Amelia’s povI sat on the floor of my office with a mat as I laughed with a drink in my hand at the jokes Mark was telling.He laughed and told me all that he had seen and noticed in the office as I agreed with him.I couldn’t even argue with him as he was right.“And those idiots who think that they can do a better job,” I laughed as he nodded and I twirled a strand of my hair around as I looked at him in a seductive way.I sat in a way where he could see my laps and I saw him trying so hard to look away.“Don’t tell me you aren’t attracted to me,” I smiled as he nodded.“You are attractive, Miss amelia.”“Oh please. Call me Amelia. You already called me that earlier. What’s stopping you from taking it a bit further?”“You ate my boss’s sister. I can’t do anything…”“Oh please. You’re so uptight.”I got up and crossed my legs over him as I sat on his thighs which had him gasping. “You can’t tell me you don’t want to take this further.”He nodded as I leaned in to kiss him. It was me
Amelia’s povThe commissioner’s phone rang mid-conversation, and his face instantly turned grave. “I have to take this,” he said, rising from the table without waiting for a reply.I studied him as he paced a few feet off, speaking low and fast into the phone. Whatever it was had to be important. I glanced around at everyone else sitting at the table, but no one else seemed as intrigued as I.After a minute or so he came back, a hard look on his face. “I have to go out,” he said shortly, already heading for the door. I frowned. “Not even goodbye?”He glanced over his shoulder, clearly distracted. “We’ll talk later. Keep in touch.”And just like that, he was gone, the door clicking softly shut behind him as he made his way quickly to the car parked just outside the building. He hadn’t even left me a number or taken mine—a strange move for someone who claimed his interest in speaking with me again soon was genuine.But then again, men like him were always in a hurry—always running arou
Amelia’s povShe held me against her chest, smoothing my hair with a hand. “Hush now, child. There is no use crying over spilt milk.”Her words didn’t help. If anything, they made me feel worse. How could she be so uncaring, so unfeeling?I drew back from her, looking straight into her eyes. “You don’t care? He’s dead, mum. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”Her gaze grew harder for a moment, and then she held my face tightly between her hands. “What does bother me, Amelia, is seeing you like this,” she said finally. “You’re stronger than this. The commissioner’s death may have been a shock for us all, but it is not the end of the world for us- nor will it be for you. I’m just glad you’re safe. That is all.”Her calmness should have been reassuring, but I only felt my anxiety spike higher. I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to say anything in return. Of course she wasn’t being completely honest. Even if she hadn’t caused the explosion herself, mum knew far more than she was willing
Audrey’s pov“No idea,” Mark admitted. “They waited until I was out of earshot to start talking. But whatever it was, Amelia went from sultry to serious real quick.”I frowned, my mind racing. “And you didn’t overhear anything at all?”“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “But I’m guessing it wasn’t about company strategy. Stephanie looked… let’s just say, not thrilled.”I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Of course not. They’re probably plotting something.”“Well,” Mark added, his tone lightening again, “whatever they’re up to, it can’t be good. But hey, I did my part. Played the clueless assistant, and now I’ve got their guard down.”“You’re the best,” I told him sincerely. “I knew I could trust you.”“Always, boss,” he replied, a smile evident in his voice. “But I’m going to call it a night. All this pretending to be straight is exhausting.”I laughed again, grateful for his humor. “Get some rest, Mark. We’ll figure out their next move soon enough.”“Will do. Enjoy your trip!”
Stephanie’s povI set my glass down and leaned forward, lowering my voice. “I know Barve being in jail looks bad, but it’s not irreversible. A commissioner of police around his case is dead, and with him, a lot of the heat surrounding Barve’s case is gone.”Serena raised an eyebrow. “The commissioner of police is dead? What did you do, Stephanie?”“Nothing,” I said quickly. “That wasn’t me. But the fact remains—his death changes things. The police are scrambling to figure out their next move, which gives us a window of opportunity.”I had to lie to earn her trust. It was needed.“Us?” she repeated, her tone dripping with skepticism.“Yes, us.” I looked her straight in the eye. “Barve needs people on the outside working to clear his name, and you’re the only one I trust to help me with that.”She let out another scoff. “Trust? That’s rich coming from you.”“I’m serious,” I repeated, a little more sharply. “I can’t do this alone. You know people I don’t know, and you’re better at dealin
Audrey’s povI couldn’t believe what I had heard. It was strange and I held my breath to stop myself from a screaming in shock.“Yeah,” Nathan continued. “His car exploded last night. It’s been all over the news.”I blinked, trying to process the information. “I’ve been out of town,” I said. “I had no idea. Do they know what happened? Was it an accident?”Nathan sighed. “It’s under investigation, but the preliminary reports suggest foul play. The timing is… suspicious.”“No kidding,” I said, gripping the phone tightly. “So, what happens now? Who’s in charge of the case?”“An interim officer is overseeing things for now,” Nathan said. “But we’re still waiting for the department to assign someone new permanently.”I frowned. “Do you think this new person will handle the case fairly? Barve needs to be held accountable for what he did, Nathan. He nearly killed my father.”“I hear you,” Nathan said. “But you know how this works, Audrey. It all depends on who gets assigned. Some officers ar
Audrey's Pov “What is this? Explain it to me!” I yelled at the man in front of me, throwing the bunch of pictures that I held at him. Pictures of him and my sister cuddling on the bed, some of it showed them having sex while some showed him putting a ring on her fingers. Others were very explicit. I waited, waited for him to tell me that this was a deep fake, maybe, that he wasn't the one. I would have gladly accepted the explanation, but he merely bent over to pick up the pictures, his eyes narrowing. “Were you spying on me?” He raised an eyebrow, he gazed intently at me. “What?” I questioned, not believing my ears. “I asked if you were spying on me, Audrey.” He repeated, a frown spreading on his lips, “You know how much I hate you invading my privacy, yet you still did it anyway.” My hands trembled as I stared at him in disbelief, “Are… Are you serious? You aren't even going to deny this?” My heart pounded in my chest, my hands trembled in anger. “Also… Invading your privacy
Audrey's Pov “Hello, Sister.” Amelia greeted me, her eyes glinting under the sunlight, “How are you? Have you heard the news yet? The engagement party is actually tomorrow, we have been planning it for a while now.” She tilted her head to the side, clearly enjoying the shock I had on my face. “Tomorrow?” I muttered. “Yeah.” She put her hands into her bag and shuffled around, then brought out a letter, waved it in the air and put it into my car. I swallowed the anger that was threatening to spill out, “Since when have you been sleeping with him?” “Oh, that? From the very beginning.” Amelia responded without any ounce of shame. I closed my eyes, taking a long suffering sigh. When I reopened them, I had calmed down. Calmed down enough not to bash her head onto the window of my car. “Amelia, what's your actual purpose? You had always loved taking what was mine, so did you have fun?” I questioned, but I didn't let her reply, “You have a boyfriend yourself, he's Zachary's brother so h
Audrey’s povI couldn’t believe what I had heard. It was strange and I held my breath to stop myself from a screaming in shock.“Yeah,” Nathan continued. “His car exploded last night. It’s been all over the news.”I blinked, trying to process the information. “I’ve been out of town,” I said. “I had no idea. Do they know what happened? Was it an accident?”Nathan sighed. “It’s under investigation, but the preliminary reports suggest foul play. The timing is… suspicious.”“No kidding,” I said, gripping the phone tightly. “So, what happens now? Who’s in charge of the case?”“An interim officer is overseeing things for now,” Nathan said. “But we’re still waiting for the department to assign someone new permanently.”I frowned. “Do you think this new person will handle the case fairly? Barve needs to be held accountable for what he did, Nathan. He nearly killed my father.”“I hear you,” Nathan said. “But you know how this works, Audrey. It all depends on who gets assigned. Some officers ar
Stephanie’s povI set my glass down and leaned forward, lowering my voice. “I know Barve being in jail looks bad, but it’s not irreversible. A commissioner of police around his case is dead, and with him, a lot of the heat surrounding Barve’s case is gone.”Serena raised an eyebrow. “The commissioner of police is dead? What did you do, Stephanie?”“Nothing,” I said quickly. “That wasn’t me. But the fact remains—his death changes things. The police are scrambling to figure out their next move, which gives us a window of opportunity.”I had to lie to earn her trust. It was needed.“Us?” she repeated, her tone dripping with skepticism.“Yes, us.” I looked her straight in the eye. “Barve needs people on the outside working to clear his name, and you’re the only one I trust to help me with that.”She let out another scoff. “Trust? That’s rich coming from you.”“I’m serious,” I repeated, a little more sharply. “I can’t do this alone. You know people I don’t know, and you’re better at dealin
Audrey’s pov“No idea,” Mark admitted. “They waited until I was out of earshot to start talking. But whatever it was, Amelia went from sultry to serious real quick.”I frowned, my mind racing. “And you didn’t overhear anything at all?”“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “But I’m guessing it wasn’t about company strategy. Stephanie looked… let’s just say, not thrilled.”I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Of course not. They’re probably plotting something.”“Well,” Mark added, his tone lightening again, “whatever they’re up to, it can’t be good. But hey, I did my part. Played the clueless assistant, and now I’ve got their guard down.”“You’re the best,” I told him sincerely. “I knew I could trust you.”“Always, boss,” he replied, a smile evident in his voice. “But I’m going to call it a night. All this pretending to be straight is exhausting.”I laughed again, grateful for his humor. “Get some rest, Mark. We’ll figure out their next move soon enough.”“Will do. Enjoy your trip!”
Amelia’s povShe held me against her chest, smoothing my hair with a hand. “Hush now, child. There is no use crying over spilt milk.”Her words didn’t help. If anything, they made me feel worse. How could she be so uncaring, so unfeeling?I drew back from her, looking straight into her eyes. “You don’t care? He’s dead, mum. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”Her gaze grew harder for a moment, and then she held my face tightly between her hands. “What does bother me, Amelia, is seeing you like this,” she said finally. “You’re stronger than this. The commissioner’s death may have been a shock for us all, but it is not the end of the world for us- nor will it be for you. I’m just glad you’re safe. That is all.”Her calmness should have been reassuring, but I only felt my anxiety spike higher. I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to say anything in return. Of course she wasn’t being completely honest. Even if she hadn’t caused the explosion herself, mum knew far more than she was willing
Amelia’s povThe commissioner’s phone rang mid-conversation, and his face instantly turned grave. “I have to take this,” he said, rising from the table without waiting for a reply.I studied him as he paced a few feet off, speaking low and fast into the phone. Whatever it was had to be important. I glanced around at everyone else sitting at the table, but no one else seemed as intrigued as I.After a minute or so he came back, a hard look on his face. “I have to go out,” he said shortly, already heading for the door. I frowned. “Not even goodbye?”He glanced over his shoulder, clearly distracted. “We’ll talk later. Keep in touch.”And just like that, he was gone, the door clicking softly shut behind him as he made his way quickly to the car parked just outside the building. He hadn’t even left me a number or taken mine—a strange move for someone who claimed his interest in speaking with me again soon was genuine.But then again, men like him were always in a hurry—always running arou
Amelia’s povI sat on the floor of my office with a mat as I laughed with a drink in my hand at the jokes Mark was telling.He laughed and told me all that he had seen and noticed in the office as I agreed with him.I couldn’t even argue with him as he was right.“And those idiots who think that they can do a better job,” I laughed as he nodded and I twirled a strand of my hair around as I looked at him in a seductive way.I sat in a way where he could see my laps and I saw him trying so hard to look away.“Don’t tell me you aren’t attracted to me,” I smiled as he nodded.“You are attractive, Miss amelia.”“Oh please. Call me Amelia. You already called me that earlier. What’s stopping you from taking it a bit further?”“You ate my boss’s sister. I can’t do anything…”“Oh please. You’re so uptight.”I got up and crossed my legs over him as I sat on his thighs which had him gasping. “You can’t tell me you don’t want to take this further.”He nodded as I leaned in to kiss him. It was me
Audrey’s povI arched an eyebrow at him, my spoon frozen in mid-air above the bowl of ice cream I was about to eat. “And where exactly do you suggest we go on this spontaneous trip?”He grinned. “Trust me. I’ve got a place in mind. Somewhere peaceful, no distractions, no Amelia, no Stephanie.”The idea was tempting, I couldn’t deny that. But I shook my head, the weight of responsibility settling on my shoulders once again. “Xander, I can’t leave my father right now. Not when he’s finally getting better. What if something happens while I’m gone?”He reached across the desk, taking my free hand in his. “Elena’s here. She’s more than capable of looking after your father. And honestly, Audrey, what’s the worst that could happen in two days?”I opened my mouth to argue, but couldn’t dispute that. Elena was really efficient. Was I willing to give myself just two days of peace? It had been so long since my body had known what a break was, maybe it was worth the risk.“You mean it,” I whisper
Audrey’s pov“Well, this is unexpected,” I said, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms. “What brings you to my office, Stephanie?”She didn’t answer. She just stood there with her arms crossed and that look in her eye that could pierce steel. It was almost funny how mad she looked—like a toddler throwing a fit. I couldn’t help but smile.“I’m here,” she began, her voice was tight and betrayed a rage just below the surface that she could barely contain, “to get answers."I raised an eyebrow. "Answers? About what exactly?”“You know what I’m talking about,” she snapped, her voice rising. “You’ve been meddling where you don’t belong, Audrey. Because of you, Eric has stripped me of my authority in the company. Because of you, I’ve been pushed out of every decision-making process!”I laughed—a genuine, hearty laugh that seemed to infuriate her even more. “Stephanie, you’ve done this to yourself. Don’t act like I’m the villain here. You brought a quack doctor into our home to treat m
Stephanie’s pov“You’re mad,” I hissed, trying to maintain my composure even as fear coiled around my throat.“Mad?” His laughter was sharp and cruel. “You haven’t even begun to see mad.” He loosened his grip slightly, but his presence was still oppressive. “Do you think I didn’t hear every word you said to Barve back there? You two plotting your next move, thinking you’re so untouchable. Well, guess what? I want in. Whatever it is you’re planning—Eric, the company, the inheritance—I want a piece of it.”I froze, my mind racing as I tried to process his words. He knows.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, my voice steady despite the tremor in my heart.“Oh, don’t play coy with me.” His grin widened, and he took a step back, crossing his arms. “Shall I spell it out for you? How about I start with telling Eric whose child Amelia really is?”My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, the room seemed to tilt. He couldn’t possibly know. Could he?The commissioner’s eyes