The heiress's hidden enemy

The rain had started drizzling long before daybreak, soaking the city in water and its dull gray colours. It felt like the world was now aware of the man who had just died. The captivating Evelyn Sterling stood rooted to the floor by the window in her penthouse, her reflection silently staring back at her as if they were strangers. Outside, the city kept bustling with moving vehicles, honking noisily at each other while the passersby waded through each other with their umbrellas standing tall over there heads. Her father, Jonathan Sterling had just died, “Daddy" as she fondly called him was no more and that was a nightmare she had fought so hardly for but couldn't seem to shake it's feeling off her mind. As if that was not enough, their stupid whispers cut into her thoughts like her sharp knife, slicing her back to reality. Behind her, the soft murmur of the lawyers, advisors and executive of her family's empire began to fill the room. These men and women, had served her father for decades and they were now gathered in quiet clusters, their facial expressions remained neutral as they held their conversations in hushed tones. Evelyn exhaled slowly, squeezing her eyes shut as she began twirling the untouched whiskey in her glass. “Miss Sterling.” one of them called out cautiously as if trying to test her waters. “What do you want!?” she snapped, slowly opening her eyes but stood unmoving. “The board has been assembling and they… we are all waiting for you.” came the voice. Of course they were, she thought as she closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, her expression had returned to that of composed control. “And so what? Let them wait,” she said calmly. The murmurs continued but no one seemed to what to bring up any argued. _____________ By mid-morning, black cars had lined the driveway of the Sterling Estate in a perfect straight lined as the park by in garden, in front of the magnificent Anne-Victorian mansion. Their polished surfaces glinting as it reflected the somber sky above. But inside the house, the atmosphere remained thick with tension that had been disguised as respect. Evelyn waded through the crowd like a shadow in her silky black dress that had been tailored to perfection, her dark shades sat prettily on the bridge of her nose, while a glittering red lip stick sat on her lips accentuating the light make-up on her face. She walked around, greeting the guests elegantly, accepting condolences and keeping her posture flawless as usual despite the ocean of eyes that seemed to want to drown her while only a few dared to meet her gaze directly. They were watching and patiently waiting for a c***k but she never gave them none. “Hello, Evelyn.” a very familiar voice called from behind her, cutting through the quiet murmurs. She stopped as she turned slowly. Paul Harrington stood a few steps apart from her with his hands tucked casually into the trouser pockets of his dark suit, as if they were in every other social gathering and not the funeral of a man who had once been both an enemy and friend to his own father. He stood tall and well composed carrying that intense gaze in his eyes exactly as she had always remembered. “Ohh… If it's not Paul,” she called gently, a wry smile plastering her face. He walked up closer to her, just enough to breach the boundary of polite distance. “I’m sorry for the loss, please accept my deepest condolences, your father was… a remarkable man.” He said, with no warmth in his voice. “Yes, he was.” she replied, steadily holding his gaze. A wave of silence washed between them, heavy with unspoken history as Paul’s lips curled in a scornful smile. “... And I see… you’ve inherited quite a legacy,” he called as he looked around as the guests present. “Yup,... And quite a s**t ton of expectations,” Evelyn retorted smoothly. “But you know… expectations can be… extremely difficult to meet.” He replied, as his eyes flickered with amusement. “Yeah.. right. But that'll be only for those who aren’t prepared.” she countered, the tension between sharpening like fangs. “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.” said as he dipped his head to study her. Evelyn didn’t say a word because they both knew what he meant, this wasn’t just a mere conversation, he had just giver her a subtle warning. _____________ By the time Evelyn walked into the boardroom that afternoon, the rain had stopped but the storm had only just begun. The board members were already sitting in the room, all twelve pairs of their eyes remained fixed on her as if trying to monitoring her every move. She knew some of them were loyal while the others remained opportunistic but they were all powerful in their own right. Evelyn walked to the head of the table where her father usually sat, one of the men pulled back the chair as she sat on her father's seat without any hesitation causing a subtle murmur to ripple through the room. Good, let them feel it. She thought. “Miss Sterling, Firstly, please allow us to express our deepest condolences…” one of the senior board members began as he folded his hands carefully. “Thank you,” Evelyn interrupted politely but firmly. “But I believe we all understand why we’re here.” After another bout of silence, the man nodded slowly. “Of course. As outlined in your father’s will, full control of Sterling Holdings has been transferred to you. However…” he began Yes, there it was, Evelyn thought as she leaned back gently, keeping her gaze steady. “However?” she prompted. “Given your… relative inexperience, the board believes it would be prudent to discuss certain transitional…” “No.” she said simply, the word landed softly but it cut clean. The room was thrown into silence. Evelyn leaned forward, placing her hands lightly on the table, her eyes began moving from one face to another. “I understand your concerns, trust me, I really do.” she continued, her tone measured. “But let me make one thing very clear…there will be no transition of authority.” Nobody said a word or even moved, they just looked on in bewilderment. “I am not here to learn how to run this company, I am here to run it.” she declared. “And I really suggest that you all start adjusting to this new development accordingly.” she added coldly. The message was now crystal clear and unmistakable, she was no grieving daughter who was stepping into unfamiliar territory. This was a woman who intended to take control and keep it. Hours later, Evelyn finally allowed herself a moment alone. Long after the boardroom had emptied and the last of the condolences had been delivered, she stood by the window, the silence now felt heavy in a different way. Her father was now gone, leaving the empire in her care and somewhere out there… The game had already begun. Her phone vibrated softly against the glass table beside her, she turned to it, turning the choice of ignoring it over and over in her mind. Then, she picked it up, slowly. “Evelyn Sterling.” she called. “Congratulations on your inheritance.” a smooth, unfamiliar drawled slowly. “Who is this?” she asked, her grip tightening around her phone. “Nothing extra, just someone who’s been patiently watching.” the voice responded with a soft chuckle. Then the line went dead. Evelyn lowered the phone slowly, her expression remaining unreadable. Outside, the city moved on but Evelyn knew that this wasn’t just the beginning of her reign, it was the start of something dangerous, hiding somewhere in the shadows…Someone had already made their first move