Lei suppressed a shiver against the night air as she walked briskly back to her apart after dropping off Kayla, replaying the conversation with Reynold.His cold, murderous words kept resurfacing in her mind. What had she gotten herself into by coming to him for help? Was it a mistake… what was he hiding? It bothered her but the desperation of her situation left few options. For now, an uneasy alliance would have to suffice. That way she could keep Kayla in the dark while she solve the issue.And she hadn’t really been liking Kayla's mood these days. Everyday she spent with her boss was internally torturous.Returning to her cramped studio apartment, Lei booted up the secured communication app Sean and Tate had installed on her phone.She stared numbly trying to compose her next message to Sean and Tate, the cursor blinking accusingly. Finally steeling herself, she began typing:"I met with target yesterday. Persona seems rational at first but there are definitely signs of deep instab
Kayla tapped her pen on the sleek glass desk as she reviewed the quarterly reports for her company. Sunlight streamed in from the wall of windows overlooking the city, casting a warm glow on the modern office.She took a sip of coffee, relishing the busy yet peaceful morning. Lei briskly entered with a stack of papers."The projections for next quarter are looking great," Lei said, setting the papers down. "If sales continue at this pace, we could see record profits and shoot higher than expected." "Fantastic," Kayla said. "Let's keep up the marketing campaigns. Our organic line seems to really be taking off."Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the loud rumbling of engines outside.Kayla walked over to the windows, perplexed. Down on the street, a fleet of black sedans emblazoned with the District Attorney's seal sat parked haphazardly along the curb."What on earth..." Kayla murmured.Before she could finish her thought, the office door swung open. In marched a tall man
Kayla sat with her arms tightly crossed, simmering with anger in the stark interrogation room. The overhead fluorescent lights hummed loudly in the small gray space furnished only with a metal table and uncomfortable chairs.She checked the dainty gold watch on her wrist for the tenth time, growing more impatient.She had been left waiting for almost forty-five minutes since the silent agent had uncuffed her and curtly motioned for her to enter this room.Finally, the heavy door swung open.Julian entered, now wearing a crisp charcoal suit rather than the FBI windbreaker.He gently closed the door behind him and took a seat facing Kayla, setting down a thick manila folder stuffed with papers that made a resounding thud."Ms. Johns, I do apologize for the wait," Julian began politely. "As I'm sure you can imagine, bringing charges against a high-profile executive such as yourself requires many formalities."Kayla squinted at him. "High profile or not, you've made a ridiculous mistake.
When Reynold said he was going to get answers to vindicate his wife’s innocence, he didn’t mean it literally. If he had to get his hands down and dirty then he would. Which was why, when night had struck, he and Jovian had snuck into Emerson Corps office in the city, after getting a little more ‘info’ on what they needed to get, and had come up with some plan.Apparently, most of the Johns shareholders and clientele defected to Emerson corps, in the span of few hours after Kayla was arrested, and this had set of the warning bells in Reynold’s head. He’d began his subtle investigation with Lei, providing most of the necessary information, and it wasn’t so hard to connect the dots. Grant Emerson’s unexpected arrival to the city. The sudden accusations placed on the Johns company, specifically directed at Kayla. The sudden and inexplicable disappearance of several key members in the company. And most importantly the longstanding animosity between the two companies which seemed to have g
If Grant wanted to go low, then she would go lower. This was what Kayla had decided.“Are you sure you want to do this ma’am?” Lei asked and Kayla could see the fear in her eyes, but she wasn’t fazed. Instead she was done.She’d had enough putting up with the bullshit her life had become over the past few months. She didn’t care anymore what it cost her or what the repercussion of getting involved with shady people might be. So with a determined sigh, she replied her assistant. “Yes, Lei. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. You have no idea the kind of interrogation I was put through and the degrading things I had to answer. They spoiled my name. Made me out to be who I wasn’t and I’ll never forget that. If they wanna make me the bad guy, then I’d as well be just that.”“Okay. It’s just that, I want you to be careful is all.” Lei said again and Kayla just flashed the young woman a phony smile. “Of course I am careful. Very careful infact.”“Okay. What do you need me to d
An array of papers and files were scattered on the mahogany desk before Reynold, and as he scanned each one, he marveled at Grant’s intelligence. In the few days he’d immersed himself into looking for implicating evidences to use against the young man, Reynold had noted so many things.Grant Emerson was smart. Grant Emerson was intelligent. Grant Emerson was not one to be messed with. Though on this part, Reynold was not too sure. He was not one to back down from a brewing war, and this definitely looked like one. Though he kept telling himself he was doing all these because of Kayla, despite the strained relationship they’d had these last few days, still Reynold knew he had his own ulterior motives too.“Are you still on this?” Jovian asked, kicking the door to the room open as he walked in, with packs of steaming ramen. The smell wafted to Reynold’s nostrils, and he managed a small hum in return. While he’d been living off packaged meals, and takeouts, he couldn’t deny that he m
Kayla revved the engine once more and let out a loud whoop as she sped down the street. The cold air whipped across her face as she leaned her body forward, her hands gripping firmly to the steering wheel as the world whizzed past her in a blur of black, white and random colors. As she maneuvered through pathways and slick turns, Kayla’s fingers tapped rhythmically along the leather steering wheel, the sound echoing against the inside of the car. Goodness gracious, but she was anxious. She was nervous, and at the same time the adrenaline rushing through her was insane. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this, but she had no choice since she’d already started this game, and she had to finish it by all means. She could barely wrap her mind around the thought, and while the anticipation made everything easier, it still felt hard. She wanted to get this right. No, she had to get this right. The family company, depended on her. The subsidiary companies which she oversaw heavily r
Reynold sat down three seats away from the door and chose a direction that would give him a firsthand look at the person coming in. He wouldn't describe himself as a coffee person, but he trusted Brew Hut to be the perfect place to meet anyone without causing much attention. With the place predominantly visited by busy businessmen, crossword players, and newspaper readers, nobody really cared much about what anyone was doing. Not to say that the place was usually almost empty at that time of the day.From where he was sitting, he could count five people. An old couple sat on the other side of the place. The wife solved crosswords, or maybe bingo, while the husband read the newspaper. A man dressed in a suit with a business suitcase was taking a sip from his coffee at the seat by the door. The waitress stood behind the counter with a plastered smile. Reynold wondered how people even do that—faking a smile for so long.The door opened, and a lady with a blonde wig came in, dressed in a