Chapter 4
Celeste didn't go quietly.
The next morning, she filed a lawsuit. Claimed I was mentally incompetent. Claimed Adrian had coerced me. Claimed the evidence was fabricated.
She went to the press. Painted herself as a grieving widow being robbed by her stepdaughter and a predatory investor.
"YOUNG STEPDAUGHTER STEALS COMPANY FROM BELOVED CEO" — the headlines were brutal. Half the city believed her.
Victor Shaw joined the lawsuit. Claimed I'd breached a contract. Claimed we'd been engaged. Claimed I'd promised him my shares.
It was all lies. But lies spread faster than truth.
Adrian's team fought back. They released the evidence. The invoices. The bank records. The shell companies. Roland's name. The press ate it up.
"HALDEN GROUP FRAUD: MILLIONS STOLEN BY CEO'S BROTHER"
The tide turned.
Then the FBI got involved. They raided Celeste's house. Roland's house. Victor's office. They found more evidence. Offshore accounts. Hidden assets. A second set of books.
Roland was arrested first. He flipped immediately. Testified against Celeste. Said she'd masterminded everything. Said he'd just followed orders.
Victor was arrested next. Charged with conspiracy. Fraud. And something worse—several women came forward with stories about him. Coercion. Assault. He'd been paying them off for years.
Celeste was last. She was arrested at her penthouse. The photos were everywhere. Handcuffs. Designer clothes. Head held high.
She didn't look sorry. She looked angry.
The trial was set for six months later.
In those six months, I ran Halden Group. I was twenty-four. I worked eighteen-hour days. I learned everything. I fired the corrupt executives. Hired honest ones. Restructured the debt—with Adrian's help. Saved the company. Saved the jobs. Saved my father's legacy.
Adrian was there every step. He advised me. Supported me. Challenged me. And slowly, something else grew between us.
Not just partnership. Something more.
We worked late together. We ate takeout at the conference table. We argued about strategy. We laughed about Celeste's outrageous lies.
And one night, after a particularly long day, he walked me to my office door. He paused.
"Emma," he said. "I should tell you something. I didn't buy Halden Group's debt just for the investment. I bought it because of you."
I stared at him. "What?"
"Your father. He was a good man. I met him once, years ago. He told me about his daughter. About how smart you were. How you were going to run the company one day. When he died, I watched Celeste take over. I watched her destroy everything he built. And I watched you—quietly, in finance, keeping your head down, learning everything. I bought the debt because I was waiting for you to be ready. And when you climbed through that window, bleeding, in the rain, I knew. You were ready."
I didn't know what to say. So I kissed him.
May you like
He kissed me back.
And for the first time since my father died, I felt like I wasn't alone.
