Mr. McCarthy straightened in his chair, visibly tense. “What kind of problem?”Sasha still looked between him and the lawyer. Mr. McCarthy had warned her once not to allow certain people into his office, but she didn't know if he'd get angry at her for saying it there in front of the lawyer, whom he was trying to impress.“Speak up, Sasha… as you can see, I'm in a meeting, there's no time for nonsense!” Mr. McCarthy said quickly through his clenched teeth.“There’s someone outside asking to be let in,” Sasha replied. “He says he’s here for the meeting, but…” She hesitated, visibly struggling to phrase it. “He doesn’t seem... appropriate, I am afraid I think he is lying, he doesn't belong to this class at all.”Mrs. McCarthy’s brow creased. “What do you mean? In what way does he not look appropriate?”Sasha shifted slightly, lowering her voice as though reluctant to be overheard. “Well… he’s dressed casually. He uhhh.. he is putting on a plain shirt and jeans, he didn't have any suit o

The lawyer gave a small nod of acknowledgment and reached into his briefcase, which had been resting at his side throughout the meeting. His movements were calm and not rushed, as though this moment had been expected.“Certainly,” the lawyer said. His tone remained professional and composed, even as the tension in the room grew thick. He withdrew a folder that was perfectly organized.“These documents,” he continued, “were submitted in advance to my office by Mr. Walker, per legal protocol. Everything has been verified and reviewed, and I can tell you, your company provided these documents to the shareholders.”He opened the folder and began laying out the contents on the surface of the long boardroom table. One by one, he placed each document carefully in front of the McCarthy family, as if he was serving court papers.“These are the signed shareholder agreements,” he said, pointing as he spoke. “All contracts are legally binding and have already been reviewed and counter-signed by y

The boardroom had fallen eerily silent, no one dared to speak, not even Elizabeth who always had things to say. No one moved, all eyes were on the man seated at the other end of the table, Mr. McCarthy.His once proud shoulders were now slumped in defeat, he found it hard to even look his daughter in the eye. She had asked him not to sign, but he would sign out of fear of being dragged to court and losing publicly and probably.His hand trembled as he tried to hold himself together, the pen shaking in his hand terribly.“Father,” Elizabeth muttered in disbelief, she still couldn’t believe what was happening.He couldn’t look at her…He couldn’t even bring himself to lift his head.The moment the pen left the paper, the lawyer quietly collected the document from him without saying a word, as if the finality of the act had stolen the breath from everyone in the room.Ryan was calm, he didn’t even smile this time around.He stood from his seat slowly, not with arrogance or mockery, but w

The sun had barely risen when Ryan Walker stood in front of his bedroom mirror, adjusting the cuffs of his white shirt. Today wasn’t just any ordinary day. It was the day Elizabeth McCarthy would meet the real CEO of Nova Technologies. It was the day her pride would crumble and the day her illusion of control would shatter completely. Ryan stared at himself in the mirror for a long moment before speaking under his breath. “This is the day she finds out exactly who I am.” As he reached for his coat and prepared to slip his arms into it, the sound of footsteps approaching from the hallway made him pause. He turned around quickly, alert, only to relax when he saw who entered the room. “Claudia?” he said, surprised, as a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise.” Claudia stood in the doorway, her suitcase wheeled in behind her. “I landed late last night,” she said as she stepped forward. “Didn’t want to wake you. I figured you’d need your rest b

Ryan and Claudia made their way through the corridor side by side. Claudia’s hand was looped casually through Ryan’s arm as they walked.She looked ahead toward the large, frosted glass door at the far end of the corridor, the one marked in clean, bold letters “Chief Executive Officer.”As they neared the door, she tilted her head slightly toward Ryan and asked softly, “Are we going in now? Or do you want to wait a bit before dealing with them?”Ryan raised his brow and reached for the handle. “Let’s just get it over with,” he murmured.He reached for the handle and pushed the door open.But immediately they stepped inside, they both stopped suddenly. Ryan blinked in surprise and took a step back, his face wrinkling in distaste from the warm air that hit him.The office felt like a sauna, and it felt stuffy and suffocating. Ryan looked around and saw that the AC wasn't working and the ceiling fan spun slowly, barely moving the heat.Ryan frowned, stepping further inside and glancing a