The heiress's hidden enemy

CHAPTER TWO: The First Move

The headlines broke before the sun fully rose in the sky.

“STERLING HEIRESS TAKES CONTROL; MARKETS UNCERTAIN”

“IS EVELYN STERLING READY TO LEAD?”

“HARRINGTON GROUP POISED TO CAPITALIZE”

Evelyn flipped lazily through them all like she didn't give the tiniest hoot about whatever was going on, as she sat at the head of the long, crystal breakfast table with an iPad in one hand and the untouched coffee which was already growing cold in front of her.

The rising sun gradually peeped in through the window, bathing the room in its bright morning light, but the calm did nothing to ease the chaos she was seeing. As a result of the published headlines, the public doubt and market pressure had already started.

This was a strategic timing and she knew there was only one person behind all of this, Paul Harrington, and he wasn’t just testing her anymore, he was fully announcing himself.

“Miss Evelyn, the pre-market activity is already fluctuating and the energy stocks are dipping,” her chief financial officer said from across the table, her voice tight with urgency.

“There’s been an aggressive move overnight and it seems like someone is trying to buy into our smaller subsidiaries.” she finished.

“Okay… and how aggressive is this?” Evelyn asked, her gaze still fixed on the iPad’s screen.

“Well… its just aggressive enough to suggest intent, but also careful so as to avoid immediate detection or any suspicions.” she replied.

“Then they are not careful enough,” she said, smiling.

The room went still until she placed the pad down on the table top and lifted her gaze.

“Call the team, make sure to trace the source of all these.” she clipped

“Yes ma’am we’re really trying, but…” she began

“Don’t try. Do it.” Evelyn cut in, but her tone remained calm.

“Yes, ma’am.”

_________________

The pressure only got worse by noon as the media outlets kept publishes more and more scandalous news and had the scheduled meeting Evelyn had with the investors turn into an interrogation.

She stood composed at the front of the glass-walled conference room, in a room full of powerful stakeholders who kept questioning her capability with polished skepticism.

“So.. Miss Sterling,” one of them began, adjusting his glasses. “I’m sure by now, you're aware of your father’s decades of experience and with all due respect, what assurance can you give to us that you can maintain that same level of… stability?”

She fought so hard to stop herself rolling her eyes in complete disgust because there it was again, that unnerving doubt they've always had about her, only that this time, it was dressed in professionalism.

Evelyn met his gaze without hesitation.

“You don’t,” she replied, simply causing a ripple of surprise to move through the room.

Then she continued.

“What you have is a choice, so you can either trust the structure he has built over the years, the same one that I have been part of long before this moment or you can walk away and watch someone else benefit from that decision.”

Then she paused again, letting all she had said sink in, before she continued.

“Also… I am not here to convince you, I don't have time to waste on doing that.” she added. “I am here to lead you… all of you… and whether or not you choose to follow, that is entirely up to you,” she finished, letting her gaze meet the eyes of everyone present.

No one spoke after that but she saw it. The respect in their expressions and for now, that was just enough.

*****

But by the time she had returned to her office, the real problem was already waiting.

“Evelyn,” he called.

She didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Paul.” she returned.

He stood near the window, his presence already settled in as though he belonged there.

“You should really start tightening your security, I'm still surprised at how easy it was to get in here.” he said casually.

Evelyn set the files down the files in her hands deliberately.

“I’ll keep that in mind, right after I decide whether or not to have you thrown out, ”she replied.

“You could try.” He smiled faintly.

“Or you could listen.” he cut in sharply.

Evelyn leaned against the edge of her desk, folding her arms lightly.

“You have just five seconds. Start spilling your rubbish, I have an empire to run.” she said.

“Someone’s making moves against you, so it's not just me,” he said.

But Evelyn didn’t react.

“And how am I supposed to react to that?” she asked, smirking faintly.

“You should be scared,” he replied. “Because whoever it is… they’re not interested in playing publicly.”

Now that was interesting, Evelyn thought as she burst out in a loud cynical laughter.

“And you are here to help me out? To show you care? Oh! Don't flatter me, please,” she countered as she looked up at him, anger clouding her eyes.

“Nah… actually it's far from all of that, I just like my battles where I can see them.” said as he stepped closer.

“You’re being watched, Evelyn and not it's not even in the way you think.” he added, almost as an afterthought:

“Good luck,” he said lightly. “You’re going to need lots of it.”

And he was gone, just like that.

________________

The office felt even more heavier after he left while Evelyn paced about thoughtfully, turning his wife's over on her mind

“Someone’s making moves against you, so it's not just me.”

Her phone buzzed from another unknown number, she picked up her phone.

“Yes?” she clipped.

“You sure don't sound surprised this time.” came the same unnerving voice that had now become familiar in ways that irritated her.

“Should I be?” Evelyn replied coolly.

“You handled the board meeting well, I am impressed, I must say.” it replied after a soft pause.

Her grip on the phone tightened just a fraction.

“Hmm.. now that narrows it all down,” she said. “You’re either very well-informed… or very well-placed.”

“Uhh…maybe both.” it drawled.

Evelyn’s eyes shifted slightly to the window, toward the city beyond.

“Look, I don’t have time for this s**t. You had better go straight to the point and stop testing me. Now what do you want?” she asked, slowly becoming irritated.

Then the voice softened, just enough to feel intentional.

“To see what you’ll do next.” The voice replied then the line went dead again.

This time, Evelyn didn’t move or speak right away but something inside her had shifted.

Paul’s warning.

The unknown caller and the precision of the media attacks, this wasn’t chaos, it was a carefully layered design.

Evelyn slowly placed the phone down, her reflection catching in the glass surface of her

desk. Her expression remained composed and controlled.

But her eyes… were sharper and more alert now.

“Alright, let's play” she murmured coldly