Chapter Five
913 Words
The front door’s slam still echoed in Sarah’s mind. Mark’s furious face, his words of hate, played over and over. This was exactly what she didn't want.
She had tried to call Mark dozens of times. His phone went straight to voicemail. She sent texts, pleading and explaining. No answer.
Each unanswered call or ignored message made things worse. He hated her.
Her son hated her. And it was all because of her, and Alex.
A deep fear coiled in her stomach. What if he told someone?
“Oh my goodness. It's going to be a real scandal,” she heard herself murmuring.
The thought made her dizzy with panic. She walked from room to room, touching things, trying to feel normal, but nothing helped.
She couldn't lie, Alex had made her feel everything her husband had never made her feel.
True to his promise, he had pinned her to the bed and made love to her.
“I didn't think he was twenty two when he was inside of me,” she admitted.
Just as she was sinking onto the couch, her phone rang. It was Stacy. Sarah almost didn't answer. She felt too ashamed. But she needed to talk to someone.
"Stacy, hey," Sarah said, her voice thin and shaky.
"Sarah! Thank god you answered!" Stacy's voice was frantic, breathless.
"You won't believe this! I just got off the phone with the Veridian Gardens team. Harrington Global is making a play for it. And guess who's leading the charge? Mr. Harrington himself!"
Sarah’s blood ran cold.
“Oh my God. Why's everything happening so fast?”
She heard herself mutter out loud.
“What did you say?” Stacy asked.
“Nothing, it's just…..” her voice trailed off.
The name hit her like a physical blow. Richard Harrington. Her mind reeled. The guilt and fear over Mark suddenly mixed with a new feeling of dread.
Richard Harrington.
He was her company’s most ruthless enemy.
Years ago, he had almost ruined her. He had stolen deals, used dirty tricks, cost her millions. He was the reason her company had struggled so much after her divorce.
"Richard Harrington?" Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! He's personally involved," Stacy insisted."They're moving fast, Sarah. This is huge. Veridian Gardens is exactly what we need right now. It could put us back on top. We cannot lose this one."
Sarah's heart pounded, a frantic drum against her ribs. Veridian Gardens.
It was a massive, prestigious project. The kind that could save her company, restore her reputation.
After everything she'd been through, after the messy divorce and the fight to keep her business alive, this deal was everything. The thought of losing it, especially to him, sent her into a spiraling panic.
"Okay, Stacy, okay. I'm on it," Sarah said, trying to sound calm, but her mind was racing. "Get me every file, every piece of information we have on Harrington Global. Their last three projects. Their current clients. Everything."
She hung up, her fingers already flying across her tablet. She pulled up search engines, typing
"Richard Harrington," "Harrington Global," "Veridian Gardens bid." Images of the man flashed across the screen. A cold, unsmiling face.
Powerful, sharp eyes. He was older, maybe in his late forties. A strong opponent. She felt a familiar knot of anger and frustration tighten in her stomach. She had hoped she was done with him.
Just then, she heard a soft sound from the doorway.
Alex.
He stood there, his face a complex mix of concern and that familiar, lingering possessiveness. His eyes swept over her, taking in her worried look.
"Sarah," he said, his voice softer than she'd ever heard it. "We need to talk about Mark…about yesterday."
Sarah looked up, her eyes still clouded with worry over the business deal. Her mind was racing with strategies to fight Harrington.
"Not now, Alex," she said, waving a dismissive hand, not really looking at him. "I can't. Something huge just came up."
He started to walk towards her, intending, she knew, to pull her into his arms, to offer comfort, to reassert his claim.
“Sarah you can't dismiss me. I'm here and I want to be a part of whatever is going on,” he said.
He was resolute on not walking away.
“You can't be! You can't be a part of my life, Alex!” She screamed desperately, but he didn't turn away.
As he got closer, his eyes fell on the screen of her tablet. He paused, his gaze fixed on the imposing, familiar face staring back at them. The profile of Richard Harrington. Head of Harrington Global. The notorious business magnate.
Alex's face drained of all color. His jaw tightened, a hard line. A deep, unsettling silence filled the room. The air grew heavy, thick with an unspoken truth.
Sarah, still distracted, finally registered his sudden stillness. She looked up, truly seeing his ashen face, the rigid set of his jaw. Her own heart began to pound with a growing sense of dread. She followed his gaze to the screen.
"What is it, Alex?" she asked, her voice quiet, a flicker of fear replacing her business worries. "What the hell is wrong?"
Alex didn't look at her. His eyes were still glued to the image of Richard Harrington. His voice, when it came, was barely a whisper, as if the words were physically painful to say.
"Richard Harrington is my father, Sarah."
- Writer
