Chained by our past

Chapter 17

Isla Calloway had spent her entire life calculating risks.

She had built Calloway Tech with precision and strategy, making sure every decision was made with logic, not emotion.

But Lucas Reyes?

He was the one risk she had never been able to calculate.

And now, as she stood in his office, his piercing green eyes locked onto hers, she realized something terrifying.

She wasn’t just afraid of losing control.

She was afraid that she had already lost it.

"Then stop shutting me out of yours."

Lucas’s words echoed in the room, heavy with meaning.

She opened her mouth—ready to argue, ready to deflect, ready to run—

But before she could say anything, his office door burst open.

A man stormed in, his face twisted in barely contained fury.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and dangerously familiar.

Isla’s heart stopped.

She hadn’t seen him in years, but there was no mistaking him.

Victor Langley.

Her father’s former business partner. The man who had tried—**and failed—to take Calloway Tech from her after her father’s death.

And the man who had always, always hated her for winning.

Lucas’s entire body tensed beside her as he straightened, his usual cool demeanor shifting into something dangerous.

"Victor," Lucas said slowly, his voice like steel. "You weren’t invited."

Victor’s cold blue eyes flickered to Isla, his lip curling. "And yet, here I am."

Isla forced herself to stand tall. "What do you want?"

Victor’s smirk was sharp as a blade.

"I thought you’d want to hear it from me first, Calloway," he said smoothly. "Reyes Innovations isn’t the only company targeting Calloway Tech anymore."

A chill ran down her spine.

Lucas took a step forward, his presence imposing, protective. "Explain. Now."

Victor let out a humorless laugh. "You two are so absorbed in your little… family drama," he sneered, "that you didn’t even see it coming, did you?"

"See what coming?" Isla demanded.

Victor tilted his head. "A hostile takeover."

The air in the room turned to ice.

Isla’s mind raced.

A hostile takeover?

She had fought off threats before, but nothing—nothing like this.

Lucas’s jaw clenched. "Who’s backing it?"

Victor grinned. "A group of investors. And guess what, Calloway?" He leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming with malice. "They’ve already started buying up your shares."

Isla felt the blood drain from her face.

"No," she whispered. "That’s impossible."

Victor shrugged. "Check the stock reports. You’ll see for yourself."

Lucas turned to Isla. "Call your CFO. Now."

Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled out her phone and dialed Samantha.

"Sam," Isla said, her voice urgent. "Tell me what’s happening."

There was a long pause. Then—

"You need to come in. Now."

Thirty minutes later, Isla and Lucas sat in the Calloway Tech conference room, staring at the numbers flashing across the screen.

It was worse than she thought.

Nearly 20% of Calloway Tech’s shares had been purchased in the last week alone.

And the worst part?

She had no idea who was behind it.

"Whoever it is," Samantha said, her voice tight, "they’re moving fast. They’re going after the board members next. If they get enough backing, they could force a vote to remove you as CEO."

Isla’s chest tightened.

This was exactly what Victor had tried to do years ago.

Except this time?

She didn’t know where the attack was coming from.

Lucas leaned forward, his expression cold, calculated. "Find out who’s backing this. Every shell company, every investor. I want names."

Samantha nodded. "We’re already working on it."

Isla took a slow breath, forcing herself to focus.

Panic wouldn’t save her company.

She turned to Samantha. "We need to counter this. Buy back shares if we have to. Increase our board member security—if anyone even thinks of flipping sides, I want to know about it immediately."

Samantha gave a sharp nod. "Understood."

Lucas turned to Isla. "We’ll fight this."

She met his gaze, her chest tightening. "I know."

But deep down?

She wasn’t just afraid of losing her company.

She was afraid that this attack was personal.

And she had no idea who was pulling the strings.

That night, Isla sat in her penthouse, reviewing documents, her mind spinning with possibilities.

She barely noticed when Lucas walked in, carrying two glasses of whiskey.

"You need to sleep," he said, setting one glass beside her.

She sighed. "Not until I figure out who’s behind this."

Lucas studied her for a long moment. "I have a theory."

She glanced up. "What?"

His expression was unreadable. "What if this isn’t just about business?"

A chill crept down her spine. "What are you saying?"

Lucas exhaled, setting down his glass. "Who benefits the most if Calloway Tech falls?"

Isla frowned. "Victor, obviously. He’s been waiting for years to take me down."

Lucas nodded. "Yes. But what if he isn’t the mastermind? What if he’s just a pawn?"

Her stomach dropped.

Because if Victor wasn’t behind this…

Then that meant someone else—someone more dangerous, more powerful—was.