Helen's POV
"Welcome back to the company Miss Helen," my assistant said. I didn't bother to reply to her, as she knows I don't respond to greetings.
"Where is the board meeting taking place right now?" I asked her. I felt my expression shift back into its usual cold demeanor, a mask I had perfected over years of standing in rooms full of men who wanted to see me fail.
"This way." She led the way.
I had to rush down to my company immediately after I got the text from her to know what the issues were without saying goodbye to Derick.
We reached the boardroom, and the heavy doors groaned as they opened. I looked at the twelve men sitting around the mahogany table. Some were sweating despite the aggressive air conditioning; others couldn't even meet my eyes, choosing instead to study their cuticles or the legal pads in front of them. These were the 'brilliant' minds my father had trusted to protect his legacy, yet here they were, silent as statues while our stock price bled out in real-time.
I walked to the center chair, the one that used to be my father's.
As soon as I sat, they did the same, looking nervous in their expensive suit
"Could anyone tell me what the issue is?" I leaned forward, my hands flat on the cool wood. "What exactly is going on in this company? What do you all mean when you say you don't know who is giving out our product samples to the Kane Industry? We haven't even launched yet, and now we're being framed for stealing our own designs. Our stock dropped by twenty-five percent this morning because of the situation.
What are you all going to do about it?" My voice rose.
The silence was deafening. I could hear the faint hum of the computer servers and the frantic tapping of a pen at the far end of the table. No one spoke. They were all fidgeting, avoiding the heat of my gaze.
"Miss Helen," a man with a bald head and a thick, grey beard finally spoke. His voice trembled just enough for me to notice. "We will change the product samples and make sure the new designs never get out."
"It had better be true," I said, standing up so abruptly my chair scraped harshly against the floor. "Because if I find out the spy is sitting at this table, he won't just be sacked. I will make sure he never works in any industry again.
I didn't wait for a response. I turned and walked out, the boardroom doors swinging shut behind me with a heavy thud.
Back in my office, the click of my heels against the marble floor sounded like a ticking clock, counting down to a disaster I couldn't yet see. Tessa followed behind me, her breathing shallow and fast.
"Get me the file on the product samples. " I ordered. "Yes, ma'am. Right away," she nodded, her eyes wide as she scurried out.
I sank into my leather chair and rubbed my temples, trying to dull the throbbing in my head. But the silence didn't last. The door burst open, not a polite knock, but an unannounced entrance. My hand instinctively moved to the phone to call security, but my face softened the moment I saw her.
"Mila," I breathed. My step-sister looked like a whirlwind, her hair messy and her cheeks flushed as she rushed toward my desk.
"I missed you. How have you been?" she cried out. Her voice was full of a genuine warmth that felt completely out of place in this room.
"I'm fine, Mila," I said. The weight on my shoulders felt a little lighter just seeing her.
"Home is boring without you, Helen," she said.
I fisted my hands under the desk, my nails digging into my palms until it hurt. Home. That house had ceased to be a home the moment my mother forced us to pack our lives into boxes and move in with that man. Every corner of that mansion felt like a betrayal of my father's memory.
"When are you coming back?" she asked, her eyes eager and pleading
"I won't be, Mila. I have my own place now," I told her firmly. I tempered my tone when I noticed a flicker of hurt in her eyes, "But... you are always welcome to stay with me. My doors are open to you, always. She smiled brightly, reminding me of simpler times
"I need to go," she said suddenly, checking her watch. "I have a friend to catch up with. I'll call you, okay? Bye!"
As she left, the warmth seemed to leave with her. A sharp knock followed seconds later. "Come in," I said, the softness was gone from my voice.
A man moved forward, clutching a tablet. Hello, ma'am. I'm Reid, the team leader of the IT security department.
"You requested the IT security report?" I studied him over. He appeared capable, his eyes bright and attentive, "Yes, Reid." I need to know how our product sample got leaked. I need the name of the individual who could have done that. "I'm right on it, ma'am," he said calmly
After he left, I reached for a glass of water, but before I could take a sip, my phone rang on the desk. My mother's name flashed across the screen. I stared at it for three long seconds, watching the light bounce off the polished wood, before I finally swiped to answer.
"Helen, where have you been?" Her voice trembled as she spoke "How could you just leave without telling me?
I leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'm not a child, Mum. I'm a grown woman running a multi-million dollar firm.
I don't need to give you a play-by-play of my whereabouts." I rolled my eyes, the bitterness rising in my throat. "Besides, you have Silas to keep you company. He's always been the one you loved most anyway—certainly more than your own daughter."
"That is not true, and you know it," she snapped.
"I did this for us, Helen. I wish for you to have a father figure in your life. I wanted us to have a real family again. Silas is a good man and a decent father.
A bitter knot formed in my stomach as she hesitated. I was aware that she intended to say something I wouldn't agree with.
"He is coming back to the company, Helen. He'll be taking over my seat as the Managing Director. I've already signed the papers to transfer my shares to him.
You can't kick him out this time. He is representing my interests now, so you'd better start showing him some respect."
He is — I did not wait for her to finish. I ended the call and threw the phone on the desk.
"Traitor," I whispered to the empty room. My lungs felt tight. My mother had just handed the keys to my father's kingdom to the man who had spent years trying to erase my father's name. Silas wasn't a father figure, he was a snake. He didn't want a family. I gripped the edge of my desk so hard my knuckles turned white. He thought he could just walk in here and sit in my father's chair? He had no idea what I was capable of.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise outside my door.
"Sir, you can't go in there. "Miss Helen is in a meeting," Tessa said, her voice getting louder as she tried to stop someone. "
"Move," snarled a deep, familiar voice. As I rose up, the sound of the big oak doors slamming against the wall made my heart race. I didn't think I would see him. Derick's dark, intense eyes made my knees tremble.
"You can leave, Tessa," I murmured, staring at him.
"How did you find me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I knew I had told him not to look for me. I had never attempted to run, but now that I was staring at him, I realized that a note on a piece of paper would never be enough to keep him away.