Emma was not up for any of this, but she wanted to do her best.
She was scared. Still, the thought of seeing her family again steadied her. The same fear of how Olivia might treat them if she failed pressed on her chest, and that fear became a strange kind of fuel. She promised herself she would try, no matter how shaky she felt.
Olivia's parents noticed something different in their daughter. Parents always hope the rebellious streak will fade. If she stayed calm like this, they thought, maybe they could finally have conversations they had been trying to have.
Even though they smiled politely, tried to be casual in front of Max and his family, they had hidden their concern behind a calm facade.
They had been worried that their daughter's mood might flip the moment they got home and privacy returned. That fear tugged at them the whole drive. It did not happen though and they are grateful for that.
When Emma pulled back from the hug and looked into Laura's eyes, she forced a smile and gave a small, steady nod. She would not act so oddly that they would be left with new, painful questions. After she assured them she was fine, she walked away and let them watch her until she disappeared from sight.
No sooner had she gone than President Smith began pacing the corridor. "I have men monitoring him," he said to Laura. "They found nothing. I will get to the bottom of this. I promise."
Laura's glare could have cut stone. "Will you only act after our baby gets killed?" she asked, voice breaking. "When will this end? I am so scared. Even though she acts strong, she is not fine. This is not fair." Tears poured down her face.
"I will look into this," Smith said. "I think we should involve Maximilian Walker. If he keeps an eye on her, I can act more boldly. I could do what needs to be done without fearing backlash. I can make use of the entire security team for a swift operation, since we finally have a clue."
He did not say the next thought aloud, but he could feel it in every tense muscle: Harry would expect him to point the finger. Harry was vice president of the company, a post Smith had handed him in good faith. The corporation had not been inherited. Smith and Laura had built it from the ground up.
Harry had been a hardworking boy once. They had promoted him because he earned it. Yet hunger can grow into something else. Harry's appetite for power had spread across boardrooms like ivy. Smith had noticed how he courted the board members, how he moved through meetings, planting seeds of doubt and loyalty in equal measure. Still, the property of the company lay in Smith and Laura's hands, and their plan was to leave it to Olivia.
Harry understood that. He also understood the risk of letting Olivia live. A child with her name in the driver's seat was a threat to the ambitions of someone who had spent his youth as a worker. How would he feel answering to Olivia, a girl basically his peer? The idea of his own daughter standing in that slot might have been tolerable, but Harry wanted more. If Smith had no heir, the vice president would step in. Family ties would smooth the transition.
Laura was furious. She had been recently looped in about the possibility of Harry being a real threat and it didn't sit well with her that the family would want to hurt the family. She huffed in irritation and stomped off.
"Laura, wait," Smith said, following her as she strode away. "Please. I have plans to resolve this."
Laura stopped, whipped around, and faced him. "Yes, you have plans," she said bitterly. "I supported the idea of bonding her with Max, but she did not like him. We were useless enough to let our daughter stain her hands with blood and lose freedom. Now you want to force her onto a man? Smith, she does not like him. That is final. Deal with this and make sure nothing happens to Olivia. What do you want from her? What do you and your brother want from my baby?" Her voice broke into a new wail before she could reach the room.
President Smith tried to hold her and calm her down. He could not bring himself to say that Olivia had asked for Max's number. He could not admit it; it would sound foolish. He only wrapped his arms around Laura and tried to soothe her.
These attackers were not ordinary. preferred death to confession, sometimes killing themselves before any interrogation could break their silence. Smith had trained men who would do anything for him, but these people had nothing to lose. The boldness of their strikes made him wonder if Harry could be that sinister.
He hoped the intel was wrong about his brother.
He had trained Harry. He had helped the younger man grow. Harry had become resourceful and amassed wealth in ways that were hard to monitor. Embezzlement rumors had floated through the corridors, whispers that were never fully proven. The question gnawed at Smith. Could the man he trusted really be the author of these attempts on his daughter's life? Part of him wanted to grant that doubt. The attacks were too bold for a single hand; they were almost brazen. Yet the notion that a man he had practically raised could be the enemy made his stomach sick.
—
Meanwhile back at Harry's side.
"That bastard escaped again," Harry said, calm as a man watching a chessboard. He watched the live feed replay the failed attempt.
"Daddy, you are making that witch more popular," Alicia said, flipping through the broadcast on her own device. The clip of the assassination attempt would eventually be taken down, but not before many eyes had seen it.
"This is not the time for your catfights," Harry replied. He changed the subject, choosing strategy. "You met that Walker boy when you were abroad, did you not?" Harry asked, glancing towards his Daughter.
Alicia's cheeks warmed at the memory. "Yes," she said, eyes bright. "He was the most handsome man I have ever seen. I met his sister too. The little girl was sweet."
Harry did not smile. "Good. You must get him before that bastard does."
Alicia's eyes shone with scheming excitement. "You will help me, daddy?" she asked. She stood and faced him outright.
"I will," Harry said.
Alicia straightened, the grin of someone tasting victory. "I will make him fall for me," she said with natural confidence.
Alicia had been opportuned to meet the Walker siblings at a charity gala on one of her travels.
She had admired the man ever since but didn't pursue him. However, now that she knew Olivia's parents wanted to match her annoying cousin with the man she had met first, she of course wanted him now more than anything.