Eddie entered the upscale restaurant, its soft lighting and clinking of glasses creating an atmosphere of quiet elegance. He had come here reluctantly at Axton’s request. A dinner to talk business, Axton had said. Eddie had mixed feelings. After everything that had happened with Agatha, Eddie wasn’t sure if he could sit across from Axton and pretend they were just business partners. But there was a lot at stake, and the future of his family's company hung in the balance.Axton sat at a corner table, his posture casual yet authoritative. His sharp eyes caught Eddie the moment he walked in, and he waved him over.“Eddie,” Axton said as Eddie approached, standing up and offering a handshake. “Glad you could make it.”Eddie accepted the handshake but said nothing. He took a seat across from Axton, trying to read the man’s expression. Axton seemed calm, as if their last conversation—Axton’s warning to stay away from Agatha—had never happened. “We’ve got a lot to talk about,” Axton began,
Eddie stared at Agatha and Andrew from across the restaurant, his fingers curling around his glass. Their laughter, light and carefree, felt like nails scratching at his nerves. The weight of Axton’s words hung heavy in the air.Agatha had always been manipulative, but this felt different—more calculated, more dangerous. Bringing Andrew into the mix was no accident. She had a plan, and Eddie knew he needed to figure it out before it unraveled any further.Axton's voice cut through his thoughts. “You need to be smart about this, Eddie. Whatever Agatha’s up to, you’re not going to win by reacting. You’ve got to get ahead of her.”Eddie nodded but remained silent. A part of him knew Axton was right. Agatha was playing a game, and it wasn’t just about business. There was something else brewing, something personal, and it involved both Andrew and Axton in ways he hadn’t anticipated.“Tell me more abou
Eddie sat at his desk, scrolling through the emails he had been avoiding all morning. His mind was still reeling from the confrontation with Agatha and Andrew. Just as he began reading a particularly dry financial report, his phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a message from an unknown number.**Andrew Carrington**.Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. What could he possibly want?Curiosity getting the better of him, Eddie answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear."Hello?""Hello, Eddie. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time," Andrew's smooth, polished voice flowed through the line, a stark contrast to the hostility from their previous encounter.Eddie leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "Depends on what you want."There was a brief chuckle on the other end. "Fair enough. I wanted to reach out because… well, let’s just say our last conversation sparked some thoughts. I’ve been watching how you handle yourself, Eddie, and I have to say, I’m impressed. You’ve got resilience
Andrew sat across from Eddie, swirling the glass of wine in his hand, his expression unreadable. He had just finished outlining his proposal to Eddie, showing the financial breakdowns, investment strategies, and high-yield returns that his family’s wealth could bring to the table. Eddie listened intently, but his mind kept wandering to the latest message from Agatha, urging him to divert Andrew’s investment toward her company.The room was filled with an air of tension, not just from the business discussion but from the unspoken questions hovering over their heads. Andrew set his glass down and leaned back in his chair, finally breaking the silence."Eddie," Andrew said, his voice carrying a sincerity that Eddie wasn’t used to. "You’re a good man. I can see that you’ve been through a lot, but you’re not letting it slow you down. I respect that. You remind me of myself, in a way."Eddie blinked, unsure of how to respond. He was
Eddie walked out of the restaurant with Agatha still clinging to his arm, but his mind was spinning. Agatha’s confident words from earlier echoed in his head, but they didn’t offer any comfort. If anything, they only deepened his anxiety. Everything was a game to Agatha—she thrived on chaos, playing people against each other, manipulating them until they didn’t know which way was up. And now, Eddie found himself squarely in the middle of her game.As they reached the curb, Eddie gently pulled his arm from Agatha’s grasp. She looked up at him, eyebrow raised, but he could see the satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. She knew she had him exactly where she wanted him. "Agatha," Eddie began, his voice low but firm, "I don’t know what you’re planning, but I’m not going to be a pawn in it."Agatha let out a soft, almost mocking laugh. "Oh, Eddie, don’t be so dramatic. I’m just trying to help you. Andrew is interested in your company, and I’m making sure that happens. You should be thanking m
The evening had a heavy weight to it as Eddie followed Agatha into the upscale restaurant where they were meeting Andrew. The last few days had been a whirlwind, and Eddie's mind still swirled with everything that had been happening—Agatha’s manipulation, Axton’s looming threats, and now this dinner with Andrew. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but something told him that tonight would be yet another twist in the already convoluted game he was trapped in.Agatha, looking stunning as always, greeted Andrew with a charming smile as they approached his table. Andrew stood up, offering a polite nod to Eddie before shaking his hand. The three of them sat down, and the tension in the air was palpable. The restaurant was dimly lit, with soft music playing in the background, but it did little to ease the unease Eddie felt in his gut.Andrew was usually confident, but tonight there was something different about him. He seemed distracted, almost distant, as if something was weighing heavily on hi
Eddie sat in the back of his car, his mind spinning as the city lights blurred past the window. The dinner with Andrew and Agatha had taken a turn he hadn’t expected, and now he was left with the weight of another impossible decision. How had his life come to this? It felt like he was constantly trying to maneuver through an endless web of deceit, manipulation, and power plays. And now, to top it all off, they wanted to drag his sister Jennifer into the mess.He couldn’t let that happen. Jennifer had nothing to do with this world—nothing to do with Agatha’s schemes, Andrew’s desires, or Axton’s threats. But Eddie knew all too well that once someone like Andrew took an interest, it wasn’t easy to say no. Andrew might have been polite during dinner, but behind that charm was a man with the kind of wealth and power that made people do things they never thought they would. Eddie had seen it too many times.Eddie pulled his phone out of his pocket, staring at Jennifer’s contact for a long
Eddie stood outside Jennifer’s bedroom door, hesitating. It had been days since Frank’s death, and Jennifer had barely left her room. She hadn’t spoken much to anyone, and the toll it was taking on her was evident in the way she had stopped managing the businesses she normally oversaw. Her once vibrant energy had been replaced by a shadow of who she used to be, and Eddie couldn’t bear to see his sister like this any longer.He knocked softly on the door, waiting for some response, but only silence greeted him. He knocked again, a little louder this time. “Jen, it’s me,” he said gently. “Can I come in?”For a long moment, there was nothing, but then he heard the soft shuffle of movement from inside the room. The door creaked open just enough for Eddie to slip inside.Jennifer sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes puffy from what looked like hours of crying. She was dressed in the same clothes she’d worn for days, and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. The sight of her, so d