Alex got home to meet Claire sprawled out on the sofa watching a movie. She quickly got up when she heard the door open and ran up to him. “So tell me what happened? How did it go?” She asked. He told her all about what happened and how he no longer had to be bothered about his mental health hindering him from leading the company. Claire pulled him into a gentle hug, and he hugged her back tightly, like he had needed that all day. “You did well” she said as she patted him on the back gently and he melted more in her arms. She pulled back abruptly surprising Alex before she followed with a causal “You should get some rest,” she said as she let him go and returned her focus to the movie. He stood there, unsure of what to do. He wanted to say something, anything, to keep her attention, but she was already laughing at the scene on the TV, completely immersed. Alex lingered for a moment, then gave up, taking deliberately noisy steps up the stairs in one last attempt to draw he
The delicious smell of toasted bread and fried eggs pulled Claire from her sleep. At first, she thought it was all in her head, but as she opened her eyes and sat up, the aroma lingered, teasing her senses. “Mrs. Hamptons?” she murmured to herself, her voice groggy. She looked around and gasped at the unfamiliar surroundings before a blush crept onto her face. “Oh, Alex,” she said softly, memories of last night flooding back. She glanced to her side but found the bed empty. Wearing his oversized shirt from the night before, she descended the stairs in a flash. “Mrs. Hamptons, have you seen Al—" she started, but stopped abruptly when she saw who was serving breakfast. “Alex?” she said in a low tone, almost questioning. He turned around, a wide smile lighting up his face, no longer hiding the happiness he felt. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said, walking toward her. “I-I thought you left already,” she said, her voice faltering as she grew nervous from how close he was, try
Claire wasted no time grabbing something from her closet and throwing it on before dashing out of the house at great speed. She almost forgot to lock the door but doubled back quickly, her hands shaking as she turned the key. Jumping into a cab, she urged the driver to hurry, though to her, every second felt like an eternity. She tapped her feet impatiently, the city lights blurring as the car seemed to crawl through the traffic. Finally, she arrived at the hospital and rushed to the counter, her heart pounding. “I got a call that my husband is here,” she blurted out breathlessly. “What’s his name, ma’am?” the nurse asked, her expression calm. “Alexander Steele,” Claire said, her voice trembling. The nurse’s eyes widened for a moment, her tone slipping into surprise. “Alexander Steele?” she repeated, but quickly caught herself. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” she added, her fingers flying over the keyboard. After a moment of searching, she looked back up. “He’s VIP room 7. Take the el
Claire went home to get more clothes for herself so she could stay with Alex at the hospital. On her way back, she received another text from the strange phone number that had texted her the day before. “You look quite pretty in that yellow dress,” the text read. She looked down at the long straight gown she was wearing—it was green. She heaved a sigh of relief, realizing the sender wasn’t accurate. “Who the fuck are you? Why do you keep texting me?” she typed furiously and hit send. She waited for a reply, but none came. Trying to shake off the unease, Claire scrolled through the news on her phone. Her heart sank when she saw the headlines—*Business Mogul Alex Hampton’s Car Crash Suspected to Be Intentional.* She clicked on the article, her eyes darting over the details. Eyewitnesses claimed a black SUV had been following Alex’s car before ramming into him at high speed. Authorities were investigating, but no leads had been confirmed yet. Claire's heart skipped a beat at the
The board meeting began with Charles rising to speak, his face painted with an air of solemnity. He started by describing his brother Alex's critical condition, laying emphasis on the doctor’s statement: they didn’t know when he might wake up. His words sent a wave of unrest through the room as murmurs and worried exchanges filled the space. Charles leaned back slightly, allowing the chaos to ripple through the room. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he took in their reactions. This was exactly what he had anticipated, In fact, orchestrated. “What are we going to do?” one board member asked, their tone laced with concern. “We can’t operate without a CEO,” another chimed in, shaking their head. “That’s not possible. It goes against company policy.” Charles stepped forward again, spreading his hands as though he was burdened by the weight of the situation. “My point exactly,” he said, his voice steady yet laden with false concern. “What do you suggest we do now?
When Claire reached the hospital, her heart nearly stopped at the sight of the crowd gathered in front of Alex’s room. Policemen, doctors, and nurses were exchanging hurried statements, their faces etched with worry. A knot formed in her stomach, tightening with every step as she approached. “Oh, she’s here,” one of the nurses said, spotting Claire from a distance. “What is going on?” Claire demanded, her voice trembling. A man stepped forward, his badge glinting under the fluorescent lights. “Hi, I’m Chris, a police officer in charge of this case,” he began. “Case? What happened to my husband? Someone tell me!” Claire’s voice cracked, her fear spilling over. Chris’s expression softened, but his tone remained firm. “We received a report that an unidentified person, disguised as a nurse, attempted to tamper with your husband’s IV drip. Thankfully, he was discovered before he could carry out the act.” Claire’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Where is the person? Did you
A MONTH AGO: Charlotte stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her chest, her skin still glistening from the warm water. She moved toward the dressing mirror, feeling the cold air brush against her damp skin. Her phone sat on the mirror’s surface, and she reached out to pick it up, but before she could, it began to ring. The number was unsaved, but curiosity got the best of her. She answered with a sharp, “Who is this?” “Hello, Charlotte,” the voice echoed in her ear. It was a voice she knew all too well. Her breath hitched, and her hand trembled as she dropped the phone onto the bed, her body freezing in place. A loud scream tore from her throat, and panic surged through her chest. Charles, still naked and dripping from the shower, rushed out, his heart pounding in his chest after hearing her scream. His eyes widened in alarm as he saw her standing motionless, staring at her phone. “What happened?” he asked, his voice thick with concern, his body tense. “H
PRESENT: Claire’s heart stopped in her chest as she stared at the face she hadn’t fully registered earlier, now exposed from behind the sunglasses and nose mask. Panic surged through her veins. How did she miss this? “Roy,” her voice trembled, her lips barely forming the name. “Why didn’t you respond to my texts?” he asked, his tone almost casual, as if they were old friends catching up. Her mind reeled, piecing together what should have been obvious. Roy was colorblind, of course, he’d confuse green for yellow. She had been too dismissive, brushing off those texts. And now, she was exactly where he wanted her. “I’m… I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice shaky as her hand slowly inched toward the door handle. Roy leaned forward and grabbed her wrist with a vice-like grip, his smile dark and unsettling. “I guess you were busy taking care of your husband. I was only planning to hit him a little, but, well… things got out of hand.” Claire’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened a
Alex unfolded the letter with Claire by his side, their shoulders touching as they leaned over the words. His hand tightened slightly on the paper as he read aloud: “I don’t expect forgiveness, nor do I deserve it. What I did, everything I did, was wrong. I’ve spent months reflecting on my actions and the pain I caused both of you. You didn’t deserve any of it. All I can offer now is an apology, but I know words can never undo the harm. Please know I’m truly sorry. —Charles.” A heavy silence settled over them. Claire stared at the letter, her expression unreadable. "What do you think this means?" Alex asked, his voice low, almost hesitant. “After refusing to see me for months” Claire let out a slow breath. "I don’t know. Maybe it’s his way of closing a chapter, or maybe it’s guilt finally catching up to him. Either way, it doesn’t change what he’s done." Alex studied her face for a moment. "Do you think he means it?" She shrugged. "Maybe he does. Maybe it’s just words.
They stood in tense silence, their words still hanging heavy in the air, neither willing to break the stalemate. Finally, Alex scoffed lightly, dragging a hand down his face, breaking the tension between them. “What are we doing?” he muttered, his voice weary. “Yeah,” Claire echoed softly, “what are we doing?” Alex stepped closer, his movements slow, and carefully pulled her into his arms. She didn’t resist, but her arms stayed stiff at her sides. “I know you were scared,” he murmured, his voice thick with regret. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I swear to you, it will never happen again.” “You promise?” she whispered, her voice laced with doubt. “Yes,” he said firmly, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. “I promise. And I’m sorry about what I said earlier about your ex. That wasn’t fair. None of this is your fault.” Claire’s shoulders softened as her anger gave way to exhaustion. Slowly, she leaned into him, her arms wrapping around his waist. Alex exhaled deeply i
The sound of the hospital door opening snapped them both out of their reverie. They sprang to their feet in an instant, their eyes fixed on the doctor who stepped into the room, his expression unreadable. Alex’s heart hammered in his chest as he took a step forward, Claire beside him, her hand gripping his. The doctor looked between them, clearing his throat before speaking. "She's stable now, but we’ll need to monitor her closely. The impact was serious, but we've done everything we can for now." The relief that flooded through Alex was almost overwhelming, but his eyes never left the doctor. "Is she going to be okay? Will she make it through?" The doctor nodded slowly, his gaze softening. "It’s too soon to say for certain, but we’re hopeful. She’s a fighter." Claire let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and Alex tightened his grip on her hand and that made her realize they were holding hands. She quickly let go of his hand and Alex looked back confused a
Claire wasted no time getting back into her car and driving straight to Alex’s office. It took her a little over thirty minutes to arrive, and she rushed inside without a second thought. When she reached his office, it was empty. Letting out a scream of frustration, she ran her hands through her hair, feeling her composure slipping away. Desperation clawed at her as she fished her phone out of her bag and dialed Vanessa’s number. The line barely rang before Vanessa picked up. “Where is Alex?” Claire demanded without preamble. “Mr. Steele left work right after the meeting concluded about an hour ago,” Vanessa replied calmly. “An hour ago?” Claire repeated. “Yes. Is everything okay?” “He’s not picking his calls. Is there any other way I can reach him?” Vanessa hesitated. “I’ve been trying to pass on some information to him too, but I can’t reach him either. He hasn’t responded to anything.” Claire closed her eyes, frustration boiling over. There was no way to get ahold of h
Claire couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Roy’s mother standing at her doorstep, her face twisted with anger. “What are you doing here?” Claire asked in a sharp voice. “What am I doing here?” Roy’s mother shot back, her tone laced with venom. “My son died because of you. If you hadn’t left him, if only you’d taken him back, he’d still be alive right now!” Claire let out a bitter scoff, folding her arms defensively. “Don’t kid yourself. Your son died because he didn’t know when to back down. That’s not my fault, it was his choice to walk that path.” “You little wench!” Roy’s mother snarled, stepping forward and grabbing the front of Claire’s shirt with trembling hands. “How dare you talk about my son like that?” Claire’s mother became worried as the raised voices reached her. She quickly rose from her seat and began making her way to the door to know what is going on. Claire didn’t flinch under Roy’s mother’s grip. Her voice was low but firm as she asked, “Do you know w
It had been days since the investigation was officially launched, and tension had only grown thicker. The turning point came when an anonymous source submitted damning evidence to the authorities, call logs, text messages, and voicemails between Charlotte and Roy. The material was meticulous, exposing every detail of their plan: from luring Alex to the restaurant to orchestrating the photo and even identifying the person who had taken it. The board had convened once again to address the new developments. Alex walked into the office that morning, accompanied by Claire. She had insisted on coming, though she knew she wouldn’t be allowed into the conference room. Instead, she lingered outside, her nerves fraying as she waited for the meeting to begin. As she paced the hallway, she felt the air shift. When she looked up, Charlotte was walking toward her with her usual confident stride, though her face betrayed the slightest hint of stress. “I see you’re still with him, even after
Alex brought out his phone and placed it on the table before hitting the play button on the recording. The room fell silent as Alex’s voice filled the air, followed by Charlotte’s damning words. Gasps erupted from the board members, their shock evident as they exchanged wide-eyed glances. Charles, visibly flustered, slammed his hand on the table. “This is a desperate attempt to save yourself, Alex! That recording is fake, fabricated to sabotage me because you’re losing your place in the company!” Alex smirked, taking a deliberate step forward, his confidence radiating. “Oh, is that what you think I’m doing, Charles?” He leaned on the table, locking eyes with him. “Funny, because Charlotte would’ve thrown you under the bus if I had reconsidered her little offer.” With a tap on his phone, Alex resumed the recording, letting the incriminating part play. “I might just reconsider if you rethink your decision and choose me instead. We can turn our scandal into a love story.” T
The next day, Claire woke up earlier than usual, determined to make breakfast for Alex. She served him a plate of eggs and toast, but he barely touched it, eating absently while his mind wandered to the impending board meeting. “I could come with you, you know,” Claire offered hesitantly, watching him down the last sip of his coffee. He gave her a soft smile and shook his head. “I appreciate it, but it’s better if you stay here. I’ll handle it.” Claire didn’t press further, though she hated the thought of him facing everything alone. At the office, Alex walked through the building, catching the curious glances of employees who were clearly aware of the ongoing scandal. He ignored them, his focus set on the day ahead. Once in his office, he placed his phone on the desk and called Claire, her voice the only thing that could steady his nerves. “I’m already in,” he told her. “I’ll update you after the meeting.” “Just breathe, Alex. You’ll get through this,” Claire sai
Charles leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smirk on his face as the board members nodded one after the other, each voicing their agreement. The private meeting had gone exactly as he’d planned. The chaos surrounding Alex’s personal life had provided the perfect opportunity to strike, and now the board was on his side. “It’s settled then,” Charles said, his voice calm but laced with triumph. “We’ll convene tomorrow to finalize the motion. The longer we wait, the more damage this scandal will cause.” One of the senior board members cleared his throat. “We’re only doing this for the sake of the company. Alex has been a good CEO, but we can’t afford to let sentimentality ruin us.” “Exactly,” Charles replied smoothly. “This is about protecting the company and its future. Nothing personal.” After the meeting, Charles stepped out of the conference room, where Charlotte was waiting for him in the hallway. She was leaning casually against the wall, a satisfied gleam in her eyes.