Chapter 14: Bloodlines and Betrayals
1299 Words
The morning sun filtered through the skyscrapers of the city, casting a golden haze over Cole Industries. The building stood like a titan against the sky—modern, pristine, and commanding, much like the man who built its legacy: Victor Cole.
And today, he was coming.
Word traveled through the building faster than wildfire. The Victor Cole—former CEO, ruthless tycoon, and father to Xavier—was arriving. Some whispered it was a rare visit. Others claimed he was here to reclaim control. The truth, however, was far more personal.
It had started with a whisper. A single venom-laced phone call made late at night by none other than Celeste Vanderleigh.
“I thought you’d want to know, sir,” she had said sweetly, voice dripping with false concern. “Your son seems... distracted lately. Rumor is he’s gotten too close to a girl who doesn’t belong in our world. Zara, I believe her name is.”
Victor hadn’t responded. But the next morning, his private jet left Geneva, bound for the city. And now, he was coming through the elevator doors of Cole Industries like a storm wrapped in a three-piece suit.
---
Zara adjusted her lanyard for the fourth time that morning, anxiety crawling under her skin. Something was off. The staff was unusually quiet, the air thick with tension. She noticed people standing straighter, speaking in hushed tones.
Then she saw him.
Tall. Sharp. Silver-streaked hair. Eyes like Xavier’s—only colder, older, heavier. Victor Cole walked through the lobby like he owned the oxygen. And in a way, he did. Employees bowed, murmured greetings—“Good morning, sir.” “Welcome back, Mr. Cole.”
Zara froze when his gaze landed on her.
“You,” he said simply. Not a question. A command.
Zara swallowed. “Yes, sir?”
“Come with me.”
He didn’t wait. He turned and walked toward the executive conference room. Zara followed, every step echoing with uncertainty.
Inside, he took a seat at the head of the table. She remained standing.
“What’s your name?”
“Zara Martins,” she replied.
He nodded slowly, as if tasting the name. “You’ve been quite the talk around here.”
“I do my best to stay out of gossip, sir.”
“But you don’t avoid trouble, do you?”
Zara straightened her spine. “I don’t start it.”
That earned the ghost of a smirk. “Fiery. I can see what caught my son’s eye.”
She blinked. “This is about Xavier?”
He leaned back. “You’re clever. That’s good. Then you know why I’m here.”
Zara didn’t answer.
He continued. “Xavier is the future of this company. He doesn’t have the luxury of emotional distractions. Especially ones that come with baggage.”
“I’m not a distraction,” she said calmly.
“You’re a liability,” he snapped. “No pedigree. No connections. No degree. You think this is a fairy tale? That a CEO falls for a girl from nowhere and everyone claps?”
“I think Xavier can decide for himself,” she said.
Victor stood slowly. “You remind me too much of her.”
Zara frowned. “Her?”
He didn’t answer. Just walked to the window, staring out. “My son is already teetering on the edge. Don’t push him over.”
Before Zara could respond, the door opened.
Xavier walked in.
His eyes flicked to Zara, then his father. “What is this?”
“I’m handling business,” Victor said.
“You mean interrogating my employee?”
“She’s more than that, isn’t she?”
Zara looked between them.
“Whatever you came here for,” Xavier said, his voice low, “you’re not going to solve it by scaring her.”
Victor turned. “You think I don’t know what’s going on? You’ve been playing house with a girl who could ruin everything we’ve built.”
Xavier stepped forward. “Zara isn’t ruining anything. You’re the one who walks in here with threats and insults.”
“You’re acting just like your mother—emotional, irrational—”
“Don’t,” Xavier snapped. “Don’t bring her into this.”
A heavy silence followed.
Victor stared at his son. Then, finally, he said, “You’ve made your choice.”
“I have.”
“Then you’ll live with the consequences.”
He walked out.
Zara sat down slowly. “What just happened?”
Xavier exhaled. “He doesn’t lose. And he thinks... you make me weak.”
“And do I?”
Xavier looked at her, something burning in his gaze. “No. You make me human.”
---
Later that afternoon, the company was buzzing with whispers. Victor Cole had stormed in like a thundercloud and left without a word to the board. Rumors were already twisting through the air like smoke: Was Xavier being replaced? Was Zara being fired?
Tasha texted: Girl, I heard the dragon king himself pulled you into a meeting. Are you okay??
Zara replied: Survived. Barely.
She was walking to the elevator when she heard a familiar voice.
"I thought you said you had him wrapped around your finger."
Celeste.
Zara paused near the hallway corner. She wasn’t usually one to eavesdrop, but something in Celeste’s voice made her stop.
"He’s stubborn," Gabriella replied. "But not immune. He just needs the right... push."
"Then push harder," Celeste hissed. "Because I didn’t spend weeks digging into Zara Martins just for her to keep floating in his orbit."
Zara’s breath caught. They were behind the smear campaign. The leaked rumors. The forged reports. Everything.
Her phone vibrated again. Xavier.
Dinner? No pressure. Just... talk.
Zara slipped the phone into her pocket and walked away. She needed time to think. To fight smart.
But one thing was clear: the battle lines had been drawn.
---
Later that night, the city glittered like scattered jewels, and in Zara’s tiny apartment, the air was tense.
Tasha paced back and forth, noodles forgotten on the counter. “You’re telling me Victor Cole came all the way from Geneva because of you?”
“I don’t think it was just me,” Zara muttered. “Celeste definitely lit the match.”
“She’s obsessed,” Tasha huffed. “This is straight-up villain arc behavior.”
Zara sighed. “He said I reminded him of someone. Maybe Xavier’s mother?”
“Now that’s tea,” Tasha said, finally sitting. “Do you think that’s why Victor hates you?”
“I don’t know,” Zara said softly. “But it felt... personal.”
A knock interrupted them.
Zara opened the door—and there stood Xavier.
He looked exhausted, tie loosened, hair slightly mussed. “I needed to see you.”
Tasha looked between them. “I’ll be in my room. With my headphones. Loud ones.”
She disappeared.
Xavier walked in. “I don’t care what my father says. I’m not giving up on this.”
Zara crossed her arms. “On what, Xavier? On protecting your image or on whatever this is between us?”
He looked wounded. “You think that’s what I care about?”
“I think you’re scared.”
“Of losing you? Yeah.”
She looked away, heart pounding. “Then fight. For once, fight for something real.”
He stepped closer. “I already am.”
The silence between them felt heavier than the fight.
Then she whispered, “Do you want noodles?”
He smiled. “Only if you made them.”
Zara rolled her eyes but handed him a bowl. And for a moment, in the middle of the chaos, there was peace.
But only for a moment.
Because tomorrow, the war continued.
- Writer
