CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX~AIDEN~"Excuse us for a moment," I said to the James group, and he and the shareholders stepped outside the boardroom.As soon as the door closed behind them, I turned to the shareholders. "What do you all think of the offer?" I asked."It's a good offer," one of the shareholders said. "But I'm not sure if it's the best move for the company."I nodded, considering the shareholder's words. I pondered the shareholder's words, my mind racing. I wanted to make the best decision for the company, but I wasn't sure if this was it. "My concern is that if we accept the offer, we'll be beholden to the James group," another said. "I'm not sure if that's a position we want to be in."The shareholders nodded, some of them looking thoughtful and some looking concerned."I see your point," one of them said. "But what if we could get more out of the deal?" Another asked. "What do you mean?" Another asked he was annoyed. I just listened to them. I would only speak when they w
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN NORA I walked into the mansion, feeling emotionally drained from the burial ceremony. I was still reeling from the loss of Chris, and I just wanted to escape into my room and sink into my pool of tears. But then, I saw Aiden sitting at the bar in the mansion, looking so broken and sad, I felt really bad for him. I slowly approached him, unsure of what to say.I wondered what was going in with him. I hoped it was something I could be able to handle. I hoped more that it was something we could be able to sort out together. I walked up to him and sat on the stool beside him. "Hey, Aiden," I called him softly. He didn't respond at first, just staring into his drink."Are you okay?" I asked, patting his shoulder. "I am not okay," he responded and buried his head on the table. I held his head and helped him lift it to look at me. "How can I be okay?" He questioned. "I am such an irresponsible child. So irresponsible, Nora. I just sat there and watched. " He s
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT~NORA~I sat there in silence, absorbing the news."But why?" I asked the caller, trying to make sense of what I had just heard. "What does she want with the company?"There was a pause on the other end of the line."I don't know," the caller finally replied. "I'm just as in the dark as you are."A sense of unease settled over me. I had a feeling that something was very wrong.I reflected on what I had just heard. It sounded like Allison had grand plans for the company and for her future. But her methods were worrying, and I wasn't sure what to make of it all. Allison wanted to take over the business world, but she was doing it through the wrong approach.I knew I had to do something. I couldn't just sit by and watch as Allison's plans unfolded. I had to take action, and I had to do it soon. But what could I do?"You should take what you know to the police," the caller said, his voice urgent.He paused for a while and continued when I didn't reply yet."They'll b
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE ~NORA~I was shivering as the men closed up on me. They were snickering and grunting, I trembled in fear as I shut my eyes tightly, placing my hand on my ear to cover my ear and stop myself from hearing their footsteps or seeing them. Yet, I could still hear their footsteps, and I could feel them covering up on me. I couldn't control myself any longer, fear gripped me and I began to scream and call for help. But, as I screamed the men began to laugh out loud and mockingly. It was obvious that I was only just wasting my time. The environment was secluded, and the only humans that could be seen were I and then. So, who was going to help me now? And, I was also sure that if I kept screaming, and if anyone heard me, they would be too scared to even come to my rescue. I shut my mouth and decided to give up. I heard them closing up on me. I wondered what the slow motion was for, and I thought they should just grab me, and go ahead with whatever they wanted to do if
CHAPTER EIGHTY ~NORA~In no time, I and the detective were seated in his small room. The atmosphere in the room was thick, and I felt that the air was a bit polluted. I wondered why he chose to stay in their kind of environment. Soon, he cleared his throat, bringing me back to reality. "What evidence do you have with you, Nora?" He asked, his gaze fixed on me. I handed it over to him, my hand a bit shaky. "Nora, what exactly did you find in these records that made you suspicious?" Frank asked, his eyes scanning the pages carefully."Well, it's a bit complicated, but I'll try to explain it the best I can," I replied, taking a deep breath.I began to explain to Frank about the financial records and the company Allison was secretly building. I also revealed that Allison was stealing the company's finances for personal use. "All of these, plus the fact that she stole my mom's company, killed Chris, and is now embezzling money from the company. ""So, let me see if I've got this stra
CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE~NORA~Before I could say a word Allison hung up on me. My kid's voices were the last thing I heard, and it wasn't funny to me at all, that Allison had them. My heart was pumping in my chest and my hands were shaking rapidly. Auden kept staring at me the whole time, and soon he fired a question at me. "What is going on?" He asked, staring into my eyes. "Who were you talking to on the phone, that made you panic so much?""It's nothing so important," I replied. Aiden stared at me suspiciously for a while, his eyes narrowed at me. "Are you sure you are fine?" He asked me."I am perfectly okay," I replied forcing back my tears. My voice cracked and it took me everything in me not to shed tears. "You don't seem fine to me, but if you say do," Aiden said. He finally decided to agree with me, even though he was not convinced. "Excuse me," I said to him, my voice barely above a whisper. "I would like to relax a little bit in my room. My head hurts slightly. Call me i
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO~NORA~I wasn't given any chance to speak when Aiden ended the call abruptly. I started to panic. Everything was going downhill for me. I slumped against the wall, feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I was overwhelmed with a sense of despair, and I didn't know what to do next. I felt trapped like there was no way out of my predicament.The old detective was forced out of his seat. He walked to me and placed his hand on my shoulder."Nora, you have to calm down," he told me. "The most important thing now is finding your kids, and rather than getting all worked up and trying to hit your head on the wall over nothing, why not focus on finding your kids first?" He questioned.The old detective's words cut through my despair like a ray of hope. He was right - the most important thing was finding my kids and getting them back safely. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand."You're right," I said, my voice shaky but determined.I
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE ~NORA~I took a step forward, and another, and yet another. As I approached Aiden's mansion, she felt a sense of dread building up inside of me. I wanted to be sure what to do when I got into the mansion. I donated what I was going to do when I finally stood in front of Aiden. I finally got to the gate, and three imposing men in black overall stood outside the mansion. I took my gaze to my belongings, which were scattered by the corner, and my throat went dry, and I tried to gulp down enough saliva. The men stood in front of the gate, and when I tried to go in, they placed their hands as obstructions, stopping me from entering the mansion. I immediately understood what was going on, yet I didn't want to leave without attempting to see Aiden. I tried to plead with the security guards, but they were unyielding. "Please, you don't understand!" I said, my eyes almost filled with tears. "This is a mistake. I need to talk to Aiden."But the guards just shook their