A GAME OF FEELINGS Bernard leaned over from his seat, his eyes bright with a frantic, naive hope."Look, if we know who he is, that is our leverage, right?" Bernard asked, his voice high-pitched and eager. "We don't have to sit here and wait for the executioner. We can just go see Harnes. Or go straight to Jack. We tell them we know. We tell them we are sorry. We beg for forgiveness; we humble ourselves. hell, I will wash his cars for real this time if that is what it takes. If we play our cards right and show him we have changed, everything could go back to the way it was. He could flip a switch and we would be back at the top by tomorrow morning. " He said with all seriousness, not sure how he sounded saying that.Rober

FINDING A SOLUTIONRobert sat quietly at the far end of the table, his head bowed. He was not listening to the talk of legal manoeuvres or procedural delays. He was trapped in the theatre of his own memory.He thought back to the first time he had met Jack. He had seen a quiet, unassuming man in a faded shirt and had immediately dismissed him as an obstacle of no consequence. He remembered the feeling of triumph when he first took Leslie’s hand in front of him, the thrill of winning against a man he considered his inferior. He remembered the jokes he had made at Jack’s expense during dinner parties, the way he had treated Jack like an invisible piece of furniture while he plotted to take Jack’s wife and the Smith family fortune.Last Updated : 2026-05-13

FIND A LOOPHOLE When they reached the offices of Vane & Associates, the silence in the car was absolute.  Linda checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror; her armour was set. Leslie gripped her handbag so tightly her knuckles were white. They stepped out and entered the lobby, where the air was scented with expensive leather and aged paper. The receptionist, a woman whose professional politeness was as cold as a marble floor, informed them that Mr Vane was in a meeting."We have an appointment," Linda said, her voice echoing in the hushed lobby."Mr Vane is aware, Mrs Smith. He will be with you shortly," the receptionist responded

TIME TO HEAR THE TRUTH"Settle down," Julius said, his voice like a bucket of ice water. "Sit. Both of you."The tone was enough to kill the joy instantly. Linda and Leslie slowly returned to their seats, their faces still flushed but their eyes now wary."The fifty-fifty split is a legal reality," Julius said, leaning back and folding his hands over his stomach. "But it is a weapon that cuts both ways.  And there is something else in these documents, something I found buried in the 'Standard Conduct and Reciprocity' clauses, that you need to hear. It is worth noting, and it is the reason you must remain calm. " Julius told themJulius turned to page nine. His eyes grew dark.  Last Updated : 2026-05-15

He looked from Linda’s hardened, desperate face to Leslie’s pale, tear-streaked one."Are you ready to proceed to finding what is best for you? Are you willing to risk total annihilation for the chance to sit at the top again?"The room was silent. Outside, the muffled sound of the city continued, a city that belonged to Jack Rothwell. Inside, the two women stared at the folder, the weight of their choices finally settling on their shoulders. They had spent three years ignoring the man in their house; now, they were being asked if they were brave enough to spend the rest of their lives fighting him.Linda looked at Leslie. The greed was there, but so was the terror. Robert was out there somewhere, valet parking cars for tips, while the man who should have been their son-in-law was deciding the fate of nations."Survival", Linda whispered, her hand hovering over the folder. "Or everything; There is no middle ground anymore.""Tell me, Julius," Leslie asked, her voice a ghost of its f