The contract heiress

A Morning Routine Interrupted The dust motes floating in the early morning sun were filtered by a view through the blinds as Olivia Martinez raced to pull her hair into a messy bun. She looked at the clock on the kitchen wall—7:45 AM. If she didn’t leave soon she was going to be late for work. And when you were working for someone like Aiden Taylor, being late wasn’t an option. Her younger sister, Sophia, was at the kitchen table, chewing on toast. “You look stressed,” Sophia said, teasing him gently, though her voice was soft. “What has you so wound up?” “It’s nothing,” Olivia said hastily, shifting the belt of her bag over her shoulder. “Just… it’s a big day at work today. There’s this meeting with some Chinese investors, and if we don’t close this deal, my boss is going to go crazy.” Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Your boss already looks like he’s lost it most days. Why do you have to do everything?” Olivia sighed and gave her sister a weak smile. “Oh, because I’m the assistant, Soph. “It’s literally my job to pick up the pieces.” Before Sophia could reply, Olivia pecked her forehead and took her coat. “I’m going to try to be home early tonight. Make sure you take your medication, alright? Call me if anything happens.” Sophia rolled her eyes but agreed. “Yeah, yeah. Go save the world, Liv.” Giving her sister one last look, Olivia stepped out of the apartment and locked the door behind her. As she called for a cab, her phone buzzed in her pocket — a text from Aiden. *“Be here by 8:00 sharp. No excuses.” * Olivia groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long day. The Dilemma The ride to the office was ordinary, until Olivia’s phone rang again. When Sophia’s name popped up on the screen, she frowned and picked up right away. “Hey, Soph, what’s wrong?” “But what did they say?” Olivia asked, her concern leaking into her voice. “Liv…” Sophia’s voice sounded weak, wavering. “I don’t feel so good…” Olivia’s heart sank. “What do you mean? Did you take your pills?” “I… I don’t know…” Sophia faltered. “I think I accidentally skipped them yesterday… Before Olivia could answer, she heard a crash at the other end of the line. Silence. “Sophia?! ‘OLIVIA BOWSER,’ Olivia spat into the phone, a roll of panic in her chest. “Sophia, talk to me!” But there was no answer. Or the distant sound of broken glass flying about. Olivia’s hands trembled as she gripped the phone. Her mind swirled with possibilities — had Sophia fallen? Was she hurt? What if some greater evil had befell? “Miss, are you alright?” the cab driver said, looking at her through the rearview mirror. Olivia hesitated, caught between two impossible choices. If she returned home, she’d miss the important meeting at work — the one Aiden had planned for for weeks. She could cost the company millions by losing this contract, and ruin her own reputation in the process. But if she didn’t return, Sophia could be alone, hurt — or worse. “I… I want to go back,” Olivia said at last, her voice little more than a whisper. “Please, take me home.” The cab driver nodded and executed a U-turn. Olivia gazed out the window, her thoughts spinning. How had it all gotten so complicated so quickly? Chaos at Home And when Olivia came bursting through the front door 10 minutes later, her worst nightmare was confirmed. Sophia was unconscious on the kitchen floor, with blood seeping from a gash on her forehead. Now broken plates encircled her, fragments of their breakfast littering the tiles. “Oh my God, Sophia!” Olivia wailed, running to her sister’s side. She placed her fingers against Sophia’s neck, relief coursing through her when she found a weak pulse. “Wake up, please wake up…” Her vision swirling with tears, she dialed emergency services. Paramedics arrived within minutes, putting Sophia on a stretcher and carting her to the ambulance. Olivia climbed in after her, holding her sister’s hand tight. “What happened?” one of the medics shouted as they raced to the hospital. “She has a medical condition,” Olivia said, her voice quavering. “She collapsed earlier today. I believe she hit her head on the way down.” The medic nodded grimly. “We’ll stabilize her vitals first and we’ll see how bad her injuries are and if we have to do surgery.” Olivia’s stomach churned. Surgery also meant money — money she didn’t have. The Hospital Meanwhile at the hospital, Olivia waited anxiously in the waiting room while doctors tended to Sophia. Each tick of the clock slowly stretched to become ages. Eventually a doctor came up to her, looking serious. “Ms. Martinez,” he said, “your sister has suffered a severe head injury. We recommend immediate surgery to avoid further complications.” Olivia swallowed hard. “How much will it cost?” The doctor paused, obviously reluctant to deliver the news. “Approximately $500,000.” The number struck Olivia like a freight train. Half a million dollars. Might as well have been a billion. Where was she going to get that kind of money? Despair engulfed her as she dropped into a chair, burying her face in her hands. At that moment, her phone buzzed violently in her pocket. She glanced at the screen and saw Aiden’s name flashing angrily. Reluctantly, she answered. “Hello?” “Where the hell are you?” “How dare you?” Aiden barked, all fury. “Do you know what just happened because of you?” “I — I can explain,” Olivia stammered, her cheeks wet with tears. “My sister — she passed out, and I had to take her to the hospital. I couldn’t—” “I don’t want to hear your excuses!” Aiden snapped. “We lost the contract because you were at your place. The investors walked away. Do you know what that means? Our competitors are now the ones ahead, and this is all your fault.” Guilt gnawed at Olivia as her teeth sunk into her lip. “Aiden, please I didn’t want to. My sister needed me—” “Enough,” Aiden broke in cold. “This isn’t negotiable. You’re fired, Olivia. Effective immediately.” With her words, she was like a punch in the face. Fired. In the middle of everything. No income, no means to pay for Sophia’s surgery and nowhere else to go. After the call ended, Olivia stared blankly at the phone, her world collapsing around her. For a second, she thought to go into it all — the accident, the hospital bill, the unthinkable position she’d been put in — but what would it change? To a person like Aiden, nothing of it would explain her failure. All she could do now was sit in the sterile hospital waiting room, seeking a miracle. It was hours before the nurse returned with an update. “Ms. Martinez, your sister is stable for the moment, but the surgery will need to take place in the next twenty-four hours. Without it, she could deteriorate a lot.” Olivia nodded numbly, her head spinning. She had no savings, no rich relatives to support her, no job to fall back on. She was desperate enough to know that there was only one person who could possibly still listen—one man with the ultimate power. She picked up her phone and began scrolling through her contacts until she got to Aiden’s name. She took a big breath and typed out a message: “Aiden, I know I messed up. But I need your help. Please.” She hit send, bracing herself for his reply, or lack thereof. Would he even waste time responding? Or was she really out of choices?