Casey Ford sat quietly in the backseat of her private car, staring out the window as her security team drove her home. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of worry and confusion.The attack at the Empire State Hotel was something she never anticipated. She couldn’t stop thinking about Richmond and the others involved. Her heart raced as she replayed the events in her mind.When they finally arrived at her home, the driver stepped out to open her door. Casey barely noticed as she stepped out, her eyes distant. Maria, her maid, hurried out of the house to greet her."Miss Casey, welcome home," Maria said warmly, though her eyes held concern. "Are you okay? You look so pale."Casey forced a small smile and nodded. "I’m fine, Maria. Just tired."Maria looked unconvinced but didn’t press further. "Come inside, Miss Casey. I’ll make you some tea to help you relax."Casey followed Maria into the house, her mind still racing. As soon as she stepped inside, the familiar surroundings offered little c
Daisy Bernard entered her family's house feeling a sense of accomplishment and all she could think about was the success of her plan.As she stepped into the foyer, she heard her mother’s voice from the living room. “Is that you, Daisy?” “Yes, Mom, it’s me,” Daisy replied, slipping off her heels and placing them neatly by the door. She walked further into the house.Her mother, Mrs. Bernard, was sitting elegantly on a plush sofa, sipping tea from a china cup. She looked up as Daisy entered the room, a pleased smile spreading across her face.Her mother had always been a picture of grace and control—a woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. Her perfectly coiffed hair makeup was obvious.“Come, sit,” Mrs. Bernard gestured to the seat beside her. “I want to hear all about it.”Daisy sat down, leaning back into the soft cushions. She took a moment to compose herself, then began recounting the events of the previous night. “It went exactly as we planned,” she said, “Franklin had
Franklin Miles arrived at Miles Empire early the next morning, feeling the weight of everything that had happened over the past few days. He decided not to bring Conor and the rest of his security team back with him; he needed them to stay behind and continue to protect the Empire State Hotel. He couldn’t risk another attack, not with so much at stake.Immediately he walked through the front doors, he sensed the tension in the air. The usually bustling lobby was quiet, the employees moving with a sense of purpose but also with an underlying unease. The conversations were hushed, and every face he passed wore a worried expression. It was clear that everyone was on edge, aware of the seriousness of the current situation but unsure of how it would all be resolved.Vera and Ms. Deborah was waiting for him near the elevator, their expressions too was tense but they were relieved to see him. Vera was the first to speak, her tone cautious. "Sir Franklin, how was your trip back?"He nodded, o
After a very long discussion and deliberation, it became clear to Franklin, Mr. Stephen, and Mr. Russell that they needed to take action quickly to deal with the crisis at Miles Empire.They all realized that their company was in a precarious situation, and it required all hands on deck to fix things. Franklin took a deep breath and broke the silence."Alright," Franklin said, breaking the tense silence that hung in the room. "We have to split the tasks to handle this crisis effectively. I'm going to dig into this sabotage. It's clear someone inside the company wants to bring us down, and I need to find out who." He looked at Vera and Ms. Deborah, his expression serious. "I can't do this on my own. Vera, Deborah, I’m going to need your help with this investigation."Vera, who had been quietly observing the conversation, spoke up. "Of course, Sir Franklin. We have to look into everyone who had access to the sensitive information that got leaked. Whoever did this had to know their way a
The security room was bright with several monitors flickering, each showing different parts of the building. Franklin, Vera, and Ms. Deborah stood close, watching the screens intently alongside the head of security whose name was Rick. Rick was clicking through the footage with an eagle eye. Rick scratched his chin, his eyes narrowing on one of the screens. “Hold on a second. Something doesn’t look right here,” he muttered, pointing to the monitor showing a hallway near the server room. “See that guy? He’s not supposed to be there.”Franklin shifted closer to the screen, studying the figure. “Who is that?” he asked, his brows furrowing. The figure was wearing a uniform similar to the maintenance crew, but there was something off about the way he was moving—too cautious, too aware of his surroundings.Rick continued clicking through the footage as his fingers moved quickly over the keyboard. “I don’t recognize him,” he said. “And I’ve been here long enough to know every damn face in t
The aggrieved board members of Miles Empire, having meticulously orchestrated their plan, finally arrived at the company premises. Today, their goal was to remove Mr. Miles, Mr. Stephen, Mr. Russell, and Franklin, along with their associates, from the company without offering any form of compensation.They were able to present a case to the court and obtained a court order in hand along with special forces units at their side, they were ready to execute their plan.At the time of their arrival, Mr. Russell and Mr. Stephen were making their way to the press room, preparing to address the partners with a statement to refute recent misinformation. They had just rounded a corner when a team of special forces agents, under Mr. Thayer’s orders, approached them with determined strides.“Excuse me, gentlemen,” one of the officers said firmly, blocking their path. “We have orders to escort you to the main lobby.”Mr. Stephen looked taken aback, his face showing a mix of confusion and anger. “Wh
Every single eye in the lobby darted between the faces of Franklin, Mr. Stephen, and Mr. Russell, and then at Mr. Thayer, Mr. Patel, Mr. Lee, Mr. Reynolds, and the rest of the board members.Some of the employees could be heard saying. "Maybe it’s time for a change. Mr. Thayer seems to have a plan to get us out of this mess""If they’ve been mismanaging things as badly as Thayer says, maybe we’re better off with new leadership."Franklin took a step closer to Mr. Thayer and spoke with anger. “You have no right to do this!” he said with a raised voice. “This company was built by my father’s blood, sweat, and tears. It’s his legacy, and it belongs to me. How dare you try to take it away with some flimsy court order?”Mr. Thayer folded his arms and took a solid stance before he replied coolly, “The court order is anything but flimsy, Franklin. It is a legal directive based on evidence—evidence of your mismanagement and reckless decisions. The company’s board has every right to intervene
There was a pause in the big lobby as everyone stared at the paper Mr. Patel held. Some people came closer, trying to see better. Their faces showed that they were confused and worried."If they really signed this paper to cut our pay in half, then they are not helping us at all!" someone said loudly with anger. "I can't believe I trusted them!""They are trying to hide their mistakes. We should think about keeping our jobs, not about who gets to be the boss. Maybe we need new people in charge after all," another person spoke up.Gasps filled the room. The people were shocked and scared. The workers started to talk to each other in worried whispers.Mr. Patel looked at the crowd, his eyes serious. "Yes, that’s right," he said, pointing at the paper for everyone to see. "This paper says they want to cut your pay by half! They don't want to take the blame for the bad choices they made. They want to make you pay for their mistakes. Is this fair?"He looked around the room. "Think about i