Kylie POV Talking to James was really comforting. From Emily and his crew down to Madam Wilson lashing on me. I get it, Madam Wilson's action was justified but It breaks my heart that I wasn't able to meet up to her expectations.Over all, James was down to make out a good day out of the bad day. After we spoke last night, I realized he was the Intelligent type, more reasons I would be taking his advice to consideration. He seemed to know more about the corporate world than I do. I woke up, feeling energetic. Yesterday has passed and all that happened in it is gone to me. What next is how to tackle things, how to prevent any more casualties. Now that it isn't just only me anymore, I don't want those angry birds behind the keypad taking it on Fred. I won't take it likely on any one of them if they try to come for my brother.“I want an Emergency board meeting with the press and media” I sent a message across to Lady Oh. It wasn't even up to minutes, until she called through.
Austin POV I finished with Francis on the phone and finally settled to watch the live conference..What does she mean by addressing the scandalous news? she is not trying to Emulate my ways, is she?Would she try to tell the whole world about our marriage? My head was about to blow off with so many unanswered questions. I couldn't find myself concentrating.My eyes glued to the television screen. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off her one bit.I grabbed a glass of water, to subdued my dry throat. “I am sorry but you can't just barge into his office like that” “Young woman, it seems you don't know who I am. You must be tired of your job” I could hear voices coming from outside of my office. No doubt I knew it was my secretary but the other feminine voice was what I couldn't get properly. The door swing opened. “Emily,” I called out. Behind her was my secretary Regina, who seemed worked up. I can imagine what Emily might have put her through to finally get up to my
Kylie POV I felt a sense of relief after the success of the live conference. It wasn't in any way easy but I was sure to pull through. I fell into the couch in my office, feeling unsure if things would actually be fine. My response to each question, the way I acted In Front of those angry reporters. Will that even convince the people that I'm not the weak Kylie they thought I was. “You should have this,” Fred interrupted my thoughts. I glanced at him, in his hand was a glass of cold water. “Thank you” a little smile appeared on my face as I collected the glass of water and gulped it down my throat.“You really did well today. I must say, I am proud of the way you handle all of the questions thrown at you” he said. “Ummm- I murmured, not sure if I should really be glad at his compliment.“Lady Oh want to have a word with me” He announced and got up from the chair he was seated in. “See you at home” I responded without glancing at him.I rested on the headrest, gently closed my
Kylie POV “You are beginning to sound like a protective boyfriend?” “Can't I?” Everything that went down in the house came flashing through my head again. The look in his eyes when those words slipped out of his mouth, the way his eyes bugged into mine, I have never seen Jackson looked at me that way before. What does he even mean by “Can he not sound like my protective boyfriend?!” He has always been protective of me even before now, I mean it is something friends do for themselves right? But why does this feel so different? There was something about the way it makes me feel that I just couldn't wrap my head around. Or maybe I am just overthinking things. “Oh shit*t” I cursed under my breath as I rested my head on the headrest. “Are you okay?” James' voice suddenly pierced the thought in my head. I gently glanced at him. “Uhmm, yeah” I nodded my head in response to his question. “You don't look okay” he interjected and continued. “You have been like this since the beginn
Kylie POV I stared at both Jackson and Austin. How they got to know my location is what I couldn't comprehend, especially Austin. I can't remember the last time I had spoken with Austin and out of the blues, he is here and Jackson? Nothing at all was coming in my head. “We should leave now” James suddenly said, ignoring the presence of both Jackson and Austin. “And who are you?” Austin questioned and went quite into thinking for a few seconds before he continued. “Oh, You! The guy from the party” he added, referring to James. “Yes, the guy from the party. And who are you?” James responded. “You don't need to know me. I am only here for Kylie!” Austin fired back. “I am sorry to break your heart but she is going with me” James replied.Tension filled in the atmosphere as I listened to them taking on themselves, their eyes bugging into another, only if stares could kill, then they would probably both be dead by now.“That's enough!” Jackson caught in, his voice holding with Author
Kylie POV As I got into the car, I took a deep sharp breath, flipped my bag on the seat and then rested my head on the headrest. “You should step down from the CEO position! It has been one problem with Bhutan since your appointment!” I had thought none of their comments would get to me or ever disturb my mind, not until Rachel added with her bitterness and now everything had decided to take a turn in my head, flashing through my brain again. Maybe they are all right. Rachel, the people, those comments, everybody might be right. I might not actually fit into the position. Maybe I'm just forcing myself to do things beyond my capacity. Because of that, things are not fixed even after working tirelessly. It seems to be getting bad each day. I should probably let the position go before I crumble the whole thing. “Shi*” I screamed as I continuously slammed my hand on the car steering wheel. A whirlwind of emotions was what I felt at this point- Anger, rot, fear and list continue
Kylie's POVA heaviness, an oppressive weight, waited outside my office, walls closing in on me. Already, James had stood before me, eyes constantly on me, his face pinched and aware. My fists were at my sides, anger tight."Tell me, James," I spat tightly, my heart thundering in my chest. "Who was the leak?"James flinched, massaging his temples. "Kylie. it's Rachel."For an instant, the name refused to stick. My cousin? Rachel? Same Rachel who sat next to me during board meetings, smiled at me over Christmas dinners? Same Rachel who always promised to have my back?"No." My voice was barely above a whisper. "That's impossible."James shook his head and pushed a folder down my desk. "I wish it was. But the evidence is all here."I cooled and grasped the folder in icy, drippy-wet hands when I opened it. There was repetition of e-mails, messages, and calls—it was all that could be utilized as proof to indict Rachel with revealing confidential information to the media. Even **bank trans
Kylie's POVMy house felt heavy as I walked through it, my heart pounding with anger and exhaustion. My confrontation had been rehearsed all day. I'd seen myself every possible way it would go—Rachel saying no, Rachel lying and apologizing to me, Rachel looking at me courageously.Nothing had prepared me for what occurred.She was waiting for me.Rachel sat on my couch in the living room, wine glass in front of her as if she were home, as if she hadn't betrayed me as bad as humanly possible. Rachel turned when she heard me come in, her face expressionless."You look really tense," Rachel said, stirring her wine. "Had a hard day?"Her voice was smooth, pretentious innocence, but I saw the glint of awareness in her eyes. She knew. She knew why I'd appeared on her porch, why fingers were entwined, why I was having trouble taking that smile off her face.I walked over to her quietly and placed the thick folder down on the glass coffee table between us. The papers folded neatly, the damnin
Kylie's POVI was at the podium in Bhutan's Grand Conference Hall of Annual General Meeting. The auditorium was electric, and everyone's eyes were fixed on me. I took a deep breath, for I knew that the time was now to speak out loud before our adversaries. I had to remind everybody why we established Bhutan – on trust, courage, and shared vision that no betrayal could break."Good morning," I began, my own voice steady in spite of the tremble of feeling under it. "Today we are at a crossroads. Our company has been betrayed, sabotaged from the inside out, and tear after tear assaulted by those who would love to destroy us. But I ask you each: what did we build here in Bhutan? We built something of infinitely more value than the sum of our losses.". We founded a heritage in trust, in innovation, and the unconquerable faith that together we are capable of any achievement. I broke pause, eyes on the audience, looking from board to staff to meeting every face. "I know some of you are anxi
Kylie's POVI sat in the quiet of my office, staring at the coded messages on my computer screen. The proof we had gathered in the past weeks was all too much, but now another turn of events had been revealed. Reports were emerging that Emily might be innocent—that everything that had been said against her was part of a larger scheme to frame her. My heart pounded with uncertainty as I tried to keep up with it all.I picked up the phone and called Jackson. "Jackson, is the latest news on Emily verified? There are whispers that she is not the leaker after all."The soothing voice of Jackson came back, "Kylie, I'm analyzing the logs. Preliminary results show inconsistencies that contradict the finding that Emily is a leaker. The intercepted information that we received could have been altered."My head reeled. "Manipulated? That would mean that someone is orchestrating a setup. Who would have a stake in that?"There was silence on the line before Jackson said, "We believe it may have so
Emily's POVI woke up to the persistent ringing of my phone. My secure channel glowed with urgent messages. My heart sank as I read the title of one of them: "Corporate Theft Allegations – Immediate Action Required." I couldn't believe it. The evidence that Austin had passed to me, the one that I had kept with so much precaution, had been leaked. I was accused of corporate theft.I sat up, my heart pounding, and called Kylie right away."Kylie, we have a problem," I tried to say matter-of-factly.Her voice was frosty on the phone. "What is it, Emily?"I hesitated for just a split second before continuing, "Some inside information has been leaked out. They say it's proof that I've stolen company money. I didn't do it, Kylie—I swear I would never."There was a terribly lengthy silence on the line before she finally spoke back with, "Emily, you are going to have to tell me what is happening. This testimony—if it incriminates you as an abettor to theft, then you know what that would be li
Austin's POVI walked back and forth beneath the harsh lights of the empty, frigid parking lot outside an old industrial facility, the weight of my choice bearing down on me. Tonight was my only chance to break up the syndicate operation—a chance that would finally redeem my choices. I glanced at my secure phone; the message from my informant confirmed the time. One of the offshore accounts of the syndicate was poised to send them a huge quantity. If I can capture that transaction, chances are high I can shut their business down.I took a deep breath and muttered to myself, "This is it, Austin. For Bhutan. For Kylie. For everything we built." I zipped my coat, mopped the sweat from my brow, and walked toward the building. My hands were shaking as I gripped the tool I had made. I had devised a specific tool to temporarily cut off the data stream of the account for a few seconds—five minutes should be enough to create havoc.Inside the building, I crept quietly down the corridors in low
James's POVI remained at my station long after the buzz that had developed since the latest internal strife. Austin was gone—removed from the inner echelons—and the betrayal seared me. Although he left a void, our mission did not shift: protect Bhutan at all costs. I needed to piece the fragments together and ensure our unit was intact. No time for regret; we had a job to do.I opened my encrypted email and scanned the messages that had poured in since the board meeting. Messages from Marcus, Ravi, and Elena painted a picture of a company fighting to keep up with external sabotage and internal betrayal. I breathed deeply and began composing my response to the crisis update.Team, we must increase immediately," I typed: "Austin's betrayal is confirmed. Our systems have recorded a number of intrusions. We must focus on beefing up our web and legal protection. I require full reports on all anomalies by 0800 GMT. Let's show them that Bhutan stands united.".I sent it and reclined, allowi
Kylie's POVI couldn't shake my mind of the nagging sense that something actually was amiss. For weeks there'd been a growing gnawing bad feeling about Austin's behavior. I'd relegated it to the back of my mind—Austin and I had worked together for years and created Bhutan into being, for Pete's sake.—but information seepped in gradually, as hairline cracks in concrete, until I found the fact: Austin lied to me.I was sitting in my office late one evening, dazed and trembling as I got my faithful men's report. It had within it suspicious actions and messages that indicated Austin's affair with the syndicate. Every piece of information was like a dagger to my heart. I had no time to lose.I grabbed my secure phone and called Austin. It rang twice or three times before he answered, his voice tense, "Austin here."I swallowed. "Austin, I need to tell you something. Now."There was a silence on the other end of the line. Then he spoke at last, "Okay, Kylie. We can talk."I've chosen all th
Austin's POVI stood outside the courthouse, my hands shaking as I read the deal for the umpteenth time on my encrypted tablet. Today was the day I signed with the syndicate. It was a risk, I knew that. I didn't have a second option, though, so it appeared. The syndicate stood over an ultimatum threat: sabotage Kylie's next negotiation or lose everything. I could feel the seriousness of this choice hanging over me as I looked at the paper. My mind was filled with questions and memories of our past together, of the trust we once had with Kylie. But I also knew that by signing on the dotted line, I had the power to silently retaliate.I took a deep breath and entered. The waiting room was cold and antiseptic. I approached the counter, and the woman behind it smiled politely at me. "Good morning. How can I help you?""Good morning," I whispered. "I'm here to sign. I'm Austin Price."The woman rummaged through the visitors' register. "Yes, Mr. Price. Please sit down. Your contact will att
Emily's POVI leaned back in my office chair, rubbing my temples. My mind reeled with worry over the heightened threat from the consortium and the surprising turns in our own internal infrastructure. I knew that I had to take a gambler's risk if we were ever going to regain control. Then I remembered a plan I had been working on for some time: trying to contact one of Rachel's large contributors. I had been informed he maintained a string of off-the-books deals for her. If I could get to know him, perhaps I might have inside knowledge at my fingertips.That night, I attended a business mixer at trendy downtown lounge. I dressed in my finest attire, trying to look confident and comfortable. I scanned the room for the financier, working my way through the tight crowd. I spotted him near the bar. He was in a discussion with some co-workers. I was nervous and breathed in deeply before approaching."Hi, I'm Emily," I extended with a friendly smile, offering my hand.The man smiled and took
Jackson’s POVI was hunched over my workstation late one night when the encrypted communication arrived. The screen glowed softly as the ciphered text scrolled across. My instincts told me that this was important…more than the usual noise from the enemy’s channels. I leaned forward and opened the decryption module."Come on, show me what you’ve got," I muttered under my breath as I fed the encrypted string into the system.The code slowly unraveled on the screen, and I caught sight of familiar keywords: names I had seen before, including an alias associated with one of our Bhutan insiders. My eyes widened when I read that the message linked this insider to Rachel’s new startup…company that had come up in several of our intelligence reports as part of the rival consortium’s latest moves.I grabbed my phone and messaged Mia, "Mia, I need you to run a full check on the encryption logs for this file. It mentions an insider at Bhutan and Rachel’s new startup. Confirm details ASAP." Her r