Agatha POV:
“This can’t be right.”
I stared at the document on my screen, my heart hammering against my ribs. The words swam before my eyes, a jumbled mess of legal jargon and financial figures that, when pieced together, painted a terrifying picture.
My fingers trembled as I scrolled back to the top of the file, rereading the heading for what felt like the hundredth time.
De Rossi Family Holdings – Confidential Internal Audit.
Confidential. Internal. My father never mentioned anything about an internal audit. He was always open with me about NexGen’s finances, about every aspect of the company.
So why was this hidden? And why did it feel lik
Nathan POV:“I’m on my way, Agatha. Don’t worry. Everything will be alright.”The words tasted like ash in my mouth, a hollow promise I wasn’t even sure I could keep.But they were what she needed to hear. Desperate, vulnerable Agatha, finally turning to me, finally seeing me as something other than the villain in her story.A surge of something close to… triumph, maybe even hope, flickered within me. This was it. My chance.My opportunity to rewrite our ending, to prove to her, to myself, that I could be the man she needed. The man she deserved.I hung up the phone, the click echoing in the cavernous emptiness of my office. A bitte
Charles POV:“Campbell,” Nathan spat, his voice dripping with venom.The word hung in the air like a curse, thick with hatred and resentment.I walked into Nathan's office, letting my gaze sweep over the room, taking in the signs of his crumbling empire – the piles of unopened mail, the half-empty bottle of whiskey on the credenza, the general air of neglect that clung to the once-impeccable space.“Richards,” I replied, my voice smooth, a stark contrast to his raw anger. “Fancy meeting you here. Or should I say, still here?”His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, but he remained seated behind his desk, a pathetic figure clinging to the remnants of his former power.“What do you want, Campbell?” he snarled, his voice rough, his gaze fixed on me, a mixture of defiance and desperation in their depths. “Come to gloat? Enjoy the view from the top?”I chuckled softly, le
Charles POV:“Jasmine, cancel my afternoon meetings.”The words were out before I even registered the thought, a reflex honed by years of wielding power, of snapping my fingers and expecting the world to rearrange itself accordingly.But as I watched Jasmine’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow arch in that familiar, silent question, a flicker of… something akin to shame pricked at my conscience.“All of them, Charles?” she asked, her voice a model of professional neutrality, yet I detected a subtle undercurrent of… concern? Or was I just projecting?I waved a dismissive hand, turning away from the floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of a city I suddenly felt discon
Agatha POV:“Don’t bother calling me again, Agatha.”Nathan’s voice, sharp and cold, sliced through the phone, making me flinch.“What? Nathan, what are you talking about?” I asked, my voice a mix of confusion and a sudden, sharp stab of anxiety. What had happened now?“I said don’t call me,” he repeated, his tone flat, final. “I won’t help you. I won’t help NexGen. Do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.”“Nathan, wait!” I pleaded, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Dad is still in the hospital, NexGen is in trouble, and you’re just… giving up? Now?”
Agatha POV“Charles, what did you say to Nathan?”The question hung in the air of his penthouse, sharp and direct, a stark contrast to the soft jazz music drifting from hidden speakers, the plush velvet couches, the breathtaking city view framed by the massive windows.I watched him carefully, searching for any flicker of deception in his usually open, confident gaze.He turned from the window, a half-empty glass of amber liquid swirling in his hand, his brow furrowed in what looked like genuine confusion.“Nathan? What are you talking about, Agatha?”“Don’t play games, Charles,” I said, my voice steady, my gaze unwavering. “He
Charles POV:“Agatha,”I murmured, my voice soft, drawing out the syllables, letting her name linger in the air between us. “You’re quiet.”She was standing by the window, the city lights reflecting in her dark hair, her silhouette a delicate outline against the dawn sky. Beautiful. Untouchable. Mine.I watched her, a possessive warmth blooming in my chest, chasing away the lingering unease of our earlier conversation.Last night had been… a breakthrough. A turning point. She was mine now, in a way she hadn't been before.“Just thinking,” she replied, her voice a soft whisper, barely audible above the gentle hum of the city waking up.
Agatha POV:“Agatha, come in, come in! Don’t just stand there like a sentinel, you’re letting all the heat out.”Dad’s voice, though still raspy from weeks of disuse, boomed from the depths of his study, a welcome sound that chased away the lingering chill in my heart.I smiled, shaking my head at his theatrics, and stepped inside, the familiar scent of old books, leather, and his ever-present cigars enveloping me in a comforting embrace.He was sitting in his favorite armchair by the fireplace, a worn leather-bound volume in his lap, his reading glasses perched precariously on his nose.Color had returned to his cheeks, his eyes sparkled with their usual intelligence, and the oxygen tank that had been his constant companion for weeks was now tucked discreetly behind the chair.He looked… like himself again. My father. My rock.“Took you long enough,” he grumbled, a playful glint
Agatha POV:“Agatha, board meeting in five. They’re getting restless.”Sarah’s voice, sharp and efficient, buzzed through the intercom, dragging me back from the swirling vortex of my thoughts.“Thanks, Sarah. I’m on my way.” I replied, sighing and pushing back from my desk. Restless was an understatement.The NexGen board was more like a pack of hungry wolves these days, and I was starting to feel like the main course.But as I gathered my notes, my gaze drifted to the corner of my desk, to the cream-colored envelope leaning against my pen holder.Nathan’s handwriting.My stomach clenched. I hadn't touched it since it arrived yesterday, hadn't dared to open it, hadn't even wanted to admit it existed.But its presence was a heavy weight, a silent accusation that pulled at me no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.Board meeting be damned. I needed to know
Charles POV:The elevator doors slid shut, cutting off my view of Agatha. Her hurried escape, the almost frantic way she’d jabbed the button, left a sour taste in my mouth. She was hiding something."Errands?" I muttered under my breath, turning away from the closed doors. "In the Obstetrics and Gynecology wing? Unlikely."My mind raced. Pale. Tired. Nauseous, maybe? She'd brushed off my concern, blamed it on stress, on her father's illness. Plausible excuses, easily accepted if I hadn't seen the flicker of panic in her eyes, the way her hand had instinctively, almost imperceptibly, drifted towards her stomach.Something was wrong. Something she didn't want me to know.I found a quiet alcove down the hall, away from the sparse foot traffic.
Agatha POV:The vinyl chair squeaked beneath me, a small, protesting sound in the otherwise hushed waiting room.A toddler whined fitfully in the corner, clutching a worn teddy bear, while his mother scrolled absently through her phone.Obstetrics and Gynecology.The words on the frosted glass door seemed to loom, pulsing slightly in time with the nervous thrum beneath my ribs.This was real. This appointment, this check-up, this… situation.My hand strayed, as it often did these days, to my stomach. Still flat, still betraying nothing of the seismic shift that had occurred within me. Eight weeks. A tiny life, Charles’s life, growing inside me.
Agatha POV:Camille didn't answer, just kept staring out the window."Camille, please," I urged, stepping closer. "What did James tell you? He told the police he spoke to them too. He mentioned… secrets. About Nathan. About his past. He said they could… destroy me."Camille finally turned, her eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and fear. "James Wei is a snake, Agatha. He twists things. He lies.""I know that," I said patiently. "But what did he lie about? What specific secrets did he mention? Did he talk about… an accident? Something that happened years ago?" Charles’s story about the hit-and-run swam in my mind.Camille’s face paled, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly. She knew something."He… he hinted at things," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "Something dark. Something Nathan was desperate to keep hidden. He said… he said Nathan wasn't the man I thought he was. That he was
Agatha POV:Days had passed since the detectives’ visit, since the cryptic text, and the silence was deafening.No word from Nathan. No further threats from anonymous numbers.Even Charles had backed off slightly after our tense exchange at the office, his calls less frequent, his texts less demanding, though I still felt his presence like a shadow, a constant, watchful awareness.My office felt like a fortress and a prison all at once. Outside, NexGen buzzed with activity, the weight of the company resting squarely on my shoulders.Inside, I felt trapped, surrounded by unanswered questions and growing paranoia.Dad was recovering, slowly but surely, his strength returning bit by bit, but he wasn't ready to return to the helm, not yet. And I couldn't burden him with this, not while he was still so fragile.Lena had armed me with legal advice, strategies to protect myself and the baby, should Charles becom
Charles POV:"Are you telling me there's nothing? No credit card pings? No ATM withdrawals? No signal from his burner phone? He didn't just evaporate, Thompson!"I slammed my hand down on the polished surface of my desk, the sound sharp in the otherwise silent office.The penthouse felt less like a sanctuary and more like a cage, the walls closing in, amplifying the frantic pounding in my chest."Sir, we're tracking every lead," Thompson's voice crackled through the speakerphone, calm, infuriatingly professional."But Richards went dark. Completely off-grid after leaving the hospital that day. No financial activity, no traceable communication."
Agatha POV:FlashbackThe bathroom floor felt cold beneath my knees. Another negative pregnancy test lay stark white on the tiles.Hope, that fragile butterfly, had fluttered its wings for two long weeks, only to crash and burn again. Tears stung my eyes, hot and familiar."Aggie?" Nathan's voice came from the doorway. He stood there, already dressed in one of his perfect suits, impatience etched on his handsome face. "Are you ready? We're going to be late for the brunch."I quickly wiped my eyes, scrambling to my feet, hiding the test behind my back."Almost," I choked out, forcing a smile that felt like broken glass. "Just… touching up my makeup."
Agatha POV:Unexpected. That was one word for it.Catastrophic felt more accurate.I stared blankly at the pamphlet on prenatal vitamins she pressed into my hand. It felt heavy, alien, like an artifact from another dimension. Charles’s baby. The thought slammed into me, stealing the air from my lungs, making the room spin.Somehow, I managed to navigate the elevator, the lobby, the revolving doors, moving like an automaton. The city noise hit me as I stumbled onto the sidewalk, I needed… I needed Lena. My fingers fumbled with my phone, slick with a nervous sweat I hadn’t realized was there.Her name swam in my contacts list. I pressed call, my brea
Charles POV:The city lights, usually a comforting panorama from my penthouse windows, felt like accusing eyes tonight. Each twinkling point of light was a reminder of the precariousness of my position, the crumbling foundation of my carefully constructed world. And Agatha… she wasn’t here. Not anymore."Damn it, Richards," I muttered, swirling the amber liquid in my glass, the ice clinking a discordant rhythm against the silence. I hadn't even bothered to turn on any music. What was the point?Nathan's disappearance had thrown everything into chaos. One moment, he was a broken, defeated man, a ghost haunting the edges of Agatha's life. The next, he was… gone. Vanished.And the vultures were circling.The
Agatha POV:The walls of the conference room seemed to spin around me, the voices of the board members fading into a distant, muffled hum. I gripped the edge of the table, my knuckles turning white, my body swaying precariously."Ms. De Rossi, are you alright?" Sarah's voice, sharp with concern, cut through the fog in my brain."I… I just need a moment," I stammered, my voice a shaky whisper, my hand reaching up to my forehead, trying to steady myself, to push back the wave of dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me.But it was no use. The room tilted, the faces around the table blurring, the floor rushing up to meet me. And then, darkness.I woke up to the insistent beeping of a machine, the scent of antiseptic stinging my