Austin POV“Arghhhhh" I was filled with fury and thoughts that I had made the wrong move by talking directly to Kylie and not waiting for Francis.“Ah, Mr. Nitaile, always a pleasure to see you,” a voice called out to me from behind the bar.It was the one and only Roman from The Oasis. Roman gathers and collects relaxing vodkas and spirits from around the globe and I'm on his top list of first tastes in the city.One of the reasons I was there that night.“Roman, my guy!" I sluggishly climbed down from the high stool and rigidly and firmly shook his hands.He was slightly taller than I was but that didn't belittle my influence in the Oasis.I was still a Top Dog.“One of new York’s finest,looking sharp, aren't you?”He complimented."I'd hardly say that” Hurrying and leaving Emily at home, I barely had time to refresh myself, looking sharp was the last thing I'd say I was at that point.“You humble, yh?" “That's not it, Roman, that's not" I slightly smiled.“Where's our new product
Kylie’s POVA lot was going on, in my head and in the villa. I stood at the balcony in my room with a million thought running through my head, I was fully dressed for work and deep down I knew the realization of my week’s activity was overwhelming me, but I wouldn’t let it.When I had thrown it all away to be with Austin I had envisioned a lifetime of struggles, yes, but my delusions had also assured me a lifetime of loving and loving. I knew what I got in return and it was….“Miss Kylie?” Someone called out to me, interrupting my self pitying and plotting.I turned around and found the nanny hovering over the entrance, the same one that had been since I was five. It brought back a rush of emotions, some sweet to think of and others, not so great.“Lily?” “Do you want your coffee the usual way?” She asked me, her sweet tone calling for me to run into her hands and remain there just like I used to when my father scolded me.“Black, very black.” I responded, I wasn’t going to be soft
Jackson’s POVI wasn’t a simp, or at least I didn’t think I was. I even had a reputation amongst each enthusiast in the New Jersey community. Jackson Brown wasn’t exactly the definition of lover boy, I showed up to events with everyone’s favorite girl of the moment on my arms but it was always just that.My secretary made sure of that, she said it was for publicity and I allowed her to do what she wanted, hadn’t she been the one to help the company get to the height it was in. I was second guessing my interests in Kylie, it was way too obsessive and every action she made affected my mood. It was one thing to fawn over someone for more than seven years, to feel things she had never imagined herself feeling for you and it was another thing to be so close to her and experience her invest her emotions in the wrong places.I wasn’t being a fool, I had the right to feel things and I also had the right to stay away when I felt my emotions were being too much, when they were taking away m
Kylie POV I was in the office, it's been a very busy week for myself and lady oh. There was an exclusive deal madam Wilson specifically called my attention to and since then it has been work upon work. A slight knock came through from the door, making me raise my head, glancing at the direction. I rolled my eyes “Come in” I responded, knowing fully well it was Lady oh at the door. Nobody gets access to the CEO office aside from the family person assistant, Lady oh. All company complaints are directed to her while she delivers directly to myself or Madam Wilson if necessary. “Ms Kylie” Lady oh voice interrupted the atmosphere as she walked through the door.I took a deep breath. It meant two things seeing Lady oh, work and work. “What is it this time around?” I groaned, my voice sounding so tired. “It's good news this time,” she responded, smiling. “Ehn?” I raised my eyes up, waiting for her response. My heart was beating faster anticipating the information. “Uhm” she murmured
Austin POV I know I'm not a weakling. That wasn't how Austin Natalie grew up, but recently, I found myself acting like one. Kylie is gone but I couldn't accept it. The divorce has been finalized, but I still found myself leaning around the papers every day. I still go through our album pictures, holding onto memories that were gone.“Austin! Austin!” Emily's voice pierced into my thoughts, making me glance behind. The door flipped open as she walked in. Her steps struck determination. I could sense there was a problem but I was too occupied to worry about her. At that point, I felt disturbed. “Why are you screaming my name? Are you trying to bring down the house?” I groaned as I glanced back at the art picture in front of me. In it was a picture hand of myself and Kylie, our hands cupped together in it. The first gift I received from Kylie on our first anniversary. “What?” She murmured as she closed the gap between us. “Well, this isn't why I'm here,” she asked and continued, her
Kylie POV As we approached the entrance of the hall, as usual, cars were trolling in one after the other after a proper check-in at the gate. It wasn't just an ordinary party, so proper checking needed to be done. Few of the cars were still before us so we had parked and waited till it was our turn. I glanced at everyone who seemed pretty focused on their phones before my eyes met with Jackson's. “Are you- I was going to say something when he glanced away. Words got stuck in my mouth as I wondered what just happened.Not only did he avoid me through the whole drive, but he also acted like a kid because I see no reason why he should be mad at me. I might have done something, but at least he is grown enough to understand what communication means. “Are you two fighting?” Just when I thought nobody was watching, I heard Mia's voice, whispering in my ear.“Nothing. Maybe he is that time of the month” I responded, trying to be funny. That way I wouldn't act like I was angry. “Don't be
Kylie POV “Hello everyone, this is the ball party!” the voice echoed in the hall, saving me from the tension with Henry J. Immediately I used that as an excuse to relieve myself from any more conversation.“Henry,let's catch up after the party” I said to him as I was able to end our conversation. The atmosphere became calm. We were all seated, waiting to begin and the only person who could open the ground floor was Madam Wilson. As the greatest woman in the whole of New York, she was the only one who had the power bestowed on her by the late Jade Wilson, the one who created the ball club. Practically we could say the ball club began ages ago. Just when I was settled, trying to fix myself, Madam Wilson walked into the hall. Everybody got up on a standing ovation out of respect for the most powerful woman of the club.“I welcome you all to this month's ball party” madam Wilson's feisty voice filled the room, holding with authority and power.Everybody slightly bowed their heads and
Austin's POV I wondered how I ended up in such messy and weakling situations. Things were taking a different turn, the one I couldn't even comprehend. I was beginning to lose myself, I mean how could an ordinary woman give order and everyone followed like a Zombie.I got up from the ground, using my hand to properly arrange my shirt. I couldn't believe I was thrown out of the party. I have never been humiliated this way all my life. I could feel the surge of anger passing through my veins as I stood outside, staring at everyone acting like nothing just happened.“How dare you Kylie!” I groaned. I wasn't going to give up, never! I was trained to be a fighter and I have just been trying so hard to avoid going down dirty with Kylie but with what she had just done, I was going to go dirtier, lower than she thought. I would show her two can also play the game.I got into my car and in the highest speedometer of the car engine, I drove out of the premises not giving any chance to the offic
Jackson’s POVI sat at my workstation in our high-security operations room, staring at a series of fragmented data points on the screen. Hours earlier, I’d received a message from our whistleblower—a former competitor turned informant—detailing a hidden network of shell companies. His information had been cryptic at first, but now I had my own intercepted data to cross-reference. I could feel the intensity of what was unfolding. This was the moment we had been waiting for.I opened up our encryption software and loaded the whistleblower’s dossier alongside our collection of intercepted messages. The screens filled with numbers, transaction logs, and coded references. I murmured to myself, “Let’s see if the pieces align.”Almost immediately, a familiar code, “BX-47,” started to reappear alongside new strings. My pulse quickened as I recognized that the shell company names and money transfers mentioned in the whistleblower’s file were showing up in our intercepted data too. I turned to
James's POVI came back to headquarters with racing heart and a folder of fresh information clutched tightly in my hand. The trip had been long, but I knew I couldn't let go of any lead. Today, I was meeting an unexpected surprise—a former competitor turned informant. His name had been unfamiliar to me for months, and now this meeting could be the one to unleash even deeper depths of the conspiracy.I made my way to a secure, nameless meeting room set up at a distant location outside the city. I had been told discretion was essential, so I had chosen a middle ground where words would not be overheard. I sat in a small, round table, fingers drumming softly as I waited for my contact. My phone buzzed with a secure text: "I'm here. Name's Victor.". Find me in the blue jacket."The door had opened quietly a minute after that. A man in a blue jacket came in. His eyes were etched with experience and his face a combination of cautious resolve. He sat down opposite me."James, I'm Victor," he
Kylie's POVI lingered late last night in the dimly lit conference room, my inner circle of people gathered around the long table. The atmosphere was heavy with fatigue and concern—each of us weighed down by recent double-crosses and the increasing unease of an enemy whose power seemed to seep into every facet of our lives. I looked at the sheets of paper laid out on the table, the confidential reports, coded messages, and in-house memos that talked of a grand conspiracy.I swallowed hard and began, "Thanks for coming on such short notice. We all understand what has brought us here." I paused to meet the eye of each trusted counsel as I fought to hold back the storm of emotions. "We stand at a crossroads. Our most recent intelligence has given us a glimpse at the enemy's strength, and now we must decide what to do.".My chief security officer, Mark, was the one to break the silence. "Kylie, it appears that the case is mounting. But there's still much that we don't understand. I think
Jackson's POVI was back at my desk at headquarters in Bhutan, the hum of computers and soft pecks of keyboards sounding almost hypnotic. The trail of our recent operations placed me on high alert. Every intercepted message, every new anomaly in the electronic trail, made me more confident that our opponent was active. I realized we had to act fast; time was crucial.I opened the monitoring program and issued commands, cranking up our online watchfulness on all things offshore and in-house messages. "Come on, give me something," I muttered as I waded through a maze of jumbled logs and financial data. My fingers danced across the keyboard as I applied filters that would flag any out-of-pattern activity.My phone buzzed with a secure text from Mia: "Jackson, increased activity noted on channel B-21. Suspect hostile maneuver. Please consult." I scowled. This could be the cue I'd been waiting for.I quickly grabbed the secure conference button and called Marcus, our lead on financial surv
James's POVI leaned back in the busy corner of the exclusive meeting room at the conference, going out of my way to keep up my cover. The room was dark, lighted only by the gentle glint of a few strategically-placed lamps. Top investors and business giants moved in quiet clusters around me. I'd been undercover here nearly two days now, and what I'd heard was now shaping up to be so much hotter than I could ever have imagined.I had introduced myself as a consultant seeking general market strategy, an experienced individual to advise on corporate mergers. During the last day, my subtle conversation with some of the participants had already begun to say something ominous. During one of the discussions with an illustrious investment strategist—I shall refer to him as Mr. S—I had discovered that the consortium was gearing up to make its ultimate push: a concomitant bid to acquire control of leading companies across various industries. And Bhutan was among them.My heart pounded inside me
Kylie's POVI was in my office late one afternoon, working, when the tip arrived—a secret message from one of our external sources. I nearly spilled my coffee cup as I read the message: an international investors' secret summit was being called. The summit was not another industry conference; it was secret, open to only a very select few. There were rumors that these investors were the masterminds behind those groups that undermined the stability of Bhutan. I shivered.I called my Chief of Strategy, Elena. "Elena, I need a meeting now in my office. It's about an underground meeting of international investors."In minutes, Elena was in my office, her eyes narrowed. "Kylie, what's wrong? You're tense.".I leaned forward, not in the least reluctant. "I've just received word of a summit that no one's publicly listed. It's by invitation only, for the crème de la crème of foreign investors, and I believe they're being courted by our enemies—by the other consortium to undermine us from the i
Jackson’s POVI sat in my quiet office at headquarters, the only light coming from the softly humming server rack and my computer screen. I had been tracking a series of suspicious wire transfers for days now, and something told me that the true financial backbone of the conspiracy was waiting to be uncovered. My focus was absolute; every transfer, every account, was a potential clue.I opened the secure database and began my investigation. “Let’s see where these threads lead,” I murmured, rubbing my temples. The screen displayed a series of offshore accounts, interlinked through a maze of corporate shell companies. One account, in particular, caught my eye—a conduit that seemed to relay funds from a well-known foreign country. I typed in a series of commands to pull up the transaction history.Almost immediately, a list of large transfers appeared. The amounts were astronomical, each transfer carefully time-stamped and routed through multiple intermediaries. I leaned forward, eyes na
James's POVI journeyed to Frankfurt with a purpose.a quest to dig deeper into the money center that had become the hub of rumor and off-the-record talk. Movement thrummed in the atmosphere at the central station, and I strode with purposeful resolve. Our opponent was not acting alone, I was sure. Rumor had led me thus far, and I was determined to uncover secret links between movers and shakers and consortium members.I checked into a modest hotel on the edge of the financial district, and then I set off with my locked phone. I had one definite strategy: attempt to blend in, stay on the beaten path, and pick up any on-the-record interview cautiously. I had arranged a sit-down with one of my reliable sources, a low-key journalist by the name of Lars who wrote about financial scandal. There were whispers of clandestine meetings between high-ups and consortium officials, Lars told me. I may be able to dig up these secret links if I could get closer.Lars met me in a dingy, backstreet caf
Kylie's POVI sat in my private meeting room, a hidden space in our headquarters, and watched as the scrambled video connection reached out to worldwide partners from around the world. Today was do or die—I had arranged a covert meeting with our most trusted global partners to form an integrated alliance against the rival consortium. My heart pounded, but I knew this was one move to help save Bhutan.I coughed and went on, "Good morning, all. Thank you for coming at short notice. I know we are all under tremendous pressure, but our cooperation is more crucial than ever. We meet today to build a world union against an extremely real menace."The people on my screen were of diverse cultures and jurisprudence. There was Ingrid in Frankfurt, Alessandro in Milan, Mei Ling in Singapore, and Rajiv in Mumbai. They all had their own accent, own sets of laws, and different viewpoints—and each one was a pillar in the battle against the consortium.Ingrid was the first to speak, her tone calm and