The Heiress Revenge

Seven

General POV

"Edward," Jane breathed heavily as Edward held her in his arms, their tongues slithering in and out of their mouths. He hastily fiddled with her button-up chest as they made out intensely. The bulge on his pants was visible. Jane had her arms circled over her shoulder to deepen the kiss, a moan muffled by their lips as she rubbed down on his bulge.

Hastily, he dropped her against his bed. "We can't make much noise. My parents can't know you are here."

Jane scoffed at his words and pushed hard against his chest when his hands slithered underneath her skirt. "You are pathetic."

Edward appeared confused by her reaction and sat on the bed instead. "What's wrong?"

She wore her panties that sat mid-thigh and smoothed her skirt. "I am leaving."

He reached for her arm and turned her around to face him, "What mistakes have I made this time?"

She shrugged her arm out of his hold, "You always prioritize her, even in our most intimate times. Can't you make it less obvious I am second to her?" She spat, frustrated, turning her back on him.

"You are never my second option, Jane. You own my heart; Elaine doesn't. I am only being this way because I want the best for both of us."

"You want the best for us, yet you took her side this evening when it was obvious she sabotaged my meal."

He sighed, exasperated. "You can't accuse Elaine in that way; it'll be bad for both of us if she starts suspecting our relationship is beyond formal. I need you to understand you are the only one my heart seeks; my actions to fool your sister should not confuse you. I love you, Jane," he mutters and walks to her to reclaim her lips.

She succumbed to him and returned his kiss. "I trust you, Edward, but Elaine is becoming unpredictable. Things are more difficult now that Alexander Derov is at the helm of affairs with Elaine."

Edward thought hard, "I am sure Elaine is still head over heels for me; I'll be able to sway her decision once more."

"We should not trust her. She brought Alexander to the company; they were once friends and had a thing going. We can't rely on her to be predictable."

Edward exhaled sharply. Recalling how close Elaine and Alexander appeared to be, he shook his head. "You overestimate her. I am sure Mr Derov presence at the company was Mrs. Gregory doing."

Jane crossed her arms and muttered spitefully, "The old hag seems to be aware of our intention, but she's way too old to protect Elaine forever. It's easy to get her out of the picture."

Edward nodded and said tersely, "We need to find that disk. Alexander is a sharp business man; he is known to be meticulous; he might want to look into our finances, and we can't let him notice the discrepancies."

Elaine

I haven't seen either Edward or Jane this morning since dinner last night. I was certain this was the moment whatever they had started growing deeper. A knock landed on my door, and I saw my PA walking in with a tray of two cups of coffee, one creamed and the other plain dark coffee. A creamy croissant sat close to the latte coffee.

"I never ordered this," I said as she settled it on the little table between my office armchairs.

"Well..." She began to stutter.

"I did." A familiar masculine voice boomed in my office, and my PA hurried out. I raised my eyes and saw Alexander draped in a fitted dark navy suit that revealed his attractive, godlike physique a bit too much. His hair appeared longer as some fell over his gorgeous angular face, his lips etched into an attractive grin. His gray eyes wore their usual mysterious aura. "I wanted breakfast with you."

"Well, I am not hungry..." I said, and my belly found it befitting to rumble loudly in disagreement.

He chuckled and gestured for me to come. I cleared my throat and took a seat opposite him. "I made a deal with you to help me out, not lord over everyone and abuse the fact that our offices are a stone's throw away."

He picked up the croissant and stuffed it in my mouth; his eyes wore an alluring glint, almost mischievous; it felt as though we were kids again. "I don't intend to be a shabby replacement for your fiancé forever. You need to master the art of lording over others if you want power to return to your hands."

I chewed hungrily, aware he was right, but it wasn't easy. "I have been trying." Announced as the future heiress of the family's businesses and corporation should make it easy, but it seemed to be doing the opposite.

He sipped his coffee; his eyes rested on me in scrutiny. "To me, you might appear as a naive twenty-three-year-old unaware of how much responsibility she has. You lost credibility with the board of directors and investors when you entrusted business affairs to others. You are not as assertive as you need to be, and you are a woman. You need to be twice as good to be deemed as good as me. You are at a disadvantage."

I nodded my head at his observation. "You'll make a good professor."

"Not sure whether you'll make a good student. You have to be fully involved now, and first, you need to impress investors and make a statement to the business world before the 102nd conference comes up. Do well enough to be selected as the host."

I thought hard about what I needed to do; just then my phone flashed, and I saw some stock news. I gasped, "The stocks." I was from the future. Most stocks fell because the market suffered a bit, but there was a drastic spike afterward, and businesses that tried to sell their stocks at the lowest price possible regretted it later. Edward then ordered our stock to be sold, and we suffered.

I called my PA, "Arrange for a meeting with the finance manager."

Alexander raised his brows at me, "What are you trying to do?"

"Make as much statement as I need to. Thanks for the breakfast." I appreciated it and hurried out of my office.

News of the terrible market soon spread the next day, and as I expected, a meeting was immediately called for. The board of directors was displeased with the no-sell-only-acquire policies I enacted overnight. The investors were restless and called, but I kept it like that.

Alexander walked with me into the elevator. He was rather silent. "Do you see my actions as immature and naive as well?"

"As a businessman, yes, but as your friend, I am willing to trust you."

I smiled softly at him, "That's all I needed to hear."

We walked into the conference room together; the board of directors, clearly displeased, had called for an election to override my order. Once we settled down, Edward rose to his feet.

"I suggest the order is withdrawn as your actions might lead the company to dire consequences."

"The election will decide," I said firmly, opposing him. He appeared frustrated but settled.

It was counted, and we saw I was almost a vote away from losing, but Alexander's vote and I were up to half of the board. I stood up to address their fears. "I appeal to you to trust me. We will be acquiring companies instead to increase our gross profit. We should view this as an opportunity and utilize it properly."

Edward cleared his throat, "I am sorry to say, but you have little experience in these matters. I fear it might lead to an irreparable mistake."

I glared at him. "I attended one of the most prestigious business schools; your qualifications pale in comparison to mine. I interned in the most promising startups, and I am a named contributor to their successes today, and I by right, own the Gregory corporation. What caused you to reach this conclusion, Mr. Keith?" I referred to him by his formal name. My terse voice made everyone uncomfortable.

Alexander sent a piercing look at Edward: "You seem to have forgotten you are a mere senior manager, easily replaceable in my books."

I saw how hard he gulped. "If any of you is distrustful of my leadership, you can resign, and I will return the worth of your holdings." But no one raised their hands.

"The meeting is dismissed."

***

I stared down at the bubbling nightlife from the 40th floor; my glass window was reflective of my appearance. I appeared weak and naive, as Alexander said. Making Edward suspicious of me was dangerous. What if they decide to get rid of me once again before I become too problematic? Without Alexander's support, I had no backbone; I was useless, and it was in futility trying to fight when I might die once again from their schemes.

The hinges of my door breaking open broke my thoughts. I knew who it was by the thuds on the floor. The scent of his comforting cologne wafted towards me. Wordlessly, I turned around and wrapped my arms around him. He appeared startled but let me. I whispered, "I wouldn't mind you being the replacement, Xander. You are right. I am naive. I am utterly useless and weak."