bChapter 247 /b

    OLIVIA’S POV

    *45 minutes ago*

    Just before this horrible attack went down in mypany.

    I was on stage, standing under the re of the lights, giving my speech to a crowd that seemed both endless and suffocating at the same time. My voice was steady, my words smooth at least on the surface. Outwardly, I looked every bit the confident CEO I had molded myself into. But the moment my ga?e swept across the audience, my tongue nearly caught in my mouth.

    Because there she was.

    Someone I thought I would never see again.

    Now, don’t get me wrong I know the world is small, and New York is even smaller when ites to certain circles. People

    bump into people they’d rather forget all the time. But her? In my building? At my event?

    The disturbing part wasn’t just seeing her, it was the reason she was here. For her to have known about this ceremony, she must have seen my personal announcement. I had made it intentionally public to investors, employees, and the press. Given our history, Isadora had no reason toe here unless she was plotting to cause trouble. And knowing her, that was exactly what she came for.

    And then it clicked.

    That familiar presence I had felt passed by me earlier, brushing just close enough to set off my instincts. It hadn’t been my imagination after all.

    It was him.

    Isadora’s lover.

    Adrian Westwood.

    The name itself was enough to light a fire in my chest and freeze my veins at the same time. That bastard was here with

    her.

    My fingers tightened around the microphone so hard that a faint, ugly squeal of feedback whined from the speakers. Several people in the front rows nced at me with polite confusion. I ignored them, trying to focus on the script in my head, but the flood of old memories was already pushing through the walls I had built around them.

    Seeing Isadora was bad enough it dragged the ghosts out of the shadows. But Adrian? Seeing him… that was a direct link to the nightmare I had fought so hard to bury.

    In an instant, I was no longer standing in the ke Enterprise auditorium. I was five years younger, heart pounding, staring down the threat that nearly shattered my entire family.

    The fear crept in fast, like cold water seeping under a locked door. Fear of losing my mother. Fear of losing myself. Fear of

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    death, real and tangible. Every image, every sound, every smell from that time came back to me like a storm breaking over my head.

    I gripped the mic harder, my knuckles whitening. The crowd in front of me blurred at the edges. My breathing started to quicken, chest rising a little too fast.

    No.

    1 forced my eyes shut for half a second and drew in a deep breath through my nose. The oxygen burned, but it anchored me. I exhaled slowly, counting the seconds in my head.

    I reminded myself of one unshakable truth: I am a human being. And humans get scared it’s normal. But that was the old me. That was Olivia Grayson, the woman who let her fear tie her hands and keep her awake at night.

    This now was Olivia ke.

    Olivia ke was different. Stronger. Sharper. She had learned how to defend herself – not just physically, but mentally. She had stood up to billionaires, politicians, and ruthless sharks in the corporate world, and she had done it without breaking. She had carried the weight of her family’s name on her back and turned it into a shield instead of a burden.

    I loosened my grip on the mic, my shoulders lowering just slightly as my pulse began to settle. I was no longer in that dark ce from five years ago. I was here, in control, on my stage.

    Adrian Westwood might have been a shadow from my past, but that didn’t mean he could control my present.

    In fact, I’d been waiting for this moment.

    For years, I had quietly prepared for the possibility that he might try to make a move. And now, with him here alongside Isadora it looked like that moment had finally arrived.

    Which meant I could stop waiting and start acting.

    My lips curled into the faintestb, /bcoldest smile. If he was nning anything, I was ready.

    That’s why I’d hired extra security in the first ce, wasn’t it?

    “Excuse me for a moment,dies and gentlemen,” I said into the microphone, keeping my voice smooth and polite as ! painted a practiced smile. The kind of smile that said everything is fine even when my gut told me it wasn’t.

    My eyes were already scanning the crowd every row, every face searching for the man I was almost certain would be here

    if she was.

    If Isadora was in the building, then Adrian Westwood was somewhere close. The two were like poison and venom different, but deadly together.

    I stepped off the stage, my heels clicking against the marble as I descended the stairs with controlled precision, my gaze sweeping from one end of the hall to the other. There was no sign of him yet, but I knew better than to think that meant he wasn’t here. Adrian had a way of blending in until he decided to strike.

    “Is everything okay, ma’am?” ra’s voice broke my concentration. She appeared at my side, her brow slightly furrowed, scanning the direction my eyes had been fixed on.

    09:40 Sat, 30 Aug

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    “Not quite,” I replied, my voice low and deliberate. “I just spotted someone I don’t want here. I can’t me her for showing up technically, I didn’t ban them from attending but the real question is why they would even bother after everything they’ve done to me.”

    I took a small step closer to ra so my words wouldn’t carry beyond her ears. “I want you to take the security team and escort them both out of this building. Immediately.”

    “Yes, ma’am.” ra’s tone was crisp and efficient, but I could see the shadow of curiosity in her eyes.

    She didn’t need to ask who I was referring to. I had made sure that every member of my staff, especially security, had seen the pictures – Adrian Westwood and Isadora, in full color. They knew exactly who to look for.

    This wasn’t just about business. This was personal.

    I hadn’t forgotten what Isadora did to me. In fact, it was partly because of her that I had ever considered taking the CEO position at ke Enterprise in the first ce. I had been driven by the idea ofing back stronger, building an empire so solid that I could eventually dismantle hers piece by piece.

    And now, I was in a position of power, not just financially, but strategically. If I wanted, I could make their lives copse in ways far crueler than public humiliation.

    But not today.

    Today wasn’t about revenge- it was about ke Enterprise’s expansion and the future of our projects. Which was exactly why I needed them gone before they could taint the event with their presence.

    Besides, Charlie was here.

    A cold flicker of unease passed through me at the thought, My son’s safety came before my pride or my vengeance. And the idea of Adrian or even Isadora being anywhere near him made my skin crawl.

    I turned to climb the stage again, my mind already moving through the rest of my speech. I would finish the ceremony, meet with key investors, and then… then I could deal with them.

    But before I could take my first step, the sound tore through the air like a de.

    “Everybody on the ground now!”

    The voice was deep, harsh, andmanding, echoing off the high ceilings of the hall. It wasn’t a request, it was an order,

    Gasps and startled murmurs turned into shrieks as all eyes swung toward the source. Men at least 5 were flooding into the room from multiple entrances, each one carrying a rifle.

    The ck of their clothing contrasted with the polished brightness of the event space, and for a moment, my mind struggled to process the shift. Just seconds ago, there had been music, polite chatter, and the sound of champagne sses clinking. Now, it was chaos.

    Instinctively, my security detail moved in around me, creating a protective shield as they tried to assess the situation. I could feel the tension radiating off them, the calction in their movements.

    But there were too many of them.

    09:40 Sat, 30 Aug

    The riflemen moved with the kind of coordination thates from nning, their boots pounding against the floor as they barked orders. Guests panicked, some trying to rush toward the exits only to be shoved back by the barrel of a gun.

    “Get down! Now!” one of the intruders snapped, waving his weapon toward a group of terrified investors.

    I could hear the sharp edge of fear in people’s voices. Even the ones who weren’t screaming were shaking, frozen in ce as they realized this wasn’t a prank, wasn’t some publicity stunt.

    My security team hesitated for half a second–half a second too long before realizing the odds. 5 rifles against a handful of concealed pistols wasn’t a fight we could win without innocent casualties.

    They had families. Lives. People waiting for them at home.

    They wouldn’t risk a firefight here not when these men had the advantage.

    One by one, my guards ced their pistols on the ground, sliding them away. The intruders forced them to hand over their phones as well, moving quickly to ensure none of us could call for help.

    The leader barked another order, and within minutes, the entire room was herded into the center, corralled like livestock.

    I kept my expressionposed, even as adrenaline burned through me. Panic wouldn’t help me now.

    And that… that was how we got to the present moment.

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