The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 30

[30 – The Enemy Within]
As Elijah had told his mother, he spent the night at Emma’s house taking care of Samuel while Emma got the much deserved rest. Though she had not gone outside the house for long intervals of time over the past four years but she did work from home.

Elijah had arranged a work from home job for her under a fake identity so that Emma could retain her financial independence and once Blake was caught, she would be able to live freely and wouldn’t have to look for another job while managing her young son.

The next morning, Elijah made Samuel promise him that he would not trouble his mother before bidding both him and Emma goodbye. Elijah left after promising Samuel that he would visit them again soon.

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Meanwhile, the atmosphere back at the Grayson family mansion was somber. William and Marcus had a lengthy argument yesterday concerning their children and the massive fortune that was written in Caroline’s name.

Marcus had managed to placate William and make him agree to give Ethan a second chance, assuring William that he would bring Ethan and make him apologize to Caroline for whatever he did to her.

After dealing with William, Marcus had immediately called Daniel and told him to search for the person who was responsible for exposing those sex tapes of Ethan in public and that too during his engagement party.

They hadn’t yet found the other driver responsible for Ethan’s accident and now this situation came up. Everything that was happening around them strengthened Marcus’s doubt that someone was indeed after him and his family.

All he needed to do now was find this threat and eliminate it completely.

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Sullivan family mansion was also shrouded by the dark clouds of sadness, uncertainty, and rage. Chloe had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. William and Victoria tried to comfort her, tried to get her to talk to them about what caused her to be so spooked but Caroline wasn’t ready to answer them.

She only opened the door to let Victoria bring her food and then take the empty dishes back. Other than that, Caroline refused to see and talk to anybody else, especially William.

For some reason, William’s presence made her extremely scared. On seeing him, Caroline would start yelling and throwing things at him so William stayed out of her way. Blood boiling because of the anger that William felt, he wondered what exactly did Ethan do to cause Caroline such panic.

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The atmosphere at The Seraphina Atelier was unlike that in the Grayson and Sullivan mansions. The new day at the company was filled with excitement and curiosity as Seraphina had told all of her employees to gather in the employees lounge area as she had an important announcement to make.

When they arrived at the lounge area, all of them were surprised to see the grand hall decorated in the shades of gold and cream. The snacks table had a variety of snacks including desserts and a huge champagne fountain in the corner.

Employees formed clusters amongst each other as they discussed and gossiped about what could the occasion be for the sudden assembly and the party like ambience. The murmurs went quiet when Seraphina entered the room and went to stand on the platform stage.

“Good morning everybody! I am sure that you all must be wondering about why I have summoned you here and what are these decorations for.” began Seraphina with a smile on her face.

“Well, we have two events to celebrate today.” she tilted her head sideways gesturing someone to join her on the stage, “The first being that appointment of our new COO.”

Listening to the announcement, the employees began talking among themselves wondering about this new addition in their company.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Seraphina smiled, her voice cutting through the chatters, “I’m thrilled to introduce to you all our new Chief Operating Officer, Jaxon Stone.”

Polite applause filled the room as a tall, impeccably dressed man stepped forward. His presence commanded attention, and his piercing blue eyes scanned the room with a mixture of authority and warmth.

Chloe, who was standing near the back, felt her heart skip a beat, recognizing the new COO, the man in front of her. She hadn’t seen Jaxon in years, since he finished his Masters in business administrations and shifted to Germany because of his job.

He was the man she love and could never forget. But he loved some other girl that Chloe could not recall the name of. Chloe hadn’t thought that she would get to meet him again after he left which is why she moved on to Asher, her friend Caroline’s brother.

And yet here he was, standing in front of her as if no time had passed at all. Chloe’s heart started beating at a fast pace. The feelings that she had for Jaxon, the feelings that were buried deep inside her heart resurfaced making her cheeks turn as red as a tomato.

Deeply lost in her thoughts, Chloe missed the small speech that Jaxon gave before handing the microphone back to Seraphina.

“Now, for the second big announcement.” Seraphina looked as excited as she sounded, “We have landed one of the biggest project in our company’s history! I am proud and absolutely excited to announce that our deal with Miss Natasha Carter has been finalized and we have been contracted to design every outfit that the bride and groom are going to wear on their big day and related functions.”

The employees cheered and clapped matching Seraphina’s energy. Designing outfits for the daughter of the richest man in the world was a major deal for them. This was going to make them huge in the fashion industry.

“I have arranged this party to celebrate the appointment of our new COO and finalizing such an important deal. So, enjoy!” announced Seraphina before stepping down the platform stage.

After the formal briefing concluded, Chloe navigated through the crowd to meet up with Jaxon who was having a conversation with Seraphina.

Her mind was racing with the memories of their university days. Jaxon was a friend of her friend, and that’s how they were introduced to each other during a mutual friend’s party. She had fallen for him at first sight but she was too shy back then to confess.

They became great friends, however, and for a while Chloe was content with that until she found out that Jaxon was dating someone else. But she refused to back down without a fight, however, their connection faded away when Jaxon left for his job in Germany.

“Jax?” Chloe called out tentatively as she approached him. As she was facing Seraphina’s back, she failed to notice the smirk that curved upon Seraphina’s lips.

Jaxon tilted his head, his eyes widening in recognition when he saw Chloe.

“Chloe? Wow, it’s been ages!” he exclaimed, a genuine smile spreading across his face. His reaction was enough to make Chloe’s heart to race.

‘He remembers me. He still remembers me.’ was the only thing in her mind as she smiled shyly and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, it has been.” Chloe chuckled like a gentle lady would do, “I can’t believe that you are here.” she exclaimed with a smile on her face.

“You both know each other?” asked Seraphina breaking the spell that Jaxon’s presence had cast upon Chloe.

“Yeah, we went to the same university. I was finishing up my MBA while she was learning fashion designing.” informed Jaxon to which Seraphina nodded her head and said, “Oh!”

“Yeah.” Jaxon shook his head, his lips curved up in a fond smile, his tone carrying a hint of nostalgia as he added, “It’s been quite a few years since we last saw each other. I missed everyone and everything but I had to leave. That job offer was something I couldn’t reject.”

Chloe nodded understanding his point of view, “Well, it’s good to have you back. I have missed you too!” she wanted to hug him but Chloe did not want to creep the man out so she settled on a handshake, “It’s really good to see you.” she repeated.

Jaxon grabbed her hand gently in his and shook it, “You too, Chloe.” he squeezed her hand gently and added, “How about we catch up over lunch?”

Chloe’s eyes widened slightly and her heart almost exploded with happiness. She wasted no time in accepting Jaxon’s offer, “Sounds perfect!” she exclaimed, her tone reflecting the absolute joy that she was feeling.

“Good.” smiled Jaxon, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have something to discuss with other executives. We’ll talk later, hhmm, at lunch.”

Chloe nodded positively but she hated watching him leave so soon. As Jaxon moved away to talk to the other executives, Chloe reluctantly walked away.

Once Chloe had left, Jaxon’s demeanor shifted. He excused himself and walked to a corner where Chloe could not see him. He discreetly pulled out a tissue and began wiping his hands before using a sanitizer. His expression turned hard and cold, which were a stark contrast to the warm expressions he had on his face while talking with Chloe.

From his vantage point, he saw Chloe chatting with a group of employees. Seeing her, his gaze darkened and lips curled up in a sneer. It felt like he had turned into a completely different person as something dark and unresolved lurked behind his charming façade.

“Control, Jaxon. Control.” he tilted his head sideways as he heard Seraphina whisper in his ear from behind.

“Now is not the time.” Seraphina muttered and handed him a drink, “Play nice.” she patted his arm before leaving.

Jaxon stood there at his position for a few more seconds as he eyed Chloe. Drinking the alcoholic beverage in one go, Jaxon turned around and followed Seraphina back to the group of executives they were talking to earlier.