Chapter 15
Lucille’s high heels clicked sharply against the marble floors of the Watson residence. She shook off her dripping umbrella. The expensive silk scarf around her neck was soaked through and clinging uncomfortably to her skin.
“Dad! What the hell is going on?” She burst into the study, her voice so shrill it nearly pierced through the sound of rain.
Lucille’s father, Andre Watson, slumped in his leather chair. The harsh glow of the laptop screen cast a ghostly hue over his face. He looked up, the dark circles under his eyes appearing especially ghastly under the lamp.
“It’s over… Everything’s over. Hawke Corporation just pulled out of all our joint projects and our cash flow,” he said, his trembling finger pointing at the screen.
Lucille snatched the laptop away, the red numbers on the screen burning into her eyes. The Watson Group’s stock had plummeted 67%, wiping out nearly two billion in market value. Her fingers frantically scrolled across the trackpad as termination emails stabbed at her vision like knives.
“This can’t be happening. Alexander wouldn’t do this to me,” she muttered, her perfectly manicured nails tapping frantically on the keyboard. “There has to be some mistake!”
“A mistake?” Andre suddenly exploded, slamming his palm on the desk. “The bank just called and demanded that we repay our loans within three days! Do you know what Alexander did? He rallied all our partners against us, and even our overseas projects weren’t spared!”
Lucille’s phone suddenly rang-it was her best friend Chloe Adams. She answered immediately, sounding desperate as if she had found her lifeline. “Chloe! You have to listen to
me-”
The voice on the other end was unusually cold. “Lucille, my father asked me to tell you that starting today, the Adams family is cutting all ties with the Watsons.”
“What? We were supposed to renew our contract next month.”
Chloe laughed coldly. “Don’t be naive. Alexander has made it clear that anyone who helps the Watson family becomes an enemy of the Hawke family. You’re on your own.”
The dial tone hit like a slap, making Lucille stagger backward. Then, she frantically scrolled through her contacts, calling one socialite after another who used to grovel at her feet. Yet, she received the same rejections.
“Bitches! They’re all bitches!” She hurled her phone against the wall, and the device shattered into pieces.
Andre slumped back in his chair. “There’s only one option left. You need to beg Alexander. You two were together, after all.”
“Of course I’m going to see him!”
Lucille stood in disbelief in front of the Hawke Corporation building as security blocked her from entering. She screamed hysterically, “Open your damn eyes and see who I am! I’m Mr. Hawke’s fiancée!”
The security guard remained expressionless. “Ms. Watson, you are not. Also, Mr. Hawke specifically instructed us not to admit anyone from the Watson family.”
“You’re lying!” Lucille tried to rush past them, but two guards grabbed her arms and dragged
her out.
Her coat tore in the struggle, exposing her soaked shirt underneath as she looked utterly
disheveled. “Alexander! Alexander! Come out here!”
Her screams echoed in front of the building, drawing stares from passersby.
The rain poured harder, drenching her as she collapsed to her knees on the building’s steps. Her makeup smeared as tears mixed with the rain, running down her face in streaks.
After a while, she pulled out a backup phone and dialed the number she knew by heart with trembling fingers.
“The number you have dialed is currently busy…”
She tried again, only to hear the same cold automated message. On her seventh attempt, the call finally went through. She immediately shouted, “Alexander! Why are you doing this to me? What have I done wrong?”
Silence stretched for several seconds before Alexander’s ice-cold voice came through. “Do I need to remind you what you did?”
Lucille opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
“By the way,” Alexander continued, his voice was so casual that it was as if they were discussing the weather, “tomorrow at 10:00 am, bring Mr. Watson to the 23rd floor of Vertigon Tower. This is your last chance.”
The line went dead, and Lucille collapsed in the rain. She suddenly understood what true despair felt like.
The next morning, when Lucille dragged her exhausted body back to the Watson residence,
Chapter 15
she found Andre staring blankly at the television news.
3/3
On the screen, a financial reporter was covering breaking news. “Hawke Corporation announces this morning a complete acquisition of the Watson Group in this shocking business world takeover.”
Andre turned around, his eyes bloodshot. “He said to meet at 10:00 am, right? W-We still have
hope.”
Lucille looked at Andre’s hair, which had turned completely white overnight. The sight of it sent a chill down her spine. She had a sinking feeling that Alexander’s so-called “last chance” would be anything but mercy.
Even so, she had no other choice.
