Late at night, her phone lit up, casting a cold glow in the dark room.
Unknown: Parents shouldn't have to die for their mistakes. But what about their children?
Her breath hitched as the words settled.
Magnus was seated at his mahogany desk, polished to a shine, his penetrating gaze fixed on the door as he waited. The room exuded an atmosphere of authority, decorated with shelves filled with law books and awards lined on the walls—a testament to the success of the Schulz firm.The dark-haired man with a fine beard slowly rose from his chair, an undesirable expression on his face as one of his people opened the door, allowing...
"Aiden, my friend," Magnus grinned, "welcome!" he said, gesturing to the soft leather armchair across the table.
Aiden's jaw tightened slightly as he stood still, looking at Magnus with a sharp glare. He could feel the tension in the room like a storm approaching. Their meetings used to be less tense in the past, but in recent years, since his father's firm—no, their firm—had fallen out of the top five in the rankings of the most respected law associations, their relationship had changed drastically.
"I'll get straight to the point, then," Magnus began, his tone cold and composed. "I believe there have been some discrepancies in our recent transactions."
Aiden's jaw clenched slightly, but he remained silent, waiting for Magnus to continue. Magnus leaned forward, his hands clasped on the table.
"I will not tolerate dishonest tactics, Aiden. If you're trying to undermine me or my firm, you'll find that I'm not one to give in easily."
Aiden gritted his teeth, remaining silent, waiting for Magnus to continue. Suddenly, Magnus leaned back in his chair, a sly smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"Is that so? Because I've heard some rather interesting rumors circulating about your recent activities, Aiden. Would you care to explain? How did errors end up in your contracts? I'm quite curious," the dark-haired man grinned.
Nervousness was evident on Aiden's face, his patience reaching its limits. "Magnus, I have no interest in playing games with you or the other opponents. I don't operate through sabotage or any of the things you keep talking about and threatening me with."
The tension in the room escalated with each word exchanged between them, like a powder keg waiting to explode. Before Magnus could respond, Tatum entered the room, her emerald eyes scanning around. At that moment, one of Magnus's men grabbed her, which prompted Tatum's fist to make contact with the man's face.
"I'm a fragile woman; don't put your hands on me like that. Do you want to bruise me?" she said, turning her entire body towards the man and raising an eyebrow.
"You're such a foolish woman! You don't know what you're getting into, huh? How dare you raise your hand against me?" the man threatened, wiping the blood from under his nose and approaching her slowly.
Aiden's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him, thus shielding her from the man who was set on violence. Tatum looked at him in shock. She was supposed to protect him, not the other way around. Aiden swallowed hard, causing Tatum to become even more curious. Why wasn't he looking at her?
"Magnus, you should train your men better; it's not right to touch a woman like that," Aiden spat the words as a reprimand towards the man, who suddenly stood up from his chair.
Tatum seemed to anticipate what the dark-haired man intended to do, and she pushed Aiden aside, stepping forward to block the blow. The girl's fragile body moved so quickly that the man couldn't keep up with her. He had never faced such a relaxed and confident opponent in his moves, especially not a woman.