candid I never took, framed by shadows I never noticed. Alone and feeling somewhat exposed. Somewhere out there, someone was watching.And worse—they wanted me to know it.I kept checking the locks, the windows, the tiny crawl space in the hallway closet, like a paranoid wreck on the brink. The silence in the apartment was louder than any scream.By morning, I was a husk of myself—red-eyed, bone-weary, stomach in knots.But I still pulled on my blouse, tugged on my blazer, and forced my feet into those black heels that made my toes ache.If they wanted to break me, they’d have to come harder.I wasn’t giving them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble.I walked into Walton & Co with my head high and my heart pounding like a war drum.The minute I sat down, Jenna materialized again.Like she’d been waiting. Like she knew.She dropped a coffee on my desk—black, no sugar, exactly how I l
Regina's POV Going home I couldn't help but think about all that had happened. I didn't know who to in fact trust again. Even with Nicholas not telling me that as a warning, I didn't know if I could trust him too.Once inside, I happened to see a letter right in front of my doorstep. I picked it up and saw that it was a note from Nicholas himself..except, it was a hand written note so I doubted that there was any way any one could have even forged his hand writing.A smile worked it's way over to my face. I hadn't noticed someone behind me but the figure snatched the note from me and when I turned back to check, I saw that it was none other than Jenna."What the heck? It's starting to get annoying. Really!" I yelled out because I really had been terrified!"Aww it's a note from some mysterious person. We have a company breakfast meeting tomorrow by 9. Be there before then." She was smiling as she read out loud what was on the note. "You weren't actually thinking of firing yourself, w
Regina's POV The clock on my dashboard glowed 9:58 PM. Damn it. How time did fly. I sat in my car, engine off, staring at the empty parking garage.It was dark. Too dark to see anything, like those kinds of place you only saw in crime shows — right before something terrible happened of course."Breath in, Regina." I was desperately trying to comfort myself now because, I just knew I had to! I gripped the steering wheel tightly despite the fact that every part of me screamed to drive away. But whoever sent that message knew things.Things I needed to know if I had any hope of surviving this nightmare.At exactly 10:00 PM, I forced myself out of the car. The air was cold and damp against my skin.I heard my heels clicking loudly on the cracked concrete, like I were something from a horror audio clip. My breath was shaky as I heaved in. The sound echoed off the empty walls, made me feel even smaller, more alone."Hello?" I called out, my voice shaky. great. Just like any horror story h
Regina's POV I knew something was wrong the second I walked into the office. Things have been so annoying lately! But I held my head up high, knowing that I won't break down now. I didn't want that to happen.With the way people were whispering, staring at me as I was walking by. Some of them even stopped talking the moment they saw me.The air was thick — not just with gossip, but with something heavier. Like a storm waiting to break.What the fuck could this be all about now!I pushed my shoulders back and kept walking, pretending not to notice. Pretending I wasn't dying a little inside.Nicholas hadn't spoken to me properly since that horrible night. He'd been cold and totally distant, Acting like I barely existed. And now this — this weird tension in the office.I made it to my desk, sat down, and pulled up my emails..My fingers shook slightly as I clicked through them, but I forced myself to focus. I had to. Now more than ever, after what had just happened with Mr Akande and Pet
Third POV She ignored the question—she didn't have time to solve the mystery. Forty-five minutes to go. The phone rang. It was Peter. "Akande's furious," he whispered. "He wants a call with you in—like, ten minutes."Ten minutes.Regina forced a calm voice. "Tell him I'm finalizing now. I'll call him in five."She closed her eyes for a second, inhaled, then picked up the phone. "Mr. Akande, this is Regina Mildred. I have the revised the files. I want to walk you through it personally."He barked, "It better be perfect." She agreed. Hung up. Three minutes left.She hit "Save," then "Send." Her finger hovered for one agonizing second... then clicked. The file slid across the internet to Akande's team.She leaned back, sweat dripping down her temple. "Done," she muttered.Five minutes later, she dialed in. On the screen, Mr. Akande's stern face appeared. His team sat beside him, arms folded. "Ms. Mildred," he said, voice still sharp.Regina nodded. "Thank you for holding. If you'll allo
Standing up straight, clenching her fists. If Nicholas was hiding something... If he had betrayed her trust... She would find out the truth. Even if it broke her heart all over again. Because Regina Mildred wasn't going down without a fight.Nicholas opened the door before she even knocked. As if he had been waiting. Regina froze at the threshold. All the words she had practiced—the rage, the pain, the betrayal—clogged her throat at once.He looked... tired. Tired, and still so devastatingly handsome it made her chest ache.But tonight, she wasn't here to admire him. Tonight, she was here to tear down the walls he had built."Regina," Nicholas said slowly. A warning? An invitation? She didn't care. She stepped inside without waiting for permission. The air between them crackled. Heavy. Sharp enough to cut skin. "I need to know the truth," she said simply. Her voice didn't shake. She was proud of that. Nicholas closed the door, his face unreadable. "The truth about what?""You know wha
The Glass Room wasn't just a bar. It was a secret playground for the city's rich and powerful. Dark lights, velvet booths, and a quiet thrum of danger hanging in the air.Regina had never been there before of course, but she didn't hesitate. Answers were needed!. She needed to find out if the Nicholas she knew was real—or if Dan had been right all along. And this was the only way she was sure she would find it. She was glad Jenna had disappeared by now, and it was still a wonder to her why Jenna has been around in the first place. Was she really starting to like her?Regina wore black jeans and a leather jacket, keeping her look casual in order to blend in. Disappearing into the crowd, she advanced forward. And once inside, she was forced to stare in awe.Inside, the music was low and moody. Couples whispered in booths. Men in suits made quiet deals over whiskey. Regina's phone buzzed.Unknown Number: "Booth 19. Back corner."Regina tried to play it cool and as casual as she could. B
The next morning, Regina made a decision. She wasn't going to sit around crying. She deserved answers. If Nicholas was done with her, fine. "Hey, can I come with you to work today? I want to see Nicholas." Jenna said boldly. "I admire your confidence, you know." I was forced to say with a smile. She looked too determined as she spoke. "I told you. I'm not going to fight with you over Nicholas, but I want him. Just like I want you."I rolled my eyes."Okay that's enough now. Come on, you should leave.""I brought office wear. It's in my bag."I eyed her from head to toe. "I won't try to stop you. But do not get in my way. I doubt Nicholas would see you or try to talk to you anyway." I muttered out the last part."He's just been busy that's all. No need to think too much about it." Jenna said as if trying to comfort herself. After getting dressed, Regina managed to put on an amour of confident if she would be facing Nicholas that morning.He was going to say it to her face whatever r