Chapter 5

Trent's POV

I drove into my father's mansion with Yvonne and Mr. Donovan, her father. It was Friday, and I always spent the night at my father's. It was like a tradition that I got used to. We always had dinner and chatted about little things. But today, Yvonne insisted she wanted to come along with her father.

The night was long and cold, and we all sat around the big dining table in my father's mansion. It was just dinner, and it looked like he had prepared a feast. Yvonne and Mr. Donovan were around, and they made jokes with my father.

“Trent, I heard about what happened in the conference room today. Yvonne told me you employed a new secretary who has been in a dilemma since she started work,” my father, Dave, said as he chewed on his food.

I glanced over at Yvonne, and she just smiled at me. I couldn't believe she told my father about company-related matters.

“It's taken care of, Father; you have nothing to worry about. I replied.

“Father, you needed to see what happened today; it was disastrous, and I'm sure if Trent didn't stop—

“Yvonne, that's enough; I cautioned her before she said more.

“What matters is that Trent got the situation under control, isn't it? Mr. Donovan said and looked at my father, who just nodded in agreement and continued to bite on his food.

“As long as you know what you're doing, I won't interfere with your work or your company," he said, and Mr. Donovan eased the moment with a click of his glass. He raised a cheer, and everyone cheered together with him.

Later at night, I was alone working, and my father walked in. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

“Uhn, about your secretary, how is she doing? He asked and shook his legs continuously. He always does that anytime he is curious about something.

“I dropped the old ink pen I had with me before I answered. “You mean the girl you sent over to my company? You agreed not to interfere, Dad,” I added.

He got up on his feet and slammed his hands on his thighs. “What girl did I send over to you?

“Quite acting innocent, Dad; you know exactly what you did." I said, and my attention was turned back to my work.

My father dragged an empty seat close to me and went ahead to explain how admirable Lenore was.

“Since you know who she is, can you treat her any nicer? She is just a naive girl who wants to gain some experience,” he said.

“Did she come over to tell you I've been harsh to her? I asked, not turning my face away from my work.

“She doesn't have to, but judging from your cold personality, I'm sure you're giving her a hard time at work. My father said, and his face became bare.

“You won't ask me why I sent her to you? He added and waited for a response from me.

“Do I have to ask? I returned his question with my own. I'm sure it's some scheme of yours, which I have no interest in.

“I would love it if you got married to her. You know her father is a close friend of mine. A marriage between both families will strengthen our bonds.

“Father, that's going too far; I don't even like her,” I queried, but he didn't relent.

“Well, you can start now. She's beautiful, and of course, you know she is highly educated. What more do you want? I'm not interested in Yvonne or her father, Mr. Donovan. I want you to get married to Lenore Reed,” my father said with a stern look on his face.

“Yvonne is someone I need. To get Mr. Donovan on my side and have him dance to my tunes, I need Yvonne. You know how much he cares about his daughter more than anyone else.”

“I still want you to get married to Lenore; she is also someone you need,” my father said again, not relenting.

I tightened my hands in annoyance and faced my father. “I can't lose an ally because of you, Dad. Lenore Reed is just my secretary and an employee of Knight Industries, and I intend to treat her like one.

“Your mother would have also loved it if you got married to Lenore, Trent. If she were alive, she'd have been the happiest person to find out you are entangled with the Reed family.

At this point, my face got all red, and I couldn't hold my anger anymore. “I told you to stop talking about that woman, Dad. Don't bring her into this when you know nothing.”.

After an endless argument with my father, he retired for the night, seeing I wouldn't agree with him.

I hissed and laid my back on my bed. The thought of how Lenore almost ruined an important deal for me got me pissed. She always acts too forward, and that gets on my nerves. Thinking about the conversation I had with my dad, I drifted off to sleep.

Around midnight, a soft creaking sound woke me from my sleep. My eyes fluttered open to the darkness of my room. “Who’s there?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. No response came.

“Maybe I misheard, I thought to myself. A few minutes later, I heard scattering sounds far from my room, and I got up rapidly from my bed. It came from the living room, and it sounds like two people are in a scuffle with each other.“ Who's there? I asked in a low voice, but no response came.

“Dad? Is that you? I was met with another silence.

“Are you alright, Dad? There was another moment of silence. I hurriedly walked to the living room, where I heard the sound come from. As I pressed the switch and the light in the room came on, I met him lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

“Father…