That evening, the Harper estate felt unusually tense as words had finally reached the older Harpers that Patrick wasn’t suspended and he wasn’t demoted either.He was outright fired and barred from stepping onto Titan Global property again.Victoria arrived at the mansion in a state of barely controlled panic. Tara was with her, pacing the hallway while seriously clutching her purse.“I can’t believe this,” Victoria muttered as they walked toward the dining hall. “Patrick may not be perfect, but firing him without warning? That’s excessive.”“Titan Global doesn’t fire people like that,” Tara said sharply. “Not unless something big happened. Someone with real power had to be behind it.”Victoria paused, lowering her voice. “Do you think it was Emma?”Tara scoffed. “Emma doesn’t have that kind of influence. She can’t even control her own department, she’s just a partner by luck. She’s not the reason.”Victoria nodded, though the answer didn’t reassure her. “Then who?”Tara didn’t answer

Liam sat at his desk long after everyone had gone about their day and the house had calmed down. He was reviewing every piece of information he could gather about Ethan’s attack. The call he received had been unsettling, but he couldn’t let it distract him from finding the truth. Whoever had targeted Ethan wasn’t random. The way the attack had been executed made that clear.From the witness statements and the surveillance footage, Liam observed some patterns that told him this was the work of professionals. The movements were precise, coordinated, and efficient. Every hit, the timing, and the escape route showed training and planning. They could have killed Ethan without hesitation. That they didn’t kill him sent a message. It wasn’t about destroying him, it was about warning him.Liam leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. He ran through all the possible reasons. Ethan didn’t owe anyone money. He wasn’t in a dangerous business deal. Nothing in his past had screamed “targe

Tara never knew when to stop talking.That had always been her weakness, she liked feeling informed, connected, and important. And on that particular afternoon, sitting in a cozy café with a woman she barely knew well enough to trust, Tara’s mouth moved faster than her brain.The woman’s name was Rina. Tara only knew her through a mutual acquaintance, someone who claimed Rina worked in “corporate intelligence.” Tara assumed that meant something like private HR or data research. She didn’t bother to ask.They were supposed to be discussing harmless gossip from their workspace, but Tara slipped, as she always did, into repeating rumors she shouldn’t even know.“So apparently,” Tara said, lowering her voice dramatically, “Titan Global is paying special attention to Emma. The girl is getting too close to something big even my boyfriend, Patrick got fired because of it.”Rina’s hand paused around her cup. “Too close to what?”Tara shrugged. “I don’t know the details, but something weird ha

The morning sun filtered through the windows, as Liam cleared the last of the breakfast dishes. He moved calmly, stacking the plates and placing the utensils in their proper places. George, leaning against the doorway with his hands loosely clasped behind him, watched silently.“You don’t need to do that,” George said finally, his tone casual but carrying a hint of curiosity.Liam glanced up and nodded. “I like to. It keeps things clean and orderly.”“There are workers assigned to do that. Let them.” George debated.“I’m used to doing it on my own.” Liam countered. “It’s no issue.”George stepped forward. “Come outside. I want to talk to you in the garden.”Liam paused, then set the dishes aside. “Is there a problem, sir?”George gave a small smile, the first relaxed gesture Liam had seen from him. “Call me George.”Liam inclined his head in respect. “Understood, George.”They walked through the French doors and onto the lawn, the grass still slightly damp from the morning dew. The ga

Emma pushed open the front door quietly, almost hoping no one would notice she was home yet. Her mind felt heavy as Ethan’s words kept looping over and over, confusing and sharp.Liam isn’t who he looks like… people like him hide big things… you won’t get a peaceful life with him…She hated that the words bothered her.She hated even more that a small part of her kept replaying that one hesitation she had, the one Ethan had noticed.She stepped inside, slipped off her shoes, and took a deep breath.“Emma.”She unconsciously jumped.Liam was leaning on the hallway archway, with his arms crossed loosely. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t cold but he was watching her carefully, like he could sense something had changed the moment she walked in.“You left early,” he said quietly.“Yeah.” Emma forced a small smile. “I went to see Ethan.”Liam paused just for a fraction of a second but his expression didn’t change. He nodded once.“How is he?”“Fine,” she said. “Better.”Liam studied her. Emma rea