Chapter 48

Nina's POV

The angry voices reached me before the footsteps did. I was just wrapping up some emails when my office door burst open, flooding the room with furious employees. The sight of their faces - twisted with anger and betrayal - made my stomach drop.

"Miss Sinclair, what's the meaning of this?" someone shouted from the back. Others quickly joined in, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of accusations. I gripped the edge of my desk, trying to maintain my composure while my mind raced to make sense of what was happening.

"Everyone, please," I raised my hands, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Please Calm down."

Ava, from markrting, stepped forward, her tablet thrust out like a weapon. "Don't pretend you don't know. The mass position transfers? The department restructuring? Your sister is using the guise of transfers to force everyone to resign !"

"There must be some misunderstanding," I said carefully, reaching for my phone. "Let me contact Serena-"

"She's gone," April cut in sharply. "Left the building right after making the announcements. And conveniently left you to deal with the fallout."

The realization hit me like a physical blow. Of course she had. My dear sister had played her hand perfectly, hadn't she? I remembered all those private meetings she'd insisted on having with me over the past few weeks, making sure others saw us together, creating the impression we were working closely on company decisions.

I was still processing this when Cole Anderson stormed in, his face red with fury. The HR director slammed his phone onto my desk with enough force to make me flinch.

"Explain this," he demanded, pointing to an email on his screen. "Why am I being removed from my position without cause?"

"Mr. Anderson, please calm down-" I started, but he cut me off with a harsh laugh.

"Calm down? After you and your sister orchestrated this whole thing?" He leaned forward, palms flat on my desk. "The secret meetings, the sudden promotions, pushing out Leon and Arthur - it was all planned, wasn't it?"

My hand trembled as I reached for my own phone, but Cole snatched it away before I could grab it. "No more calls. No more lies. I want answers."

That's when everything clicked into place. The production department leadership role she'd pushed me into. The design credit she'd insisted on giving me for StarRiver's new line. Father firing Leon and Arthur under her threat. Each piece had been carefully positioned, and I'd been too blind to see the pattern until now.

"This is your family's doing," Cole's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "And if I don't get my position back, I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what kind of people you all are. Even if we all go down together."

After he stormed out, I sat alone in my office, fury building like a pressure cooker in my chest. All my life, I'd been the one in control, the one who kept Serena in her place. Now she'd outmaneuvered me so completely that I hardly recognized what had happened until it was too late.

I stared at my reflection in the darkened window, watching my perfectly composed expression crack at the edges. A cold smile spread across my face as I began to plan. My sister had always underestimated me. It was time to remind her exactly who she was dealing with.

Serena's POV

The office clock read 10:37 PM. I stared at the production reports scattered across my desk, the numbers starting to blur together. Three days. It had been three days since I last visited Lucas at the hospital, and the guilt was eating away at me.

Though appointing Nina as supervisor was part of my plan, I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Each day, I meticulously reviewed progress reports and made frequent visits to the factory floor. Corporate warfare was like chess - one wrong move could cost everything.

My phone screen lit up. My finger hovered over Lucas's contact, deleting and retyping the message several times before finally sending: "Are you asleep?"

The response came almost instantly: "No. Waiting for you."

I could picture his expression - that subtle upturn of his lips, barely noticeable unless you knew where to look. My own lips curved into a small smile before I caught myself.

"You should rest early," I typed back, trying to maintain some semblance of propriety.

"Then come put me to bed?" His reply made my heart skip a beat.

After a moment's hesitation, I called my driver. "Ethan, could you take me to Hospital?"

"At this hour, Miss Sinclair?" Ethan's surprise was evident.

"Yes. I need to check on someone." The formality in my voice had softened, and I noticed Ethan hiding a knowing smile.

I pushed open the door to Lucas's room as gently as possible, not wanting to wake him if he'd fallen asleep.

The bed was empty.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom, and before I could retreat, the door opened. Lucas stood there, water droplets trailing down his bare chest, a white towel precariously low on his hips. Despite myself, my eyes traced the defined lines of his muscles, the way his wet hair fell effortlessly across his forehead, the droplets sliding down his sculpted abdomen.

His piercing grey eyes met mine, smoldering with a mix of surprise and something more intense. As he moved, the towel shifted slightly, each motion graceful yet undeniably masculine. The faint scent of his aftershave lingered in the air, heightening the magnetic pull between us.

In that moment, every detail of Lucas-from the way his broad shoulders relaxed to the enticing glimpse of his toned arms-made it impossible to look away.

"Like what you see, Miss Sinclair?" His voice held that familiar mix of amusement and heat that made my pulse race.

I spun around quickly, my face burning. "You... you should put some clothes on!" The words came out more breathless than commanding.

"I would," he said, his voice closer now, "but you're standing in front of my closet."

I could feel the warmth radiating from his body, smell the fresh scent of his shower gel. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"I'll... I'll wait outside," I managed to say, my usual composure completely shattered.