Chapter 3

Celeste called at seven the next morning.

She didn't have my number—she'd never bothered to learn it. She called my father's old lawyer, who called me.

"Emma," she said, her voice like honey over ice. "Where are you? You had us worried sick. You ran off in the storm—we thought you'd been hurt."

"I'm fine."

"Come home. We'll talk about this. Victor is very understanding. He's willing to forget last night—"

"I'm not coming home. And I'm not marrying Victor. Or anyone else you choose."

Silence. Then, "Emma, don't be foolish. You're twenty-four years old. You have eighteen percent of a failing company. You have no money. No power. No one will take your side. Come home before you do something you regret."

"I've already done something I don't regret," I said. "I partnered with someone who does have power. And he's very interested in your books, Celeste. All of them."

I hung up.

Adrian was watching from across the room. "That was a mistake. You tipped her off."

"I know. But it felt good."

He shook his head, but he was smiling. "We move faster then. Today. We call the board. We present the evidence. We vote her out before she can destroy anything."

We did.

By noon, we'd contacted five board members. Three agreed to meet. By three, two had seen the evidence and switched sides. By five, we had the votes.

At six, we called an emergency board meeting.

Celeste showed up. She was furious. Beautiful. Composed. She walked in like she owned the place—and she did, until we spoke.

Adrian presented the evidence. The invoices. The bank records. The shell companies. Roland's name appeared over and over.

Celeste denied everything. Called it a fabrication. Said I was a grieving, unstable daughter who'd been manipulated by a greedy investor.

But the board saw the evidence. They saw the numbers. They saw their own liability—if the fraud came out publicly, they'd all be ruined.

They voted. Seven to two. Celeste was removed as CEO.

I was named interim CEO. Twenty-four years old. The youngest CEO in the company's history.

Celeste stood up. Her face was calm, but her eyes were murderous.

"This isn't over," she said. "You'll regret this, Emma. Both of you."

She walked out.

I sat in the CEO chair. My father's chair. And I shook.

Adrian put his hand on my shoulder. "You did it."

May you like

My Wife Was Declared Dead—Until My Daughter Found Her Beneath Our Swimmi...

"Daddy! Mommy is under the pool!"" The words shattered the perfect evening. I was on one knee beside the infinity pool of my man...

My Stepmother Tried to Throw Me Out of My Own Home—But She Didn't Know W...

My father's voice stopped the entire room. “Ariana? What the hell is going on here?”” I froze. Tiffany released my wrist so qui...

My Stepmother Slapped Me for a Crime My Little Brother Had Already Recor...

The first thing my stepsister did was smash an entire stack of expensive porcelain plates onto the kitchen floor. The second thin...

"I did it," I whispered. "But she's right. It's not over."

It wasn't.