POV: Emily
The following morning, the first rays of light barely pierced through the heavy curtains of my penthouse apartment when my phone erupted into a series of insistent vibrations. I groaned, dragging myself upright as I reached for it.
Maddie:
"Emergency meeting in 20. Anderson is already in the building."
Of course, he was.
I dropped the phone and shoved the covers off, my mind kicking into overdrive. I hadn't even had my first coffee and Jake was already setting fires. If this was what being "Mrs. Anderson" entailed, I was ready to file for divorce yesterday.
As I hurried to get dressed, my mind raced. What kind of emergency could it be? I hadn't heard anything about a crisis brewing overnight. Unless Jake was behind it, in which case, he was probably watching the whole thing unfold with that infuriating smile on his face.
Fifteen minutes later, I stepped into the elevator, adjusting the collar of my blouse, my thoughts spiraling through potential scenarios. There was no doubt in my mind Jake had orchestrated this ,this was just to get under my skin.
Game on, Anderson.
The boardroom was already buzzing with tension by the time I arrived. A quick scan of the room revealed it all: hushed whispers, stiff postures, and a looming sense of panic.
And there, sitting calmly at the head of the table as if he owned the place, was Jake. He was flipping through a stack of documents with maddening ease, barely acknowledging my presence when I stormed in.
But I knew better. He'd been waiting for me. The slight twitch of his lips confirmed it.
"Care to explain what's going on?" I demanded, dropping my bag onto the table with a sharp thud.
His eyes flicked up, finally meeting mine. "You're late."
I glared at him, barely suppressing the urge to launch the nearest stapler in his direction. "Cut the crap, Jake. What's this about?"
He leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered, and gestured toward the screen where a document was being projected. "I'm sure you're familiar with this."
My eyes narrowed as I scanned the text on the screen. It was a joint acquisition proposal. One I'd been working on for weeks, meticulously planning the perfect strategy. A strategy that did not involve Jake Anderson.
"What the hell is this?" I snapped, crossing my arms.
"A business opportunity," he replied smoothly. "A merger."
My blood ran cold. "You've got to be kidding me. You want to merge Carson Enterprises and Anderson Corp?"
"It makes sense, don't you think?" He tilted his head slightly, that maddening smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Now that we're married, our companies are practically family."
"Family?" I couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped me. "This isn't a family, Jake. It's war."
His smile didn't falter. "Business is war, Emily. And you know as well as I do that merging our companies would make us unstoppable."
I stood there, staring at him, every nerve in my body on high alert. This was exactly what I'd feared. Jake wasn't just satisfied with our forced marriage; he wanted to own everything. My company, my career, my life. And this? This was his way of taking over.
I turned toward the board members, their faces tense and uncertain. "We are not merging with Anderson Corp," I said firmly. "Carson Enterprises is independent. We don't need..."
"The merger's already been approved," Jake interrupted, his voice calm but lethal. "Signed off by the shareholders last night. You're just here as a courtesy, sweetheart."
Sweetheart. There it was again. The word hit me like a punch, a reminder of the trap I was stuck in.
The room felt like it was closing in on me. My mind raced, searching for a way out, but there wasn't one. Jake had played his hand, and it was checkmate.
After the meeting, I bolted from the boardroom, desperate for air. My chest was tight, my breathing shallow. I pushed through the glass doors and found myself standing on the rooftop terrace, the city sprawling out beneath me like a vast, indifferent expanse.
I had never felt so trapped.
The sound of footsteps behind me made my skin prickle. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"You're not going to win this," I said, my voice cold and measured as I stared out at the skyline.
"I already have," Jake's voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the confidence in it.
I turned to face him, my fists clenched at my sides. "You think you can just bulldoze your way through everything? Through me? You might've won this round, Jake, but I won't go down that easily."
He stepped closer, the easy arrogance gone from his expression. For the first time, there was something else,something deeper.
"This wasn't about destroying you, Emily."
I blinked, caught off guard by the seriousness in his voice. "Then what the hell is this? What's your endgame, Jake?"
He was silent for a moment, his gaze steady, unwavering. "You and I... We're stronger together than apart. You just don't see it yet."
I stared at him, a bitter laugh bubbling up in my throat. "Together? You mean when you're not trying to steal everything I've built? Don't mistake this for some kind of partnership, Jake. You've made your move, and I'm not about to roll over and let you take everything I've worked for."
His jaw tightened, and for a split second, I saw something flash in his eyes, frustration maybe. Or something else I couldn't place.
"I'm not your enemy, Emily," he said quietly.
The words hung in the air between us, their weight heavy and undeniable. I almost believed him.
Almost.
I left without another word, my mind spinning as I walked back into the building. I couldn't afford to trust him. I wouldn't let myself fall into whatever trap he was trying to set.
But the truth was, Jake Anderson wasn't just playing a game anymore. This wasn't some shallow corporate power play. There was something deeper going on, something I couldn't yet see. And as much as I hated to admit it, I needed to figure it out before it consumed me.
Because Jake wasn't just a threat to my company anymore. He was a threat to me.
Later That Night
The glow of my laptop screen was the only light in the darkened room. I sat hunched over my desk, scrolling through the merger documents, searching for any loophole, any way to undo the damage Jake had caused.
Hours passed, but the answer remained elusive. He had thought of everything. Every clause, every contingency, was perfectly calculated to box me in.
I was trapped.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. I had built Carson Enterprises from the ground up. I had sacrificed everything;relationships, friendships, my own damn sanity for this company. And now it was all slipping through my fingers because of him.
A sudden knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts.
I didn't need to ask who it was.
"Go away, Jake."
"Open the door, Emily," came his reply, firm and unyielding.
I sighed, my head dropping into my hands for a moment before I stood and pulled open the door. There he stood, leaning casually against the doorframe, that infuriating confidence still radiating off him.
But there was something different in his eyes tonight. Something... raw.
"It's late," I said, crossing my arms. "Whatever you're here to gloat about can wait until morning."
Jake's expression softened, the arrogance melting away. For the first time, he looked... vulnerable.
"I'm not here to gloat," he said quietly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I'm here because... I need to explain something."
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in his demeanor. "Explain what?"
He took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving mine. "Why I did what I did. Why I need you to understand this isn't just about the company, or the merger, or anything else you think it is."
My heart skipped a beat, confusion swirling in my chest as I watched him, waiting.
"Then what is it about, Jake?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He stepped closer, his eyes dark and intense, and for the first time, I didn't see my rival standing in front of me.
I saw a man on the edge of something deeper. Something dangerous.
"It's about us."