The ensuing days were a jumble of frigid silences and fleeting meetings. The tension between Anita and Nathan was obvious, heavy as a storm about to break. Each time their paths met, the weight of unspoken words hung heavy between them, and Anita's need for more—more from him, more from their marriage—grew stronger, chewing away. She had attempted to understand and adapt to his world, but now there was a sense of dread that made it difficult to breathe.But she wasn't only concerned about Nathan. Anita's thoughts concerning Harry got increasingly uncomfortable. He was a continuous thorn in her side, mocking her with innuendos and unrelenting attempts to influence her. He had made it apparent that he did not consider her a true member of the family, and the way he tried to irritate her put her on edge. What was his endgame?A week after the event, the first indication of anything very alarming appeared. Anita sat in her own study, reviewing some documents Nathan had given her c
As Nathan approached the door, his shadow against the hallway light, Anita stood in the darkened living room, breathing heavily. Her heart pounded more loudly, thumping with uncertainty, but the harsh sound of the doorbell continued to reverberate in her mind. Who might it be? There had been a delicate quiet between them, and who ventured to break it? However, Nathan seemed unsurprised. He wore a strained expression and clenched his jaw in a rigid line. He arched his shoulders slightly, as if he was bracing for something dreadful. Anita felt a flutter of worry that she couldn't identify. Perhaps it was because he hadn't appeared this stiff in a long time. It's probable she was aware of the instability in their relationship. With his back to her, Nathan whispered, "Stay here," and went for the door. His voice bore the weight of an unstated order despite being clipped, just above a whisper. He grabbed the door doorknob and yanked it open before Anita could react. She had hoped she wi
Once Harry was gone, the room was a stifling hush. His sarcastic words kept echoing in Anita's ears, progressively poisoning her thoughts with each phrase. Nathan stood there, his jaw so hard, his hands balled into fists, and she could feel the muscles beneath his skin tensing up. He hadn't moved much since Harry left, but Anita sensed the storm brewing within of him. She should have become accustomed to the hushed words that lingered and the icy tension between them. But this night was different. Harry had started something tonight that neither of them had expected.Anita's throat was dry as she swallowed. What did he mean, Nathan? How much does he know about my dad? With a harsh, inscrutable look, Nathan's eyes met hers. She briefly believed that he would not respond and would continue to keep her in the dark, as he always did. Then, though, his eyes softened a little. Nathan said in a calm, low voice, "I don't know how much he's found out." However, it indicates that H
As Anita's automobile raced through the streets, her head aflutter with a flurry of ideas, the city lights became blurry. Harry's words clung to her like unbreakable chains, reverberating in her mind like a menacing whisper. "I want you to help me take Nathan down." Her fingers whitened as she gripped the driving wheel more tightly. He had skilfully set up his trap, dangling the one thing she had been frantically seeking—answers regarding her father. However, the amount he asked for was excessive. Betray Nathan.The notion ought to have been absurd. She wasn't a blindly loyal wife to a husband who hardly gave her a second thought. Their marriage was based on a commercial agreement, a contract, and feelings had no place there. Nevertheless, the idea of siding with Harry made her stomach turn. Nathan had been cold, aloof, and cunning. However, he had also shielded her from harm—from Eleanor's humiliation to Stacy's attempts to discredit her and Harry's mockery of her backgrou
Anita woke up the following morning with a strong feeling of dread. She had been replaying Nathan's comments in her head for the whole of the night. "We play the game better than him." The game did not frighten her. No more. She was aware, however, that Harry wasn't playing by himself. Harry had allies, but Nathan had the authority. She also needed to know exactly who she was up against if she wanted to live. It was not long before she received a response.It was a tense breakfast. Anita hardly touched her lunch while the housekeeping crew walked in silence, setting dishes in front of them and refilling cups. With an enigmatic expression, Nathan sat across from her, browsing through his phone. Then the room was filled with the sound of a gentle chime. Nathan put the phone down after taking a quick look at his screen. He said in a casual tone, "Tonight, Eleanor is hosting a private event." "She anticipates our presence." Anita froze. Eleanor. In the confusion caused by
Silence shrouded the ride home from Eleanor's celebration. Anita's imagination reenacted every exchange, every subliminal threat from Harry, and every cautionary look from Eleanor as she gazed out the car window, the city lights flickering by. Nathan sat next to her, his presence like a building storm. She sensed the strain in his shoulders and the weight in his eyes. She knew it was coming even though he hadn't yet pressed her for answers. Nathan eventually spoke as soon as they entered the mansion. "What was said to you by Harry?"Anita let out a breath and carefully took off her earrings while turning to look at him. "What makes it important?" Nathan clenched his jaw. "Because his goal was to enter your mind." You also allowed him to She laughed resentfully. "Oh, you're concerned now?" Nathan's face became gloomy. "Don't begin that, Anita." "No, we should discuss it." She looked directly into his eyes while crossing her arms. "You avoid me when it's convenient for
Anita sat stiffly in the grand living room, her mind racing, while Nathan stood near the fireplace, talking softly with his head of security; Anita could feel the storm. The aftermath of the night's events had hardly been cleared up when Nathan's security team began patrolling the grounds for any signs of an intruder, but the note—Harry's ominous warning—remained like a black cloud over the mansion, and Anita couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.While Nathan stood by the hearth, speaking softly with his head of security, Anita sat rigidly in the large living room, her thoughts racing; she could feel the storm. When Nathan's security team started searching the grounds for any indications of an intruder, the aftermath of the previous night had barely been cleared away, but Harry's menacing warning in the form of the note hung over the mansion like a black cloud, and Anita couldn't get rid of the feeling that this was just the beginning.With a clipped tone, Nath
It had never seemed so oppressive in the mansion. In Nathan's office, Anita sat with her fingers gripping the chair's arms. While Nathan paced behind his desk, his thoughts already planning their next move, Gregor stood close to the window, his face lined with worry. Sophia was troubled by her warning. "Soon, you’re going to wish you had walked away when you had the chance." Anita's gut told her that something horrible was about to happen. At last, Nathan stopped pacing. "We must ascertain Harry's intentions before he takes action."Gregor folded his arms. "I can exert pressure on my connections to find out if anyone has been contacted." Anita let out a breath. Sophia claimed that he was collaborating with risky individuals. This indicates that family conflict is no longer the only issue. Nathan's face grew serious. "Therefore, we cannot afford to wait around." They all turned as there was a knock on the door. A maid reluctantly came in. "A woman is at the gate, ma'am.
Standing at her elegant mahogany desk, Anita felt the weight of the power she suddenly possessed pressing down on her chest. She had the authority to run the business and the empire that had previously belonged to Nathan, but that authority also came with the burden of tearing it down and starting over, brick by brick. The future would be shaped by every choice she made going forward. Standing upright in front of the board, she had already demonstrated her worth, but that was just the start. She was startled out of her daydream as her phone buzzed on the desk. When she noticed the caller ID, she paused her fingers as she reached for it. Daniel. This was what she had anticipated. Daniel's voice crackled over the phone, "Anita." "There is a circumstance. It's urgent. You must hear this firsthand.The anxiety she had been repressing began to creep up her spine as her heart skipped a beat. "What's happening?" "It concerns Harry." Anger rose in her chest as her pulse accelera
As the sun sank below the horizon and the city was bathed in an orange glow, the penthouse was eerily quiet. With the city's lights glimmering like far-off stars, Anita stood in front of the enormous windows. However, the vista began to feel more like a battlefield than a privilege. She was reminded of the empire she now ruled and the power that accompanied it by every shadow and light flicker. She didn't know when she had gone too far, when she had ceased to grieve for Nathan and begun planning her next course of action, but it had happened. The grieving had shifted to resolution sometime between viewing the files and realising the stakes.Everything Nathan had left behind had been given to her. All the nasty secrets. All of the shady deals. All the truths she had been denied. The world would suddenly be aware of it. There was no turning back. She had gone too far. Those who believed they could control, manipulate, and exploit Anita Grant would soon discover the hard way
Everything was silent. Too silent. As the last echoes of the explosion vanished into the darkness, Anita stood at the edge of the flaming debris, her body shaking. The structure that had once stood for Nathan's empire, his legacy, and his castle was now reduced to a charred skeleton of ash and twisted steel. She was unable to hear the distant cries of emergency sirens. Smoke spiralled into the sky like mourning veils, and all she could hear was the harsh, uneven sound of her own breath. He had returned for her. after which she was barred out. Her voice was hoarse from yelling his name, and her palms were scraped raw from beating on the sealed exit. He never did, however, open the door.Since he never meant to. She muttered, "Nathan," as though the wind might take her words back in time, past the debris and the fire, to the man who had given all up. Security, firefighters, and medical personnel moved around her, but she remained still. The edges of the world were blurred.
She was followed by the smoke. Smoke clung to her skin, her hair, and her thoughts even after the building collapsed, after the sirens screamed, and after a guard who was only devoted to Nathan pulled her from the turmoil. Ash was like mascara on her lashes. She left it in place. She was immobile. Not at all. As firefighters doused the already-dead with water, she watched from the other side of the yellow tape. Like a last curse, the vault's bones continued to smoulder and spew black clouds into the night. Twisted metal shrieked as it cooled, and steel bent where it shouldn't have.They referred to it as an accident. A spill of gas. electrical malfunction. There were rumours that it was terrorism. Some believed it to be sabotage. The contents of Nathan's vault were largely unknown. Only she. She also suspected she didn't know everything. She wrapped her fingers around the flash disc. A security guard with shaking hands and terrified eyes had put it into her palm. He h
Like ravenous tongues, the flames licked the ceiling, consuming steel, glass, and wood without distinction. With each inhale, Nathan's lungs filled with bitter, scorching smoke, but he continued. couldn't. Anita had been shut out by him. As the fire burned all around him, that was the only idea keeping him anchored to reality. His gaze was tormented by her face, which was pale in the flickering emergency lights. She had been looking at him with anger, betrayal, and fear, but she was still trying to find anything valuable in him. He had not allowed her to remain. Because she would have perished if she had. Like a phantom, he navigated the top chambers of the vault, avoiding crumbling beams and passing broken monitors and overturned furniture. He was aware that every second was borrowed time now. But he had one last thing to do, one last message to deliver. Nathan arrived at the command terminal. With sparks exploding from its console like dying stars, it was half-destroyed. Neverthele
8Smoke curled against the shattered glass and blazing emergency lights as it moved through Grant Enterprises' higher floors like ghosts. Anita could hardly hear the distant sirens shrieking. She had a louder heart. Silent, numb, and confused, she navigated the maelstrom like a phantom herself. Nathan had left. Gone into whatever hell his past had brought back to life, into the darkness, into the flames. She had known as soon as the vault door had banged behind her. He was not accompanying her. Carter had claimed that he was buying time. However, it felt like sacrifice to Anita.Behind her, there was a thundering explosion that rocked the earth. She slipped and slammed into the chilly executive corridor marble wall. She had trembling hands. It was from something much more dangerous than fear—no, she had long since given up being terrified. Sadness. rage. Love. Betrayal. She had been shut out of the truth as well as the vault by Nathan. of him. She became acutely aware
The weight of Harry's mysterious revelation was still circling around in Anita's head, and the air seemed thick with unsaid words. With her pulse pounding in her ears, she hardly noticed Nathan dragging her across the dimly lit hallway of Grant Enterprises' secure wing. As her mind raced, the screech of alarms, the screams of guards, and the distant sound of explosions all faded into the background. The prize is you. You were always. She got the unshakeable impression that Harry had just torn back the curtain, revealing something she wasn't ready for. The secret? Even so, what did that mean? Was he being truthful? Or was he playing mind tricks again?She was pulled back into the present by Nathan's tightening hold on her hand. As they turned a corner, Anita's gaze was fixed on him, the man who had previously only been a stranger to her, despite the harsh white lights of the safe passageways flickering overhead. a man she had desperately married. A man who now held her futu
It felt like the world stopped. As Harry stood in front of them, his smile far too familiar and wide, Anita's pulse pounded in her chest. There was a dreadful feeling of déjà vu, like if the ghosts of her past had come back to haunt her, even though the gun was aimed directly at her heart.Nathan stepped between them, his weapon still raised but his full focus on the man who had once been family. "Harry," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "What the hell are you doing here?" A mocking smile twisted Harry's lips, and his eyes briefly shifted to Nathan before returning to Anita. Do you miss me? His tone was a smooth mix of humour and menace, and his words were almost too gentle. Did you truly believe that you could escape from this situation, Anita? You ought to have been more aware of it.The breath caught in Anita's throat. How many times had she fantasised of this, of standing up to Harry, of facing the guy who had so completely deceived her? Nevertheless, it didn't fe
Time was running out. With the storm outside roaring like war drums, Nathan stood in front of the glowing screens in the guarded control room of Grant Enterprises' exclusive headquarters. There was a countdown to something much worse than death with each passing second. Talia. His group. His empire. Anita as well. His fists clenched as he remembered her face from earlier, battered and smeared with tears. This was personal to the architect. They would now understand what it meant to jeopardise everything he held dear. Anita lingered silently across the room, gazing at the hostage film that had been halted. All of it weighed on her as if gravity had tripled. With a hollow voice, she finally whispered, "They're coming for us." "And nobody is leaving clean." Something delicate flickered behind Nathan's stony gaze as he turned to face her. "We'll. I swear to you, Anita. Nobody else has the right to harm you. She laughed, a weary laugh with a hint of bitterness. "I was born into a war, so