CHAPTER THREE – SECRETS AND LIES
1071 Words
The rain had started.
Thick drops splattered against the pavement as Emily stood just outside her bookstore, clutching the letter that had upended her entire existence. The words blurred under her stare, but the meaning was clear.
Her father—a man she had never met, a man who had been nothing but a ghost in her life—had left her his entire empire.
Six months. That’s all she had.
Six months to decide whether to step into a world she knew nothing about.
Six months before it all fell into the wrong hands.
A gust of wind carried the scent of rain and something else—uncertainty.
Behind her, James Sterling stood just inside the shop, watching her with an unreadable expression. His presence irritated her. Not just because he had come here and turned her life upside down, but because of how calm he was.
Emily was falling apart, and he looked like he had expected this reaction from the beginning.
She turned sharply, gripping the letter like a lifeline. "Tell me the truth, James. Why does this matter to you?"
His gaze remained steady. "I told you. I work for Hayes Industries. Your father left you everything—including control of the company."
"And if I don’t take it?"
A flicker of something dark crossed his expression, but it was gone before she could name it. "Then it will be sold, piece by piece, to those who will tear it apart for their own gain."
Emily narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
James exhaled, stepping fully into the shop, away from the rain. "Your father had business partners. They weren’t just investors—they were power players. They tolerated his control because he was sharp enough to keep them in check."
She clenched her jaw. "And now they see an opportunity."
"Exactly."
Emily let out a bitter laugh. "And let me guess—the great James Sterling is here to make sure I do the right thing?"
James’s lips twitched in something that wasn’t quite amusement. "I’m here to ensure Hayes Industries survives. Whether you step up or walk away—well, that’s up to you."
She hated how steady he was, how unaffected. It made her feel small, like she was already losing a game she hadn’t even agreed to play.
But that’s what this was, wasn’t it?
A game.
And she was the last to know the rules.
She tightened her grip on the paper. "I don’t know a damn thing about running a corporation."
"That’s why I’m here," James said simply.
Emily glared at him. "And I should trust you?"
James didn’t blink. "No."
She wasn’t expecting that answer.
Her throat tightened, and she let out a shaky breath. "If my father cared so much about this company, why didn’t he—" She hesitated, biting down the sharp, bitter words before they could spill out.
Why didn’t he ever care about me?
James studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to her surprise, his voice softened.
"I don’t have that answer for you, Emily."
Something twisted inside her.
Her whole life, she had trained herself not to care about a man who had never cared about her. She had convinced herself that she didn’t need him, that he had been nothing more than a name on her birth certificate.
But now, even in death, he was pulling her into his orbit.
Her hands curled into fists.
"I need time," she muttered, turning away.
James didn’t argue. He simply nodded. "You have six months."
Emily scoffed, staring at the rain-soaked streets. "And if I refuse?"
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Then, James said, "Then you lose everything."
It wasn’t a threat.
It was a fact.
LATER THAT NIGHT
The letter sat on her kitchen table like a ghost, haunting her.
Emily had spent the last two hours pacing her tiny apartment, rereading the will over and over, searching for some loophole, some mistake—anything that would make this nightmare go away.
Nothing changed.
Her father’s words were still there, clear as day.
This belongs to you, Emily.
She ran a hand through her hair, frustration coiling inside her.
She had spent her whole life trying to carve out something of her own, trying to prove that she didn’t need him. And now, with one legal document, he had taken all of that control away from her.
He had set her up to fail.
Because that’s what this was, wasn’t it?
A test she never asked to take.
A knock at the door sent her heart jumping into her throat.
Emily whirled around, her pulse racing. No one came to her apartment this late.
She hesitated, then slowly moved toward the door. "Who is it?"
A pause. Then—
"James."
She cursed under her breath and unlocked the door, yanking it open.
James Sterling stood in the dim hallway, still looking like he belonged in a boardroom rather than the cramped halls of her apartment complex.
Emily crossed her arms. "You do realize it’s almost midnight, right?"
James didn’t look the least bit apologetic. "We need to talk."
Emily let out a humorless laugh. "Do we? Because I’m pretty sure we covered everything."
James held up his phone, turning the screen toward her. "Then maybe you can explain this."
Emily’s breath caught.
The message on the screen was short.
‘SHE DOESN’T BELONG. DON’T LET HER TAKE IT.’
No sender. No number. Just a warning.
Her stomach twisted. "What the hell is this?"
James’s expression darkened. "Someone doesn’t want you claiming your inheritance."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
Emily took a slow breath, her hands trembling as she stepped back. "Are you saying someone’s—"
"Threatening you?" James finished; his voice steady but sharp. "Yes."
Her heart pounded. "Why?"
James didn’t answer immediately. He took a slow step forward, lowering his voice.
"Because your father’s enemies didn’t just want the company," he said. "They wanted you gone."
Emily’s breath hitched.
She had never felt fear like this before.
Not when she struggled to keep her bookstore afloat.
Not when she had to fight to survive in a city that barely noticed her existence.
But now—now she knew that stepping into her father’s world wasn’t just about money.
It was about survival.
And for the first time, she realized—
She might not get out of this alive.
- Writer
