Kiss of Vengeance

CHAPTER 3

The boardroom stood as a testament to corporate vanity. Polished mahogany gleamed under the bright fluorescent lights, which bounced off the sterile surfaces and created an unsettling glare. The air was heavy with the smell of lemon-scented polish and expensive paper, making it feel suffocating. It was meant to inspire confidence and project an image of unwavering success, yet tonight, it only intensified the unease in my stomach.

Ralph, bless his heart, sat at the head of the table, his posture rigid, his brow furrowed with concern. He looked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, his hands clasped tightly as if physically restraining the company's problems. He was a good man, Ralph, honest and hardworking, but sometimes his unwavering faith in others bordered on blind trust.

Beside him, Julian lounged in his chair with an infuriating air of nonchalance. He was the picture of effortless charm, his tailored suit impeccably pressed, his dark hair perfectly coiffed. He radiated an aura of self-assuredness that always made me suspicious. Julian was a master of manipulation, a smooth operator who could charm anyone into believing anything.

I took my seat across from them, next to Maya. I could feel her tension radiating outwards, a palpable force that vibrated beneath her calm exterior. It was a sharp, almost painful sensation, like a tightly wound spring ready to snap. She didn't say a word, but her eyes, usually so full of warmth and humor, were clouded with a deep, unsettling worry.

The silence stretched, heavy and pregnant with unspoken anxieties. Finally, Ralph cleared his throat and spoke, his voice strained. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As you know, we've encountered some… irregularities in our recent financial reports. I've asked the accounting team to conduct a thorough audit, a complete review of all our accounts. My primary concern, as always, is to protect Sinclair Global's reputation."

He spoke with a deliberate calmness, but I could hear the tremor in his voice, the barely concealed anxiety that gnawed at him. He took the company's success personally, feeling responsible for the livelihoods of every employee. It was a burden he carried with unwavering dedication.

Julian, however, remained unfazed. A faint, practiced smile played on his lips, the kind he usually reserved for investors and shareholders. "Ralph, these things happen. It's the nature of business. A misplaced decimal point, a delayed payment – minor discrepancies that are easily rectified. I hardly think this warrants a full-blown crisis meeting."

His words were meant to be reassuring, but they sounded hollow, rehearsed. He was too quick to dismiss the issue, too eager to downplay the potential damage. And I noticed a subtle tightening of the muscles around his jaw, a telltale sign that betrayed his carefully constructed composure.

Ralph nodded, visibly relieved by Julian's seemingly rational assessment. "Exactly. These things occur. But I want complete transparency. We can't afford any rumors, any whispers of impropriety. We need to address this swiftly and decisively."

Maya tapped her fingers lightly on the table, the rhythmic sound cutting through the tension in the room. She still hadn't spoken, but her dark eyes flickered towards Julian, a brief, almost imperceptible glance that spoke volumes. He and I both noticed it.

A silent alarm bell rang in my head, a quiet warning that something was deeply wrong. I leaned forward slightly, my voice soft but firm. "Transparency is essential, Ralph. It's the foundation of trust. We need to understand the root cause of these irregularities."

Julian's eyes snapped to mine, his gaze sharp and assessing, and a shiver ran down my spine. His smile faltered for a moment, revealing a glimpse of something cold and calculating beneath the surface charm.

Maya finally spoke, her voice low and steady. "Numbers don't lie, Ralph. They tell a story. And eventually, the truth will always come to light."

The room fell silent, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air. Ralph, seemingly oblivious to the subtle undercurrents swirling around him, cleared his throat and moved on to the next item on the agenda, as if nothing significant had transpired. But it had.

I could feel it, a palpable shift in the atmosphere. Maya and I hadn't explicitly accused anyone of anything. We hadn't even raised our voices. But our carefully chosen words, our pointed silences, had spoken volumes. And Julian had understood.

As the meeting drew to a close, Ralph left the boardroom visibly relieved, convinced that the situation was under control. He clapped Julian on the shoulder, a gesture of brotherly affection and implicit trust. But as I gathered my papers, I caught Julian's eye again, his gaze sharper, more intense, more… predatory.

He was aware.

And I knew that he knew that we knew.

That realization was far more terrifying than any financial discrepancy.

Later, as the boardroom emptied, Maya lingered by the door, waiting until the other executives had departed. I gathered my things, allowing the silence to stretch between us before finally approaching her. The air was thick with unspoken anxieties, with suspicions too dangerous to voice aloud.

Her voice came first, barely audible. "He noticed."

I nodded, keeping my tone equally low. "Yes. He did." It was enough. We understood each other, a silent language forged in shared observation and growing apprehension.

We walked side by side down the hallway, our footsteps echoing in the sterile silence. Maya's jaw was clenched, her gaze fixed straight ahead. She didn't need to say what we were both thinking: Julian's carefully constructed façade had cracked, revealing a glimpse of the darkness beneath.

Again, my voice was barely a whisper. "Ralph didn't see it. He never does."

Maya exhaled sharply, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "He sees what he wants to see. That's always been his weakness."

We reached the elevator. I pressed the call button, my fingers trembling slightly. Maya turned to me, her voice dropping even lower, becoming sharper. "If we want the truth, Dalia, we're going to have to find it ourselves."

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the mirrored interior. I met her eyes, and a silent understanding passed between us.

"Yes," I said, stepping inside. "But we have to be careful. He's watching us."

The doors slid shut, sealing our words within the confines of the elevator. For the first time, I realized that Maya and I were no longer just sisters-in-law. We were allies, bound by a shared purpose: to uncover the truth about Julian Sinclair, no matter the cost.

***

The night air was thick with the scent of rain, the kind that lingers on the pavement long after the storm has gone. I pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders, shivering a bit as I stepped out of the Sinclair Global building. Ralph was still on the phone, calming investors, so I chose to wait for him by the car.

That's when I heard it: the low, menacing growl of an engine, growing steadily louder.

The headlights appeared suddenly, blindingly bright, cutting through the darkness. A black sedan swerved around the corner, heading straight for me. For a moment, I was frozen, unable to move, fear paralyzing me.

"Dalia!"

Strong arms yanked me back, pulling me roughly against a warm, solid chest. Ralph. The car sped past, missing me by inches, the rush of air stinging my face. Tires screeched, and then, silence. The car didn't stop. It simply vanished into the night.

My knees buckled, but Ralph held me upright, his grip tight and reassuring. "Are you hurt, Dalia? Are you okay?" His voice was tight with panic.

"I'm fine," I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest. "But that wasn't an accident, Ralph. That was deliberate."

His jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with anger. He scanned the deserted street. "Someone tried to kill you, Dalia."

The words hung in the air, heavy and ominous. The whispers in the boardroom, the suspicious numbers, Julian's unnerving calmness… it all came together in a terrifying realization.

I didn't respond. I forced myself to breathe, to remain calm. If I showed fear, I would only make myself a target.

Ralph cupped my face in his hands, his eyes searching for mine. "We're going to find out who did this, Dalia. I promise you. I won't let anyone hurt you."

I managed a nod, but my mind was racing. The black sedan, the precision of the attack… it was all too calculated.

And deep down, I knew that only one person had the motive and the ruthlessness to orchestrate such a thing.

But I kept my suspicions to myself. Not yet. I needed proof.

As we stood there, in the darkness, I knew that my life had changed forever. I was no longer just a wife, a sister-in-law. I was a target. And I would do whatever it took to uncover the truth, even if it meant risking everything.