His door was ajar when he got back. Karl had just returned from work and was heading towards his bedroom until he pulled a stop right outside the door. He never leaves his door open. He could clearly recall shouting the door behind him when he left for work that morning. Karl took a cautious step after the other twisted the room, did someone come in to raid his space when he was away? Shit! The Gordon contract. Karl stormed into the room, breathing hard as his eyes moved from one part of the room to another. He can't get caught now, not when he was yet to prove himself worthy to his grandfather. “What took you so long?!” Melody snapped. She was sitting on the edge of his bed and he had missed her completely when he scanned the room. His eyes moved from her to the drawer next to his bed, it was still locked. He exhaled deeply. His eyes went back to Melody, narrowed in suspscion. “What are you doing here?” She never comes to his room. Hell, she had suggested they sta

Karl barely remembered the drive. The road from Emmy Golf Course to the nearest private hospital blurred into traffic lights and impatient horns, his hands locked so tightly around the steering wheel that his knuckles ached. T The air conditioner hummed softly, doing nothing to ease the heat crawling beneath his skin. Anna sat in the passenger seat, her body angled against the door, both hands gripping the edge of the seat as though it were the only thing keeping her upright. Every small movement made her inhale sharply. Karl watched her from the corner of his eye at every red light. Her face had lost most of its colour. A thin layer of sweat gathered along her hairline, and her jaw stayed clenched as if she were afraid that opening her mouth would let something escape…pain, maybe, or a sound she was struggling to keep down. He slowed just before a speed bump and guided the car over it carefully. She still flinched. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again, almost automatically. Karl

Karl reached the house long after dark, the porch light already glowing. He stood at the gate with his phone pressed to his ear, listening to the line ring out again before dropping into silence. He lowered the phone and stared at the dark screen. Another missed call. Another unanswered message.He had walked the hospital parking space twice after Anna had left in a hurry. He caught sight of her taxi driving off and had tried calling her a dozen times to no avail. He'd dropped her a couple messages, asking if she was home safe but none of it got a response from her. His thumb hovering uselessly over her name, considering if he should call her again. “Can I blame her? Melody had embarrassed her because of me.” He tucks his phone in his pocket. The gate creaked as he pushed it open. The living room lights were on.Karl slowed the moment he stepped inside.Melody’s heels were by the door. Her handbag rested on the console table, unzipped, its contents spilling out as if she had drop

Karl sat opposite Ruchie, his damp jacket folded over the back of his chair, the heat of the café still clinging to his skin long after the rain had stopped dripping from his hair. The chessboard rested between them, pieces already arranged, the white side turned toward him. The silence in the cafe was deafening, pushed aside by the pressure in his chest as he lifted his eyes to meet hers.Ruchie wrapped her fingers around her coffee cup but did not drink. Her gaze stayed on him, as though she were still weighing whether his arrival in that storm had been bravery or desperation.“You remember the rule,” she said calmly. “You lose, you answer everything I ask. No dodging.”He inclined his head. “And if I win.”She leaned back in her chair. “I grant you one favour. One.”Her assistant stood close to the wall, tablet pressed against her chest, her jaw set as though she were bracing for something unpleasant. The men in dark suits remained where they had not moved since Karl arrived, wat

Karl barely felt the weight of the document in his hand as he stepped out of the café. His thumb slid over the corner of the document as if the paper might disappear if he stopped touching it.It was done.Ruchie Emold had signed the agreement. For the first time in weeks, his chest did not feel tight. His hands touched the folder again, he had a chance at his inheritance. Fucking hell, he still couldn't believe it! His hard work had paid off. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. The screen lit up.Anna.His fingers paused mid-reach, he had not heard from her since the hospital. He had called, left messages, stared at his phone long enough for it to dim again and again.He picked it up immediately. “Anna?”Her breath rushed into his ear before her voice did. “Karl… I need you to listen to me. Please.”The tension in her tone tightened something behind his ribs. He pulled to a stop, eyes flicking briefly to the road ahead. “What’s wrong?”“I wasn’t supposed to he