The O'Connor Charity Ball
985 Words
Jason's POV
I'd been staring at the same quarterly report for forty-five minutes, and I hadn't absorbed a single word. The numbers blurred together like meaningless symbols that couldn't hold my attention.
And no matter how hard I tried to deny what the reason behind why I was feeling that way was, I just couldn't and that was because Katherine wasn't here.
I looked at the empty chair across from my desk. She used to sit there, her posture perfect, her dark hair falling in waves around her face.
It had been three weeks since she'd resigned. Three weeks since I'd last seen her face, heard her voice, felt the electricity that crackled between us whenever we were in the same room.
I told myself I didn't care. She was just a woman who had betrayed me by running off with my high school rival, and moreover, she wasn't even in the same class with me.
I was a Richmond for crying out loud, and one of the five wealthiest families in the country. Since I took over Richmond's Empire, it had been my ambition to put my family's name as the wealthiest—a position that had been held by the O' Connor for nearly a decade.
The O' Connors were the only trillionaires in the country with a net worth of $1.3 trillion dollars. Rumor had it that their son and heir to the O' Connor Empire had been deprived of taking over the empire all because he wasn't married, but no one knew who that son was.
But that wasn't my problem. My problem was how to put Richmond's Empire on the same pedestal as the O' Connor Empire even if it would cost me the last drop of blood in my veins.
I was still in that thought, when a soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come in," I snapped.
Brenda entered, her smile too bright, her heels too loud on the marble floor. "Jason, darling, I've been looking for you. I thought we could have lunch together."
"I'm busy," I replied, shutting her out.
"You've been busy lately. Ever since Katherine left, you've been—"
"Don't say her name."
Brenda's smile faltered, with something dark passing through her eyes. "Fine. Whatever you say." She walked around my desk, her hand sliding across my shoulders. "I just thought you might need a distraction. You've been working yourself too hard."
I pulled away. "I said, I'm busy."
"Jason—"
"Leave, Brenda."
Her face hardened, but she nodded and walked out.
I sat back in my chair, my mind clouded with so many thoughts. Brenda was... convenient. She was beautiful, ambitious, and she wanted me. But every time she touched me, I wasn't just feeling her the way I had expected.
I pulled up an article that had been circulating for weeks.
The headline glared at me from the screen, each word a fresh wound.
"Billionaire Heir to the O'Connor Empire Now Married and Ready to Take Over the O' Connor Empire."
I read the article again with each passing sentence.
Sources close to the O'Connor family have confirmed that the reclusive heir to the O'Connor Empire has finally married, fulfilling the condition set by the family's board of directors.
The mysterious heir whose identity has been carefully guarded for years will now assume control of the $1.3 trillion conglomerate in a ceremony that marks the end of Patrick O'Connor's reign.
The bride, whose name has not been released, is said to be a commoner with no ties to the wealth and power of the O'Connor dynasty. Insiders speculate that the marriage was a condition of the inheritance, a final test from Patrick O'Connor to ensure his son was "stable" enough to lead the empire.
A charity ball will be held next month to celebrate the changing of the guard. All of Chicago's elite have been invited to witness the historic transition, including the Richmond family."
I scrolled further, searching for any mention of the heir's name or his wife's identity. Nothing. The article was deliberately vague, protecting the O'Connor family's carefully guarded privacy.
But that was fine. In fact, it was perfect.
My lips curled into a slow, calculating smile. This charity ball wasn't just a celebration. It was an opportunity. The O’Connor’s had kept their secrets for decades, hiding behind their wealth and power like a fortress. But this ball would be different. The heir would be there. The wife would be there. And so would I.
This would be my chance to get closer to the O'Connor's. To study them. To learn the secrets of their unmatched success. If I could befriend the heir, gain his trust, I might finally uncover what made the O'Connor Empire untouchable.
And if I couldn't befriend him... well, there were other ways to bring down an empire.
I closed the article and leaned back in my chair, my mind already spinning with plans. The ball was in five days. That gave me time to prepare, to strategize, to make sure I was ready for whatever the night would bring.
But first, I needed to apologize to Brenda.
I've been distant lately, cold and dismissive. She didn't deserve that. She was my fiancée, the woman I'd chosen over Katherine all those years ago. I owed her better than the scraps of attention I'd been giving her.
And besides, having Brenda on my arm would be useful. She was beautiful, poised, and she knew how to work a room. She'd be the perfect accessory for a night like this.
I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.
"Jason?" Her voice was surprised, cautious. "You're calling me?"
"I want to take you shopping," I said. "For the O'Connor charity ball. I want you to meet me at the boutique on Michigan Avenue in an hour. I'll have the car pick you up."
- Writer
