The Heiress They Hated

The rain was hitting the glass windows of ALAMI TOWER like bullets. I clutched the folder to my chest. Inside were three years of scholarship records. Perfect grades. And one letter. A letter from my dead grandmother. A letter nobody in this building knew existed. Miss Layla. The secretary looked at me like I was dirt on her shoes. Mr Alami will see you now. You have 5 minutes. Five minutes. That is all I needed. The elevator went up 88 floors. With every floor, my heart beat harder. Three years ago I left this city with nothing but 20 dollars and shame in my eyes. Three years ago his family threw me out like garbage when they found out I was pregnant. She is not good enough for us Rayhan. Marry your cousin Selena. She is rich. She is family. I still hear his aunts voice in my head. Ding. The doors opened. And there he was. Rayhan Alami. Same black suit. Same cold eyes. Same jaw that could cut glass. He was on the phone, and he did not even look up when I walked in. Tell Selena I will be at dinner. No I do not care if she picked the flowers. He hung up. Finally looked at me. For one second, nothing. The next second, his pen dropped. Layla. My name. In that deep, dangerous voice. The voice that whispered my name one year ago, in the dark, when no one was watching. What are you doing here he asked. Cold. Distant. Like I was a stranger. I forced myself to stand straight. My son Adam was at home with my sister. I did not come here for Rayhan. I came here for justice. I am here to see the board I said. My voice did not shake. I am here to claim what is mine. He laughed. One sharp, ugly sound. Claim what is yours. You mean the hush money my aunt gave you three years ago. No. I put the folder on his desk. I mean 40 percent of Alami Group. The room went silent. His eyes narrowed. You are lying. Open it. Inside was the will. Legal. Stamped. Signed by my grandmother, Amina Alami. The woman they called the crazy old lady and locked in a villa for 10 years. The woman who was the original founders daughter. The woman whose shares they thought died with her. Rayhan picked up the paper. His hands were shaking. For the first time in my life, I saw Rayhan Alami afraid. This is fake he whispered. It is not. I met his eyes. And in 48 hours, the board meeting starts. I will be there. As a shareholder. As your boss. He stood up so fast his chair fell. He walked around the desk until he was inches from me. I could smell his cologne. The same one from three years ago. You think this changes anything he hissed. My family will destroy you. Selena will destroy you. You have no idea what you just walked into. Maybe not. I smiled. For the first time in 3 years, I smiled at him. But I know one thing Rayhan. You cannot touch me now. Because if you do, the whole empire falls. His phone buzzed on the desk. AUNT. Where are you. Dinner with Selena in 30 min. Do not be late. He looked at the message. Then at me. And for a second, I saw it. Guilt. Regret. And something else. Pain. Get out he said finally. I turned to leave. At the door, I stopped. Oh and Rayhan. I turned back. One more thing. The boy has your eyes. I walked out and did not look back. Behind me, I heard glass breaking. The war had just begun. Chapter 2 The Boardroom Bomb 48 hours later. ALAMI GROUP. Boardroom. 88th Floor. Twenty men in black suits. One woman. Me. I walked in wearing a simple white dress. No jewelry. No makeup. I did not need it. The papers in my hand were worth 2 billion dollars. The air in the room was thick. At the head of the table sat Rayhan. To his right sat Selena Alami. Blonde hair, red dress, diamond necklace. The perfect fiancee. To his left sat his aunt, Victoria Alami. Eyes like ice. Ladies and gentlemen Rayhan started. His voice was steel. This is an emergency board meeting. Victoria stood up first. Before we begin, I would like to address the intruder. She looked straight at me. Miss Amari. This is a private meeting. I smiled. Actually, Mrs Alami, it is my meeting too. I slid the will across the long marble table. As of 9am this morning, I own 40 percent of this company. Gasps filled the room. Selena's wine glass almost fell from her hand. Rayhan did not blink. But his knuckles turned white on the table. This is a forgery Victoria hissed. That old woman was senile. Then take it to court I said calmly. The lawyers already verified it. Three times. For the next hour, hell broke loose. They yelled. They threatened. They called me a liar, a gold digger, a criminal. Rayhan said nothing. He just watched me. Like he was trying to figure out who I became in 3 years. Finally, the head lawyer, Mr Thompson, cleared his throat. The will is legal. Miss Amari is now the second largest shareholder. She has the right to be here. And to vote. Victoria slammed her fist on the table. This is ridiculous. Rayhan, do something. Rayhan finally spoke. She stays. Three words. The room froze. Selena turned to him, eyes wide. Rayhan. What are you saying. I am saying Rayhan stood up, that Miss Amari will be joining us. As Vice President of Operations. He looked at me. Congratulations. My heart stopped. He just gave me power. In the heart of his enemy's house. Why. After the meeting, Selena cornered me in the hallway. You think you won she whispered. You are pregnant with a bastard and you think you can sit at our table. I did not answer. I just kept walking. That night, I got a text from an unknown number. Leave the city. Or your son will get hurt. V V. Victoria. I looked at Adam sleeping in his bed. They wanted to scare me. They did not know. An heiress does not run. An heiress fights back.