I walked back into the office to find Father and Ethan still waiting for me, except Lisa, who was no longer around. I thought they would have left by now. Last night, I overheard them talking about visiting the mayor at his house, and something felt off, but I decided it was best not to ask questions."You are still here." I said, placing the files on my desk. When I turned to look at them, neither of them said a word.They both stared at me, clearly waiting to hear why I had requested a meeting earlier this morning. I had already spoken to my mother, expecting her to talk me out of it, but to my surprise, she gave me the green light.Even if she had asked me not to investigate, I wouldn’t have listened. I’m doing this for the company’s growth, after all. If there's anyone caught embezzling money from this company, I will bring them to justice even if it means terminating their employees.All employees are paid weekly allowance, and they still get their paycheck, so I see no reason why
RyanWhat the hell is wrong with her? I can't believe she's deliberately ignoring my calls. After what happened a few nights ago, she needs to answer my questions. I have to know if she’s been lying to me for the past four years of our marriage. I gave her more because she had nothing—no family, no place to call home. And this is how she repays me? After everything I have done for her?I can't even reach out to her, I don't know who's watching. I wouldn't want to put her into danger. She also needs to know someone is out there to get her and has to be careful of the people she interacts with."Boss, I think you have to calm down." I heard, turning to see my personal assistant. I frowned. "There’s no way that woman is Emily. Just because their names are the same doesn’t mean she’s the one."He’s adamant that she isn’t Emily. But I’m not a fool, I know the woman I married, even if we haven’t been together through our the marriage. The way she talks, the way she smiles, it all says a lot
I just concluded my meeting with the Mayor, regarding some unfinished business. Making my way out, about to leave the mansion, I came in contact with the man Emily was with the night at the banquet. He was marching towards my direction, and I thought of walking past him, but felt it wouldn't be appropriate to do so, and proceeded to exchange pleasantries. "Good morning Mr. Fernandez!" I greeted, and to my surprise, he halted and responded, smiling back at me. I'm sure he knows I'm the one who married Emily. "Hello! Mr. Ryan! Trust business is going great?" He asked, pulling out of the shake. "Yes, thank you sir." He nodded, turning on his heels. I outstretched my hands to the man, but he acted like I was invisible to him, and walked past me. I don't recall having a fight with him, we are not even that close to hold grudges, so why would he ignore me? I turned on my heels, striding to where I had left my assistant waiting for me. "Boss! The guys called, they said they want to meet
EmilyI was still at the office, reviewing the company's accounts, when a knock interrupted my focus. Raising my head, I allowed the person to enter, my eyes fixed on the door. It opened, and my secretary walked in, carrying several documents. It must be the ones I requested earlier this morning after our return from the store. She had mentioned it could take a day to prepare everything, but I was impressed by her speed."Ma'am! This are the documents you requested for. Everything is here, starting from the month of January, to the month of December." She said, and dropped them on the desk. I must admit, that was fast. Despite the workload she had, she managed to get everything ready within twelve hours. Reaching out, I took one of the files and flipped through it briefly before placing it back on the stack.The files were quite bulky. I would have to take them home and work late into the night. It shouldn't take more than three hours to finish, but I knew it would be a long evening
I woke up to a severe headache, reaching out to the clock on the stand, I checked, It was pass 6: 30 am. I slept very late, and woke up early, I wasn't stunned. I'm used to doing it while I was married to Ethan, I guess it will take some time for me to adjust to waking up eight in the morning.Stepping out of the bed to go do some activities before preparing for work, I heard noises coming from downstairs. It's too early, who could it be? If the maids were up to do their chores, I shouldn't be hearing it from my room, and besides it doesn't seem like it was coming from the kitchen.I made my way downstairs, exiting quietly. As I stepped into the living room, a sudden flash of light almost blinded me, causing me to glance away. The room was dimmed, but there was enough light for me to find my way around.Turning toward the couch, I heard my father's voice. "I'm here. Should I turn on the lights?" His tone was low, almost heavy."Father?" I called, walking over to him. "Isn’t it too ear
I watched each manager in turn, waiting for their response. After what happened this morning, I became even more determined to check the records they submitted to the general manager. It’s been over forty minutes, and still, no one has spoken. I imagine it's difficult to redo everything for the second time.Glancing into my cup of coffee, I realized it was empty, yet they were still not done. Without looking directly at my secretary, I handed her the cup."Do you want more?” she asked.I shook my head slightly, not wanting to overload my system with coffee. She nodded and quietly exited the room. I like how smart is she, she must have gotten the message.I'm grateful that Ethan called this meeting, even without my consent. I had planned to address this today, and thanks to him, I'm already on it.It's being five more minutes, I was lost in thoughts, wondering here and there, when I felt someone tapping on my hands. Looking down, it was my secretary."I'm sorry about that. I called but
Ryan"When is my next schedule" I asked, picking my keys from the desk, ready to leave the office.. I can't get my mind off how my mother had treated her. I need to find out if it's true. It's something she can do, but I need to know why, what were her reasons for going that far?"In the next two hours, you have a meeting with a client coming in from India."I almost forgot I spoke with him. I should book a hotel and treat him to lunch."Alright, take care of everything. I will have lunch with him. Send the address to his secretary, so he doesn't come to the office." I instructed."Okay, boss."As I turned to leave, Jasper stopped me."Have you seen the news?" I paused, furrowing my brows, waiting for him to continue. He talks a lot for an assistant, but he's a valuable asset to the company. "I saw something about Ms. Emily this morning. She accused the general manager of embezzling money."A smile crept on my face. She just resumed yesterday, and she’s already suspecting the manager.
EmilyI stare at the beautiful lady seated in front of me, on a call with her recipient. I have seen numerous elderly women who still look young, but this one is different. She looks like someone still in her late twenties. Her pink jumpsuit makes her look even younger, with her hair styled to the side of her neck. She's been on a call for more than three minutes, while I sit, waiting for her to finish."Okay. I will see you later." She says, dropping the call and turning to me. "I'm sorry about that. Where did we stop?" she apologizes.I smile. "We had concluded before your call came in. I will send you the designs. Please go through them and get back to me."She nods slightly. "Alright! I will do that." She picks her bag, getting ready to stand up. I follow, extending my hand for a shake."Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you." I say, my hand still waiting for hers. Instead, she surprises me by pulling me in for a hug. My eyes widen, but I quickly replace the expression with a s
EmilyIt's frustrating. I'm beginning to break down, even though I'm doing everything possible to find evidence to bring them down. Ten hours have passed, and I still can't find anything to put them behind bars.I'm slowly losing my sanity in the midst of all this chaos, something I never imagined I would experience in my life. Being wealthy comes with so many troubles.Back then, I was happy with Mother, even though Father didn't come home on some occasions. We always had fun, keeping each other company. But ever since I added "Fernandez" to my name, it hasn't been the same for me.I felt hands on my shoulders. Tilting my head, I came face to face with Lisa. Dressed up, hands on her trolley, ready to leave. She’s supposed to fly out of the country with Father to Atlanta where she runs her fashion company, but because he’s bedridden, she has to go alone."Let me drop you off at the airport." I said, trying to get up, but she pushed me back down and sat on the edge of the couch."Is so
Emily said they were behind his attack. Why did she allow them into the hospital? What if they finish the job there? Something needs to be done. As for the money he requested, did Zara assign him to do that? Now it all makes sense. The allegations against him weren’t false. The money he was accused of stealing? He took it. "Boss." I looked at him as he extended his hand, offering me his phone. "Ms. Emily." I took the phone from him and placed it to my ear. "Hey, is everything okay? How's your father?" I asked. "Still the same. He hasn't moved or woken up. But that's not why I'm calling. Did you get my messages? I think you should look into it." I sighed. "I did get your message. The mayor's wife told me her husband went to the hospital. Why did you allow them?" "I was leaving Alex's residence when Mother sent me a message. By the time I got there, they had already left. I didn’t get the chance to meet them." Someone needs to find out what truly transpired. Why did they attack hi
"Just be patient. You heard what your mother said. But she had no right to decide what she thought was good for you." He said, his voice firm yet calm.He sighed, looking away briefly. I could sense the concern in his tone, but as a doctor, he wasn’t supposed to show emotion, especially since this wasn’t about a patient. Doctors are trained to hold back their emotions, reserving their dread for moments when a life is truly lost.He patted my shoulder before standing up from the couch and striding back to his desk.I remained tense, unable to speak since returning from Grace's room. How did I not know she was my cousin? Why would Mother hide this from everyone? Was Amber even aware? She’s nowhere to be found, so I have no idea what she knows.Is she aware Mother hired Zara? Amber and Zara never got along, so it’s possible she knows, and that’s why she despises her. But why would Mother harbor such dislike for her niece and nephew without a good reason?Zara once had a brother, but he p
RyanI urged Jasper to drive faster. I needed to get to the house before mother leaves. She was supposed to be at home, but ever since Amber went missing, she hadn’t ceased visiting her boyfriend. I had called Zara repeatedly, but she wasn’t answering. Now, I wasn’t sure if she was deliberately ignoring me.Was this all part of some plan? How could she tell Emily she was pregnant with my child? Was she trying to destroy what I was still struggling to rebuild with Emily? She said she would change, yet here she was, tormenting her again.Everyone needed to understand their place in my life. I couldn’t let them ruin what I was building, especially after four years of neglecting Emily and finally trying to make things right.When we arrived at the house, I stepped out of the car and headed straight into the living room. Without hesitation, I ascended the stairs, striding purposefully toward her room.At her door, I knocked briefly, and as soon as she responded, I pushed the door open and
I walked into the living room, and there Ryan was, seated on the couch. His gaze met mine, and he smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back, my excitement bubbling over. Seeing him this close after a few days felt surreal."I didn’t expect to meet you here. We could have…" He began, but his words trailed off as he stood and walked toward me. Before I could even drop my bag, he was already pulling me into a hug.I snuggled into him, inhaling his cologne—a sweet mix of strawberry and vanilla. It hadn’t even been a week, but I missed him so much already.I fucking love this man. I’ve always loved him. Nothing has ever changed that. I thought I had moved on, but seeing him now made me realize it was all a lie from the start.Remembering why I was here, I gently pulled away from him. There would be time for this later, but right now, I am needing answers. He had been hiding things from me, and that had to stop.His brows furrowed as I stepped back, the smile on his face fading into a frown"A
I wasn’t sure if I should even be here, but before I knew it, I found myself driving toward her house. I needed an explanation, something to justify what she had done to me. What had I ever done to deserve this? Paying someone else to carry his child, knowing full well he was sick and could barely father one on his own?I could have been patient. I was there for him, ready to wait for as long as it took. I gave up everything, turned my back on my family, my career, my dignity, all for him. What more could I have sacrificed?I stepped out of the car, my heart heavy with anger and hurt, and made my way to the living room. Nothing had really changed here. The memories came rushing back, those years I spent cleaning, cooking, and doing her laundry because the maid was either sick, on her off days, or simply unavailable. A lot of it fell to me, and I endured it all.I marched into the house and was greeted by the maid. She looked up from her task, freezing the moment her eyes met mine. I e
Emily I arrived at the hospital and hurried inside the building, my heart pounding frantically since I’d heard the news. She couldn’t be pregnant for him, there was no possible way. I had suspected he was sleeping with her from the start, but everything seemed to shift when I was called to help him on the day he had the substance in his system. Alex had confirmed that he was given something that caused his intoxication, accompanied by heavy sleep. I knocked on his office door and waited a few seconds for a response, but there was none. Was he outside? Attending to a patient? Either way, I decided I could wait inside. I pushed the door open, but the room was empty. I walked further in and sat down to wait for him. That’s when I heard muffled sounds. Turning my attention to the source, I looked behind the bed. To my surprise, I saw a little child lying there. "Hey, are you sick?" I asked softly, walking up to her. She nodded in response, her small face pale and fragile. "I have
Zara How the hell did this happen? I can’t believe our plans failed, and we lost her. If there’s anyone I should blame, it’s Adams. I don't understand why the hell he had to ask for money. All he needed to do was follow a simple instruction, ask her to come over. But he messed it up completely. I heard a car, and looked out the window to see who’s parking outside. Tiptoeing toward the sliding window, I peered through. It was Adams, parking in the lot. I needed an explanation for why he did what he did. I marched back toward the bed, pacing while I waited for him to come upstairs. Getting him involved in this had been a terrible idea. The money he asked for was something he already had sitting in his bank account. What more did he require it for? He’d stolen enough from Empire Company. So why pull this stunt? The door to the room creaked open, and I knew it was him. I stood still, listening as the door clicked shut. As soon as it did, I turned to face him. He wore a troubled expres
It wasn’t long before I made up my mind to step out of the car. The phone was never going to ring at this point, and I’m not sure if we are in the right address. Jasper had claimed he knew the place and had brought us here, but at this point, I don’t think it has to be this place. We have to leave, go back, and wait for them to call. I pushed the door open, looking around the place to find anything suspicious. Someone could be somewhere watching us without us being aware. If I find anyone here, he’s a suspect, he has something to do with this. The car that just passed is no exception; I have to look into it. Maybe there could be a connection. I continued to look around, but I couldn’t even find where my guard had entered. Too many incomplete buildings, not sure where to follow. "Boss." Jasper called, and as I turned to look behind, in the blink of an eye, something flew past my eyes, landing on the car. "It's a knife." He announced, just in time as I looked at the knife that pierce