This had to be the most peaceful sleep Rachel had enjoyed since she saw Mr.Mcdave acting weird at the office. She had been having nightmares about him catching her spying on him and her frantic attempts to cover her tracks. But tonight, wrapped in the soft warmth of Paul’s couch, those nightmares seemed a world away.She drifted into a deep slumber, the gentle hum of the rain against the windows providing a soothing backdrop. The bed was really comfortable, with a fluffy blanket draped over her. Rachel felt a sense of safety here, something she always felt whenever she was with paul. Even with the storm raging outside, she was cocooned in a bubble of calm.Her dreams were free of Mr. Mcdave menacing glare and the stress that had been plaguing her. Instead, her mind wandered through peaceful scenes, where she explored fruity gardens, far from the annoying chaos of her waking work life.But just as she began to relax completely, her phone blared loudly from the nearby table, shatte
“you are. I don’t want you to think about it. Master Ethan won’t blame you.”“I have a feeling this is tied to a lot of crazy things happening in the office, especially with Jason breathing down our necks.”“I know. It might get worse from here.” Paul sighed, lost in his own thoughts, forgetting that a smart woman was sitting beside him, watching.Rachel couldn’t agree more. It was going to get worse. Many people were out for Master Ethan’s fame, position, and life.No one wanted to know what he endured to get to this point. It was actually disappointing.“I am here to keep you safe.”Rachel scoffed. “Don’t be so cheesy. Yes, I was employed by the old man to keep Master Ethan safe.”“Now I’ve added another to the list,” Paul said shamelessly, causing Rachel to blush furiously.No words were exchanged between them until they arrived at the office. It was when Rachel passed by the mirror that she realized what a mess she was. Her hair was frizzy, her clothes were rumpled, and her makeu
Rachel kept her demeanor calm, despite looking like a fish out of water. It took years of working with the old man to maintain her composure. She wasn’t threatened by the press. “No comment.”The microphone was shoved in her face instantly. “A controversy has been going around concerning this. Ethan Anderson is trying to cover up his crimes by initiating some office fire…”Anger flared in Rachel’s heart. “No comment.”The man was about to continue when he felt someone large behind him. Before he could say another word, Paul grabbed his collar from behind.“The lady says no comment,” Paul boomed, dropping the man.The man managed to land on his feet. He straightened his shirt indignantly. “I will ignore this assault.”Rachel scoffed. “Aren’t you from DN Media? You are the lowest and don’t work for any of the houses. Why are you here?”“My name is Bruce! And I will have you know that someone will…” He trailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded. Rachel had purposely changed the situat
Denera sighed heavily. It had been three days with no news from Gerald. She was restless from her wild imaginations of how things should be. But just as she was about to call him, her phone rang loudly. It was Jason. A false smile formed on her face, even though she knew Jason couldn’t see it. “Hey, dear brother. What's the occasion?” Her voice was quirky and kind, opposite to her stiff face. But her smile quickly faded as Jason spoke, telling her of the latest news.“A fire? What's your source?”Jason’s voice crackled with excitement. “Turn on the television.”With the same excitement that bubbled through Jason, Denera grabbed the television remote, switching it on. The television shimmered, showing a picture of Ethan, his multi-dollar company, and a picture of it burning.It gave off a charred vibe that confused Denera a bit. How could this happen? She continued on the phone, gushing. “How magnificent!” This had certainly lifted her mood.Jason continued on the other line. “One of
“A coincidence?” Denera hissed. Her voice was quiet, but filled with evil. “Those documents were crucial! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve jeopardized everything!”“You think this is my fault? I didn’t start the fire Besides, those documents were supposed to be secure. Maybe you should have planned better.” Jason snapped back.As soon as those words left his mouth, Denera's rage boiled over the reserve. Her face turned red, and her ears elongated furiously as she gripped the phone tightly. “You incompetent fool! This was supposed to be simple. You have resources to get the project documents, cover our tracks, and move forward. Now we’re left scrambling! How will you ever be perfect, Jason, if you fail this one job?” She knew her brother's tendency to be perfect and used it against him.“Enough, Denera,” Jason growled. “Blaming each other won’t fix this. We need to salvage what we can and move forward.”Denera took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Fine. But t
Meanwhile, as soon as Gerald hung up the phone with Denera, a wicked smile spread across his face. He stopped drumming his fingers, leaning back in his chair to cackle softly. Denera didn't seem to carry the trait of her ancestors, as she was damn easy to manipulate. Or so he thought.Gerald’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. His assistant, a sharp-eyed man, stepped in nervously. “Sir, we’ve received some interesting intel from our source at the company.”Who knew Ethan's company would be filled with many spies from the other houses? This news had Gerald’s eyes gleaming with interest. “Go on.”The message was simple and short. “It seems there’s more to this fire than meets the eye. Ethan’s grip on his company is slipping.”Gerald’s smile dropped. “That's it?” Then he leaned forward with a much larger smile. “It would be hard for the project to continue. A lot of scandals are beginning to come in his name. “Excellent. Keep feeding me information. The more chaos there
###Jason seethed with anger after hanging up with Denera. He slammed his phone down, burning with sheer bitterness and hatred.They were all directed toward one thing: failure. It wasn’t just the phone call that had enraged him; it was the constant feeling of being belittled and used. Denera was his younger sister, and despite being the head of their House, she had always been the best. To the extent that at some point, she was seen by the rest of the family as a candidate for the next heir.Unlikely, but not impossible. She had always schemed an opportunity to treat him like a pawn, a mere errand boy in her grand schemes. Every time something went wrong, it was Jason who had to clean up the mess, while Denera got all the glory.Jason was the perfect heir in every sense, but no one wanted to see it except him. “Always me,” he muttered under his breath, pacing his cluttered office. He glared at the counterfeit documents his sister wanted with malice. “Always the one to blame. Doe
Yesterday, away from the eyes of others, Ethan called Rachel and Paul for a quick strategy meeting. They gathered in a small conference room, away from everyone else. Ethan leaned forward, his eyes intense."Listen carefully," he said. "I need you both to act like you were careless. Make it seem like you left the office in a mess and that an important document is missing. This will distract everyone and make the main suspect think everything is normal."Rachel and Paul looked at each other nervously but nodded."What’s happened is serious," Ethan continued. "We need to make sure everyone focuses on our mistakes, not on anyone else. We can't afford any errors."As they left the room, the tension was thick. Rachel felt uneasy, knowing she had to play her part in this plan. Paul, usually calm, looked visibly anxious.Meanwhile, at the press conference, Ethan spoke to the media smoothly. The crowd reacted with sympathy and support, strengthening Ethan's position. But behind the scenes,