Love Under The Sheets

"Pack!" A slap rang out—skin striking skin—and Freya’s breath seized. Time seemed to freeze. The moment had arrived, and all she felt was crushing helplessness. "Urgh" A weak groan. Then silence. "Mom..." Her voice was raw, barely more than a whisper, as her gaze landed on her mother slumped on the floor, a thin trail of blood smeared across her lips. "Mom..." She thrashed against the iron grip, wrenching her arm back, but it was no use. "Please… let me go." Tears blurred her vision, her voice splintering. The slow, deliberate click of heels echoed through the room. Then a shadow fell over her mother. Talia Robinson-Winters, her lips twisting into something too cruel to be called a smile. "Look what you made me do to your mother, Freya." Freya shook her head violently, desperation clawing up her throat. "Please… stop this." Talia sighed, the mock regret in her voice dripping like poison. "You brought this upon yourself, my dear." Freya’s words withered. Her pulse roared in her ears, unshed tears scorching her eyes. Helplessness coiled around her, choking. For twenty-three years, they had lived in peace. Her mother had sacrificed everything—wealth, status, comfort—just to keep her hidden. Just to keep her safe from these vultures. But they were dragged back to her mother’s worst nightmare. The Winters estate. A place that was supposed to be home. After her grandmother’s death and her grandfather’s swift remarriage, her mother’s life had warped beyond recognition. The home she once cherished became a gilded cage. The father who had adored her grew distant, his warmth replaced by a chilling indifference. Then came the final disgrace—her mother’s unexplained pregnancy. No one knew who the father was. Scandalized, her grandfather had exiled them. Shipped them far away to escape the shame. And now, after all these years, the past had come to claim them. "All these years, you and your mother have been living the dream, while the rest of us have worked ourselves to the bone keeping Winters Corporation afloat." Talia strode to the nearest chair and settled into it with the grace of a queen claiming her throne. Freya kept her head low but answered softly, "Winters Corporation was my mother’s birthright." "Your mother did nothing for this company!" Talia snapped, her voice sharp as a whip. "She brought shame to the Winters name, and yet you still have the audacity to make demands?" She flicked a disdainful glance at Leila, still crumpled on the floor. "Are you hearing this, Leila? Your daughter thinks she’s entitled to what we’ve built." Silence stretched until the sound of measured footsteps cut through the tension. A figure stepped in front of Freya—Rebecca Robinson-Smith, her posture elegant, her smile cold. "Sign this," she said, holding out a folder. "Transfer the thirty-five percent shares of stocks to my mother, and you and your mother can walk away. We’ll pretend none of this ever happened." The room held its breath, waiting. "Winters Corporation is all my mother has left of her parents, Madame Rebecca." Freya’s voice was barely above a whisper. She failed to see the way Rebecca’s expression darkened. "She did nothing for this company!" Rebecca’s composure shattered, her voice rising in fury. "It was Mother and I who stood by Arnolf Winters, who kept this empire running while you and your mother lived lavishly off our labor! All you have is just the name!" Freya didn’t flinch. She kept her gaze lowered, her silence a mask of meekness—but her words were anything but. "My grandfather left those shares to me, Aunt Rebecca," she murmured, her voice soft but deliberate. "It's mine" Then, with a slow, deliberate glance up, she added, "Besides… it's not just the name, Winters blood runs through my veins. This company belongs to the Winters. You? You’re just employees." Rebecca’s face twisted in fury. "You little—!" A sharp c***k split the air as Rebecca’s palm struck Freya’s cheek, snapping her head to the side. "Freya!" Leila screamed, her voice raw with horror. Talia, despite her age, moved with terrifying speed. In an instant, she was on Leila, her bony fingers closing around her throat. "Sign the papers," she hissed, "or I’ll squeeze the life out of her right here." Freya’s breath seized. "Mom—!" She thrashed against the man holding her, but his grip was iron. Across the room, her mother gasped, clawing weakly at Talia’s hands as her face turned ashen. "You leave me no choice, Leila," Talia muttered, her voice eerily calm. A younger woman, her granddaughter, Chinny, knelt beside them, pinning Leila’s wrists to the floor. "Your daughter’s stubbornness will be the death of you. Blame her for what could happen to you Leila" Talia sneered, a crazy look filled her eyes. Chinny smirked, watching the scene. "Better listen, little mouse. Grandma doesn’t bluff." "Sign it!" Talia barked, tightening her grip. Leila’s eyes bulged, her mouth gaping soundlessly as her legs kicked in weak, desperate spasms. Freya’s vision blurred with tears. "Stop! Please—!" But Talia didn’t loosen her hold. Leila’s face was turning blue, her body slackening. Hopelessness and terror shot down Freya’s spine as she watched the last flicker of life drain from her mother’s eyes. Then—a voice sliced through the chaos like a knife. "Whoa… what drama is this?" A towering man strode in, his presence commanding the room before he’d even spoken. Behind him, a group of sharp-eyed men fanned out like wolves circling prey. But it was the figure who entered last that stole the breath from the room. The air turned to ice. Time seemed to stutter. Every gaze locked onto him. "CEO Black" his name a whispered curse on trembling lips. Broad-shouldered and lethally composed, he stood at the center of the room, his cold, piercing eyes pinning Freya in place. "It's time I collect the payment" His voice was steel, his stare unbroken—as if the entire world had narrowed to her alone. ****TBC****