Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Jackson went quiet, just like that. Richard could be bossy and reckless, but somehow, he always managed to hit the nail on the head.

Jackson let out a long breath and sank into his chair. "She just took me to meet her husband. Honestly... I don't even know how to say this. For the first time, I actually feel like I lost to a woman."

Kaitlyn's shamelessness was honestly on another level. No one else even came close.

Richard leaned back, flipping through the papers in front of him. "Maybe that's exactly why you're interested. Remember that actress you dated? Wasn't it because Alan tried everything to keep you two apart? You've always had a thing for people who push back."

"Hey!" Jackson shot back, half annoyed, half impressed. How did Richard always read him so easily?

He changed the subject. "Colin, then tell me what's going on with Dylan and Clara?"

Richard's smile faded. He set the papers down. "Not something I want to get into. Anything else?"

Jackson's frustration boiled over, and he hung up without another word. But even after the call ended, he couldn't shake the irritation buzzing inside him.

*

Clara had been at Ferguson Corporation from morning until night. After she fired Aliyah, no one else dared stir up trouble.

What she didn't know was that Aliyah, after twenty years at the company, still had enough connections to reach out to Walter.

The old man's expression darkened when he heard Clara was helping Dylan at the office. He called Dylan directly.

"You're letting some woman run around your company causing chaos?"

Dylan had already read through a stack of comics that day. Now, his voice was calm. "Clara can handle it."

"Dylan!" The old man's tone was ice. "Are you really going to make me intervene?"noveldrama

Dylan's smile faded. "Father, I'm not just a pawn for you to use against your enemies."

The old man's eyes narrowed. After he hung up, he turned to his butler. "Where's Madam?"

Dylan wouldn't say something like that unless someone had gotten to him. Hardly anyone in the city even remembered what happened back then.

"Madam went to Ferguson Corporation, I believe."

The old man exhaled sharply, feeling like one of these days, the stress might actually kill him. He couldn't keep putting things off. He needed to act—and soon.

Madam really was at Ferguson Corporation. No one on the executive floor knew who she was, but with her poise, it was obvious she wasn't just any visitor.

She walked into the boardroom and spotted Clara at the head of the table-in Dylan's chair-leading a meeting.

Clara looked calm and collected. The executive who'd just finished his report was fidgeting, clearly nervous about her response.

al.n

Clara tossed the file onto the table. "Ferguson Corporation and Warren Corporation have always been close, but you're obviously using our friendship to try and squeeze out an extra two percent on this contract. Did you even run it by Dylan?"

The executive wiped sweat from his brow. "Ms. Clara, normally when we work with other companies, we take most of the profit. The Warren family only joined this project last minute. Offering them three percent is already a big show of goodwill."

Clara spun her pen between her fingers, her eyes downcast. "As long as Ferguson Corporation doesn't

lose out, that's enough. The War

family isn't just representing own interests this time-they're standing in for the government. This project is basically a test to see how we get things done. If we act like greedy businessmen now, there won't be any future deals."

“But Richard hasn't said anything about—"

Clara raised her eyes, fixing the executive with a steady stare. "He's a government official first, the Warren family's CEO second, and only after that, Dylan's friend."

If you're in a position of responsibility, you'd better know exactly where your priorities lie.