HEATED
1523 Words
|Helena|
The moment I entered the private workspace Jude had secured for me after a long day with Penny, I sensed something was off. The air seemed heavier, and my skin prickled with unease. My eyes darted to the corner of the room where a small envelope lay on the desk.
I approached cautiously, glancing at the locked windows and the security camera mounted above. My fingers brushed the envelope. It was unmarked, the paper coarse under my touch. Inside was a single sheet of paper with bold, printed words:
“Stop digging, Helena. You won’t like what happens next.”
My throat tightened, but I forced myself to steady my breathing. Intimidation tactics weren’t new to me, but this felt more personal. I turned the note over, searching for any other clues, but it was clean.
Grabbing my phone, I dialed Jude.
“I’ve been warned,” I said flatly when he answered.
“What? Warned how?”
I held the phone between my shoulder and ear, snapping a picture of the note and sending it to him. “Check your messages. It was waiting for me when I got here.”
A low curse echoed through the line. “Steve,” Jude growled.
“Obviously,” I replied with a cold voice. “But I’m not backing down. He doesn’t get to scare me off with a piece of paper.”
Jude hesitated. “Helena, Steve’s not just playing games. If he’s resorting to threats, it means he knows you’re close to exposing him. You need to be careful.”
“Careful doesn’t win wars,” I shot back. “He wants me rattled, Jude. That’s not going to happen.”
I hung up before he could argue further. This wasn’t my first time being threatened, and it wouldn’t be the last. If Steve thought he could bully me into submission, he was sorely mistaken because I had put everything on the line for his evil deeds to be exposed.
***
|Steve|
“That little brat thinks she’s untouchable,” Steve snarled, slamming his fist on his desk.
His assistant flinched but remained silent, accustomed to his volatile temper. He quietly watched as Steve fought with the tie hanging loosely on his neck.
“She’s been sniffing around too much, poking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Do you know what happens to people who cross me?” he hissed, pacing the room like a caged animal.
“Sir,” the assistant began cautiously, “we’ve already sent the warning. Perhaps we should wait to see how she reacts before escalating things.”
Steve stopped mid-step, his piercing glare cutting through the room. “Wait? Wait? Do I look like someone who waits?”
He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. “I want someone watching Helena Mavis around the clock. I don’t care how much it costs. If she so much as breathes the wrong way, I want to know about it.”
Ending the call, he leaned back in his chair, his mind racing. Helena was smarter than he’d anticipated. He’d underestimated her before, but that wouldn’t happen again.
“Time to remind her who she’s dealing with,” he muttered.
***
|Helena|
I barely had time to sit down after discarding the envelope before my phone buzzed again. It was an unknown number, but I picked it up anyway.
“I see you’re not taking my advice, Ms. Mavis.”
Steve’s voice was as slick as oil, but there was an edge to it that sent a shiver down my spine.
“I don’t respond well to threats,” I said evenly.
“Oh, this isn’t a threat,” he replied, his tone almost mocking. “It’s a promise. You’re treading on dangerous ground, and if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself buried under it.”
I leaned back in my chair, feigning nonchalance. “You mean the way you buried the truth about your embezzlement? Or how you orchestrated Michael’s downfall?”
He had always play mind games with me by calling me sister-in-law whenever he saw me outside. Seeing him in a serious mode felt strange yet amusing. He was off his mask so I was glad that we could talk without pretense.
The silence on the other end of the line was deafening, but I knew I’d struck a nerve.
“You’re playing a game you can’t win,” he said finally, his voice cold.
“Funny,” I countered, “I was just about to say the same to you.”
“Well, I’ll take it as you understand what I said” he chuckled slightly
His chuckle sent a cold chill down my spine. It wasn’t the usual ones he would let out during his subtle mocks so I ended the call because my heart had started to race. Steve’s desperation was growing, and desperate men were the most dangerous.
****
|Michael|
Jude’s call came while I was reviewing documents in my home office. His voice was clipped, filled with an urgency that immediately put me on edge.
“It’s Steve,” he said. “He’s directly threatening Helena now.”
“What?” I barked, standing so abruptly that my chair scraped against the floor.
Jude filled me in on the note and Steve’s escalating behavior. I clenched my fists, anger coursing through me as Jude talked away.
“That bastard doesn’t know when to stop,” I growled.
“He’s losing control, we need to act fast” Jude said. “He knows Helena’s close to something big, and he’s trying to scare her off.”
I paced the room, my mind working overtime. Steve had always been ambitious, but this level of aggression was new.
“What’s his endgame?” I muttered.
Jude paused. “You think he’s planning something bigger?”
I stopped pacing, the pieces falling into place. “He’s not just trying to stop Helena. He’s covering his tracks for something else and there’s a high probability that it’s something he hasn’t done yet.
“What do you mean?”
“Steve doesn’t fight to maintain the status quo,” I said. “He fights to advance. If he’s panicking, it’s because Helena’s investigation could derail a move he’s planning.”
Jude cursed softly. “You think he’s trying to take the company public?”
“It’s possible,” I replied. “Or worse. He might be siphoning assets into another venture. Either way, we need to find out before he locks us out completely.”
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. “I’m going to see Helena.”
“Michael, wait..” Jude started, but I hung up before he could finish.
****
|Helena|
The knock on my office door startled me. I looked up to see Michael standing there with a grim expression.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, folding my arms, he was the last person I had expected to see at my door
“We need to talk,” he said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
I sighed, leaning against my desk. “Make it quick. I’m busy.” I already knew what he wanted to say after all and I was not ready to give him the emotions he wanted
“Steve’s escalating,” he said bluntly. “He’s not just trying to intimidate you. He’s protecting something bigger.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And you know this how? Is there something else I should know?”
“Because I know how he thinks,” Michael replied, his voice tight. “Steve doesn’t just react, he plans. If he’s panicking, it’s because you’re close to something that could ruin him.”
I studied him for a moment, trying to gauge his sincerity. Despite everything, Michael was one of the few people who understood Steve as well as I did. They are cousins after all and Steve has always been after anything Michael owned.
“Fine,” I said finally. “But if we’re doing this, we do it my way.”
Michael nodded, his jaw clenched. “Agreed.”
As I pulled up my findings on the USB drive, I felt a strange mix of determination and unease. The stakes were higher than ever, and failure wasn’t an option.
But neither was backing down.
***
|Steve|
Steve stared at the bank statement on his screen, his teeth grinding in frustration. The offshore account Helena had uncovered was just the tip of the iceberg, and if she got her hands on the rest, it would be game over.
He leaned back, his mind racing. He needed to act faster than he had been doing.
Picking up his phone, he dialed a number.
“It’s time to accelerate the plan,” he said. “Start moving the assets. I don’t care how risky it is so just do it.”
As he ended the call, a cruel smile spread across his face. Helena might have outsmarted him once, but she wouldn’t win this war.
Not if he had anything to say about it.
- Writer
