Our celebration after winning the first battle didn't last long, or, more accurately, it was over as soon as we returned to our lab, filled with research documents spread like litter all over the floor.“We need to get all the data and the special equipment we bought for this project out of here,” I said. “This lab is no longer safe.”Suraj frowned. “Why? Isn't it like you said? This place belongs to you, doesn't it?”I pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, looking at my team. “My father didn't really have a place for me in this company, but I wanted to work, and he agreed to my terms. When I studied, my father kept sending me monthly allowances, which were almost impossible to spend. I invested that money instead. Then, after graduation, he agreed to give me a part of Hayes Labs, which used to be a warehouse, and I used the money I invested to buy the equipment I needed. The problem was that hardly anyone knew about it, and, back then, I didn't think I'd need any legal documents
Mr. Dawson ran me through our strategy for the final time. I was supposed to focus solely on the night Kenneth attacked me. Certainly, I was ready to tell the judge and the jury about everything that had happened during my five-year marriage, but Mr. Dawson insisted I didn't say a word about it.“If you mentioned anything about your life together, his lawyer is going to say that it's irrelevant to the case. That is why we will wait for the other side to make an opening for us,” Dawson explained. “I'm convinced that they're going to try to prove that you provoked the attack yourself. Their lawyer will say that you were vengeful, vicious, and hell-bent on destroying the Welch family.”Anger buzzed in my veins. “That would be a low move,” I said.“Of course,” Dawson agreed, “but they will hold on to whatever is able to sway the jury's emotions.”I ground my teeth. “I will not let that happen.”Dawson patted me on the shoulder. “Let's hope that everything goes smoothly.”Twenty minutes la
DARRENA smirk tugged at my lips as I took in the courtroom scene. The asshole of an attorney, who seemed to be determined to torment Lilly, turned speechless. He must have realized that he had just fucked up the entire case. Jeffrey Dawson, Kenneth's prosecutor, had played his cards well. Once Terrell mentioned Lilly's alleged infertility, he cracked open Pandora's box. Now it was my turn to push this lid a little further and let the hell loose.The judge announced a break in the court session, and Lilly stepped down from the witness's seat. She looked at me, and I could see the faint blush heating her cheeks, but it was Mr. Dawson who walked to her first.“You did great,” he told her, patting her on the shoulder.“Thank you,” she muttered.I could see that she was exhausted, and I doubted that it was only because of the testimony. She seemed thinner and paler, which instantly triggered some irrational annoyance within me. I could literally see the weight of responsibilities someone
LILLY“And then the hell broke loose.” I let out a long sigh before sipping from my wine glass.Raven grinned, restlessly shifting on the sofa. “Details!” she demanded.“Mr. Dawson said that not only will Kenneth be found guilty, but my and Darren's testimony allows him to charge him along with Alistair Pearson and Grant Denson. Dawson is going to demand twenty years for his attempted first-degree murder. Including him in Nicolas Rogers's case will be the cheery on top.”Raven gave me a look. “That's great… but I want to know about you and Darren.”“We could barely leave the court building once the session was over,” I said, feeling a blush on my cheeks. “The reporters were everywhere. They began to insinuate strange things like that there was a love triangle between Kenneth, Darren, and me…” I drew a deep breath, and a bright smile spread across my face. “Darren handled everything. He stood by my side, and we told the reporters the truth… mostly.” I drank from my glass and cleared my
My team arrived with the rest of the documents and equipment about an hour later. Then it took us the rest of the day to make ourselves comfortable in the new place. Unsurprisingly, they all loved the new laboratory. It certainly gave them more freedom to work on several different ideas at the same time. It couldn't compare to the space we had in Hayes Laboratories. Unlike the old labs, the rooms Darren offered us were never meant to be warehouses. They were designed and built as a place for experiments, and all my team needed to do was sit there for five minutes for the ambiance to boost their creativity beyond natural limits.I was happy for them. It could have been a new beginning for them… for me. Unfortunately, our situation had too many loose ends for me to idly sit and explore the possibilities of our new space. I let them enjoy themselves and organize their workplaces while I returned home to prepare for the meeting with a lawyer.The next morning, I was sitting on a large sof
The next morning, my team showed up at my apartment for an urgent meeting. Bringing them all together into the place I lived was a bit of a gamble, but I would rather have them break something in my apartment than risk someone overhearing our conversation, even in our well-secured new lab. It wasn't that I didn't trust Darren. I simply had limited trust for his guards and other Eques Technologies employees for now.We were sitting in my living room. Sakura, Suraj, and Ren sat on the sofa. Tim took one of the armchairs, and Fen chose to sit on the floor by the coffee table, clearly enjoying my fluffy carpet… Well, I decided not to comment. With a tight smile stretching my lips, I served them all a solid portion of caffeine in sizable mugs, and we were finally ready to discuss committing a crime.“Do you think this could even work?” Sakura looked at the rest of us with a nervous half-smile on her face.Tim scratched his chin. “There is a chance, but there are many variables.”Ren gave m
I rolled back my shoulders and let the slow exhale calm me down. Then I marched toward the entrance with all the confidence I could muster. I had entered that building countless times before, but never while feeling anxiety or fear—until now.I tried not to stand out too much, but I did not resemble an average secretary either. I chose a black, fitted pantsuit, perfectly hugging and emphasizing the curves of my body. It also exposed a little bit of flesh around the cleavage, turning me into a hot businesswoman.I opened my purse to grab my pass, and my heart began to hammer. I knew quite well that my mission could end before it even began if my access had already been canceled. I could only hope that Callan was too busy celebrating the merger to think about my access to the company.I passed the revolving door and followed the line of other employees in suits. Most of them were still half asleep. Some of them were yawning. Others were drinking coffee from their thermal mugs. Then I gl
“Guys, I won't miss a chance like this,” I told Tim and the rest of the team.“You will not get out of his office in time,” Tim warned.“I'll improvise,” I said, staring at the screen where the downloading was almost over.“He's heading to the office,” Tim informed.I turned off the computer and hit the button under the drawer to hide the monitor and keyboard back in the desk chambers.“He passed the glass doors.”I straightened up in the seat and sucked in a ragged breath. The door opened. Callan entered the office and halted in utter shock as he saw me sitting behind his desk. I placed my hands on the chair's armrests and plastered the mask of untainted composure. Then I met his gaze.“Lilly?” he strained through his teeth. “Mind telling me what the fuck are you doing in my office?”Stay calm. I had to stay calm, no matter what. “I needed something from my father's old office. I thought I'd just grab it and leave. You showed up sooner than I thought.” I slightly shrugged my shoulder