CHAPTER FOUR – SHADOWS AND BETRAYALS
1020 Words
The message still haunted her.
‘SHE DOESN’T BELONG. DON’T LET HER TAKE IT.’
Even hours after James had shown it to her, Emily couldn't shake the chill that had slithered down her spine.
Someone wanted her out of the picture.
Not just out of the company. Not just away from the money.
They wanted her gone for good.
She sat in her tiny apartment, staring at the paper-strewn table, trying to make sense of the impossible. The letter from her father lay open in front of her, his words taunting her from the grave.
‘You are my only heir. My empire—my life’s work—is now yours.’
Emily clenched her fists. Empire.
She had never wanted power. Never cared about wealth. As a matter of fact, she had spent her whole life scraping by, fighting for every dollar to keep her bookstore alive. She’d built her life on survival.
And now she was realizing—
This wasn’t about inheritance. It was about war.
She needed answers.
And unfortunately, there was only one person who could give them to her.
THE RENDEZVOUS
The café was expensive—too expensive for Emily’s usual budget. But James Sterling hadn’t given her a choice in the matter.
When she had called him, demanding answers, he had simply replied:
"Meet me at Vero’s. Ten o’clock."
She had wanted to argue. But she had the distinct feeling that James wasn’t the kind of man who took no for an answer.
So now, she sat across from him at a dimly lit corner table, watching as he stirred his coffee with a precision that irritated her.
"Let’s start with the obvious," she said, voice clipped. "Who sent the message?"
James didn’t look up. "I don’t know."
"Bullshit."
That got his attention.
His eyes lifted, sharp and assessing. "Emily—"
"No. Don’t ‘Emily’ me," she snapped. "You show up out of nowhere, tell me my father—who I never even knew—left me a corporation the size of a small country, and then when I hesitate to claim it, I get threats? Someone wants me out of the way, James. And I think you know exactly who."
James set down his spoon with deliberate slowness. "You’re making assumptions."
Emily leaned forward. "And you’re hiding something."
The tension between them stretched tight.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then James sighed, rubbing a hand along his jaw. "It could be anyone, Emily. Your father had enemies. Powerful ones. If they think you’re a threat, they’ll eliminate you before you can become one."
Emily shivered. "Great. That’s reassuring."
James’s gaze darkened. "I’m not here to reassure you. I’m here to keep you alive."
She stilled.
The way he said it—quiet, firm, deadly serious—sent a shiver through her.
"I don’t need protecting," she muttered, more for herself than for him.
James’s lips curled slightly. "That’s not your call to make anymore."
Emily swallowed hard. She hated that he was right.
She hated that, for the first time in her life, she wasn’t in control.
She hated—
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced down, her stomach flipping as she saw the message.
Unknown number.
GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN.
Her breath caught.
James’s expression shifted. "What is it?"
Emily hesitated. Then, without a word, she turned the phone toward him.
His jaw tightened. He took the phone from her, scanning the message with the same cool calculation he applied to everything else.
Finally, he set it down. "We need to move."
Emily frowned. "What—"
James grabbed her wrist, pulling her up from the table. "Now, Emily."
She barely had time to grab her bag before he was leading her through the café, his grip firm but not painful.
"James, what the hell is going on?" she hissed.
He didn’t answer.
And then she saw it.
Across the street, parked near the curb, was a black SUV.
The kind with tinted windows and too much silence.
The kind that didn’t belong outside a fancy café unless it was waiting for someone.
Her.
Her blood went cold.
James pulled her closer. "We’re leaving through the back."
She didn’t argue.
They moved quickly, slipping through the kitchen and out the alley exit. The second they hit the street, James turned left, keeping a firm hold on her wrist.
"Where are we going?" Emily demanded.
"Somewhere safe."
Emily tried to keep up, but her mind was racing.
Was this real? Was she actually being followed? Was she in danger?
Or was James playing a game of his own?
She had no idea.
But right now, all she knew was that he was her only way out.
THE SAFE HOUSE
The car ride was silent.
Emily sat stiffly in the passenger seat of James’s sleek black Audi, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
She had too many questions.
But for once, she kept them to herself.
James drove with the kind of controlled ease that made her wonder if this was normal for him. If he was used to handling dangerous situations like this.
Finally, he pulled up in front of a towering glass building downtown.
Not a hotel. Not a corporate office.
A penthouse.
Emily stared at it. "Where are we?" She asked.
James killed the engine. "Somewhere they won’t find you." He replied.
The words sent a chill through her.
She swallowed, gripping the strap of her bag. "Who won’t find wh…., James, what the hell is happening?"
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned to her, his expression unreadable.
"You have enemies now, Emily."
Her chest tightened. "I never asked for this."
James’s gaze didn’t waver. "That doesn’t matter. You either fight for what’s yours, or you get erased."
A lump formed in her throat making it difficult for her to swallow.
She didn’t know how to fight this world.
But something told her—if she didn’t learn fast, she wouldn’t survive it.
James opened the door. "Come on."
Emily hesitated.
Then, with one last glance at the dark city skyline, she stepped into the unknown.
- Writer
