Victor’s POV
“What do you mean by that, Mum?” I typed back, hoping that wasn’t what she meant.
Texting wasn’t working- I needed to hear her voice directly.
I immediately called her.
There were background noises in the phone, and I guessed she was in her personal space, but that wasn’t the real issue here.
“Why would you appoint her as a CEO?” my mother said, cutting straight to the point.
“Why did everyone put me in the dark? Even the board members didn’t inform me about this decision beforehand.”
I shook my head, still not believing what I was hearing.
“Mum, what is this you’re saying?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
“What am I saying?” She sounded genuinely confused by my question.
“I don’t think you should forget your father’s legacy that quickly. I’m not even against your marriage- when I saw her background and picture, I thought she was acceptable. But appointing her as a CEO is something you absolutely shouldn’t do.”
My mother said this calmly in her usual way of talking.
I could hear the ruffling of papers in the background, like she was reviewing documents while we spoke.
“Mum, I am not expecting this to be coming out of your mouth,” I said, my voice getting sharper.
“You wanted me to get married to fulfill Dad’s will. I did that to satisfy everyone. I have control of them all, so who I appoint as my CEO is none of anyone’s business.”
I realized I was getting dangerously close to losing my temper, something I rarely did with my mother.
“You dare not talk to your mother that way,” she said sharply.
I kept quiet, realizing something important about myself in that moment.
I would not take it easy on anyone who badmouthed Miriam.
This was the first time I had ever talked to my mother like this, and it revealed how much my feelings for her had changed everything.
“I heard she is a divorced woman,” my mother continued, her voice taking on a disapproving tone.
“How much have you investigated about her?” I asked, deliberately diverting her question.
“Just the part of her being a divorced lady,” she replied.
She was telling the truth.
If that was all she’d discovered, that was still better than what could have been revealed.
My mother didn’t know about Williams taking everything from Miriam.
She didn’t know about the conspiracy.
She did not know that this marriage was just an agreement between us.
“Well, I made myself clear earlier- who I choose as my wife or who I appoint as my CEO is my business,” I said firmly.
There was silence on her end except for the continued ruffling of papers.
“We are coming tomorrow,” I said, my tone shifting to something more commanding.
“I don’t want you to intimidate her. I have told her about how you want to meet her, so she is excited. I don’t want you pointing anything you have on your mind at her. Is that understood?”
My mother sighed heavily on the other end.
“I will forget about this conversation ever happened,” I said after a long pause.
“I want to believe you never meant to talk down on her because you are not one to care about background, but personality. You’ve always been that way.”
“The gala has been adjusted to tomorrow,” she said.
“You attend it with your wife. I will meet you both there.”
I was taken aback.
“Why was I not informed about this change?”
“Well, since my son decided to keep me in the dark also,” she said with a hint of humor in her voice.
I chuckled despite the tension of our conversation.
“I have some work to do,” she continued.
“New collaborators are coming this weekend, and I’m sorting out the invoice receipts myself. I need to have these accounts organized properly.”
My mother had her clothing branding business, and I had never truly understood what she always complained about, but that was her and her staff’s matters to manage.
“Alright, Mum. We will see you tomorrow,” I said.
I ended the call before she could continue her mumbling.
I shook my head, wondering why she had to start with a bad note and end with a good one.
My mother was never the predictable woman I’d grown up with, and she had raised me that way ever since my father died fifteen years ago, leaving his assets to my mother to manage until I got married.
What a story to tell generations.
“Branch at Central delivery and get the clothes,” I ordered my driver, Michael.
“Yes, sir,” he replied immediately.
Miriam’s POV
I rushed into the toilet again as I poured out everything I had just eaten.
This was getting worse.
It wasn’t even just about morning sickness anymore.
This was happening all the time now.
I needed to consult the nearest hospital and register.
I sat down on the cold tile floor and lifted my blouse, rubbing my stomach where the little bump was already showing.
Soon he would know it was there.
I couldn’t hide it when it fully grew.
“What do we do, honey?” I asked, rubbing my stomach as if the growing fetus would reply to me.
I managed to rinse off my mouth and flushed the toilet.
It was high time I found a nice hospital for my secret baby.
William would regret that he never knew about this child.
I strode back to my bed and reviewed the documents Victor had given me earlier in the day.
Speaking of which, it had been five hours since he left to attend to whatever he’d done to make the livestream disappear and that girl made an apology video.
I shouldn’t think about what I saw online.
His past was none of my business.
Whoever he got involved with in the past wasn’t my concern.
What I needed was to focus on my own actions.
I set aside the documents and picked up my phone, dialing my mother’s lawyer.
“Hello, Mrs. Bella,” I said when she picked up.
“Hello, Miriam, I have been expecting your call. I saw the news, and you know what? I am so happy for you on this great step,” she said warmly.
“Yes, thank you,” I replied, hoping she wouldn’t ask anything about how I’d gotten to this extent with Victor Ashford.
“Your mother would be so proud of what you did now,” she encouraged.
I chuckled internally.
Would she really be?
Seeing me obsessed over revenge?
Using a man’s resources to have my revenge?
I didn’t think she would be so proud, but I dropped that thought.
This was the present already, and I had to move forward.
“Did Williams come back for what you told me about?” I asked.
“No, not at all,” Mrs. Bella replied.
“Alright. Let’s meet by next week. I would make sure I create a time for us,” I said.
“Alright then,” Mrs. Bella said gently.
“I need a favor from you, Mrs. Bella,” I said hesitantly. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“You have worked with your mother, and with the memories I have about her, she hires investigators…,”
She laughed gently, interrupting me.
“I know what you want. I have told you- anything you need , ask me about it. Your mother has a trusted investigator she secretly uses. Should I forward her number?”
A lady being a secret investigator was something I had not heard of before.
“No, I want to meet her with you by next week,” I said firmly.
“Alright then. I will inform her. You do not have to worry about it,” Mrs. Bella said, reassuring me in a way that reminded me so much of how my mother would speak to me.
There was something about her voice, the way she spoke.
It was so familiar.
Just like how my mother would speak to me.
Was this some sort of close lawyer and client connection that transferred over time?
Another call suddenly came in.
“Oh, I need to go. Another call just came in,” I said.
“Alright then. I would be expecting you by next week,” Mrs. Bella said, ending the call.
I lowered the phone and saw the number.
It was a private unknown company number.
What was this?
How were people getting my number all of a sudden?
I picked it up anyway, curious about what they had to say.
It was a lady’s voice on the other end.
“Hello, Mrs. Miriam. We have a proposal we want to offer to you as the new CEO of Ashford Industries. We have new holdings in Europe, and we need the involvement of Ashford Industries in it. Are you available for discussion? We would have this forwarded to your email, but we have no access to forwarding it to the company’s new email, so we got your number from your media coverage,” she said professionally.
I listened carefully, shocked by what I was hearing.
I was actually receiving my first collaboration as a new CEO.
It was so new to me that I almost panicked.
“Forward it to my email. I will have my secretary attend to you,” I said firmly, keeping my voice steady, even though I hadn’t started my full duties yet and didn’t even have a secretary.
But this was such great progress, and I couldn’t wait to tell Victor about it.
I slowed down.
Why was I so happy to tell him?
Well, of course he needed to hear about it.
He was still technically my boss.
But that wasn’t the only reason my heart was racing at the thought of sharing this news with him.
“Alright, ma’am. We would be expecting your availability,” the woman said.
The call ended.
I dropped my phone.
This was real.
This was happening.
My first real collaboration as a CEO.
My door suddenly rang with a notification.
“Miriam?” His voice came through the intercom.
Light and thick at the same time.
My heart suddenly did a leap, hearing his voice, knowing he was behind that door with that dress made my heart flutter so much.
My stupid heart knew exactly how much I had been waiting for him to come back.