Victor’s POV
I sat alone in my study after Miriam had gone to her room, the silence wrapping around me like a familiar blanket.
My computer screen glowed with the faces of board members waiting for my attention.
This was the business call I’d been dreading and anticipating in equal measure.
Everything my father had left behind- his companies, his wealth, his legacy-now belonged to me.
But first, I had to deal with the vultures circling, waiting to see what I would do next.
The will had been read.
My mother had already informed the board members of the conditions.
And now they all understood what they’d been waiting for: a wife.
Once I had a wife, once I fulfilled my father’s final wishes, they would finally allow me to take over completely.
They would stop questioning my decisions.
They would stop trying to position themselves for more power.
They would finally accept that I was in control.
“Sir, the TX companies are requesting a collaboration,” Karen said, her voice cutting through my thoughts.
She held up a paper to the camera, showing me the details.
“The word has already spread about your announcement.”
I nodded.
“Handle it.”
“Mr. Victor, there’s something at one of the companies your father left behind,” a red-haired man in a brown suit said from the screen.
His name was Gabriel, and he’d been working for my father for twenty years.
“We need you there on Monday for an inspection. There are some issues that need your personal attention.”
I sipped my wine, the taste bitter on my tongue.
“I’ve already reviewed all the reports. The contracts are solid. I want each department in LEX Enterprise to proceed with business as usual. No deals should fall through. Make that clear to everyone.”
The board members nodded obediently.
Karen was furiously taking notes, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
She’d always been good at this- anticipating what I needed, what I wanted, what I was thinking before I even said it.
She was my personal secretary, my right hand, my eyes and ears in every room I couldn’t personally be in.
But there was only one woman I wanted in my world now.
“My wife,” I said, drawing all their attention back to me.
“I will be announcing her to everyone in two days. I’m informing the board members first because you need to understand that this is not just some personal decision. This is strategic.”
“Congratulations, sir,” they said in unison, clapping like trained seals.
I raised my glass to the screen, looking each of them in the eye.
“Everything should be finalized now. My father’s will is fulfilled, which is exactly what you all wanted. You can finally move forward with your own plans.”
I let that sink in, watching their body language shift.
Some of them looked relieved.
Others looked disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to use the will as an excuse to hold power over me anymore.
“But here’s the thing,” I continued, leaning forward. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Now that my father’s will is satisfied, I’m going to do what I should have been able to do from the beginning. I’m appointing a new CEO to head my company. Someone I trust completely. Someone who understands my vision.”
They laughed nervously, looking at each other like they were trying to figure out who I meant.
“Of course, Mr. Ashford,” one of them said carefully.
“A new CEO would be acceptable. Your vision is the right vision.”
I sipped my wine again, watching them scramble to agree with me.
This was the other side of who I was- the side that controlled entire industries with a single word.
The side that bent people to my will without ever raising my voice.
“Karen, make sure that memo gets distributed to every department,” I said, turning to my assistant.
“Yes, sir. Immediately,” she replied, already typing.
I checked my wristwatch.
We’d been talking for almost two hours, and my patience was wearing thin.
“I have a long day tomorrow. I think we should end this discussion here.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, relieved to be released from my presence.
But just as the call was about to disconnect, my personal phone vibrated on my desk.
I picked it up immediately, excusing myself from the board call.
I walked out onto my balcony, looking out at Manhattan spread out below me like a kingdom I’d already conquered.
The city lights flickered like stars that had fallen from the sky.
Car horns honked in the distance.
The world continued spinning, oblivious to the fact that I’d just cemented my control over a significant portion of it.
“Who do we have here?” I said into the phone, already knowing who it was.
“You snitch!” Ariel’s voice screeched through the speaker.
“I heard you took over your father’s companies! And nobody told me? I had to hear it from business contacts in Japan?”
I scratched my forehead, already bracing myself for the onslaught of her fury.
“It just happened. Things moved quickly.”
“Really?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Does this mean you got married already? Victor, how could you not tell me? I’m hurt. I’m genuinely hurt.”
“Ariel, your Asia operations are thriving. I heard the numbers were excellent this quarter…”
“Don’t you dare change the subject,” she cut me off sharply.
“Who is she? When did this happen? How did a cold, controlling man like you actually convince someone to marry you?”
I felt a smile tug at my lips despite my frustration.
“Watch yourself, Ariel.”
“When is the wedding?” she demanded.
“I will be back from Japan in two weeks. I want to be there.”
“I’ll tell you the details later,” I said, already knowing this wasn’t going to satisfy her.
“Later? LATER?” She laughed.
“Victor, you’re unbelievable. You can’t just announce you’re married and expect me to accept ‘later’ as an answer.”
“Don’t you have a company to run?” I asked, trying to redirect her attention.
“Here comes the father figure,” she teased, and I could hear the smile in her voice now.
“You know what? I don’t care. I’m a lady. I need to relax. Unlike some people who are cold and busy all the time, I actually believe in work-life balance. But I have to say, I’m excited to meet your wife. Finally, I’ll have someone to talk to about normal things. Girly things. Something besides business and revenge plots.”
I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me.
“Yeah. Whatever. I’m hanging up now.”
“If you dare hang up on me…” she started, but I cut the call off before she could finish her threat.
I shook my head and looked back out at the city.
That girl was a pain in my ass, but she was also one of the only people in my life who could talk to me without barriers.
Before Miriam came into the picture, it was just Ariel, my mother, and me.
Three people who actually knew who I was beneath the suits and the power.
Now there was a fourth.
I thought about earlier, when I’d told Miriam not to worry about Williams anymore.
I’d seen something shift in her expression- a hardening, a burial of emotions, a transformation of pain into something sharp and dangerous.
It was subtle, but I’d been watching Miriam for five years.
I knew her tells.
Five years.
I’d carried this torch for her for five years while she was married to that bastard, while she smiled at work and played the role of the perfect wife.
I’d lived with the heartbreak of it, watching her choose him, watching her commit to him, watching her build a life with a man who didn’t deserve her.
I’d known about Williams Castellano even before Miriam met him.
I’d done background checks, investigated his family, learned about his criminal connections.
I could have warned her.
I could have told her what kind of man he was.
But I was a coward.
I was afraid of losing her professionally if I overstepped.
So I just watched.
I just suffered in silence like some pathetic lover, letting the woman I loved choose someone else.
But those days were over.
Now she was in my penthouse.
Now she was legally bound to me.
Now she was completely within my control, and I had no intention of ever letting her go.
I thought about how she’d looked at dinner tonight- the way she’d forced that smile, the way she’d carefully maintained her distance, the way she’d broken eye contact when things got too intimate.
She was still protecting herself.
She was still calculating, still playing a game.
She hadn’t fallen for me yet.
She probably didn’t even trust me.
But she would.
Eventually, she would realize that I was the only one who could actually protect her.
The only one who had the power, the resources, the ruthlessness to keep her safe from people like Williams Castellano.
I would make Williams Castellano regret the day he ever laid eyes on my wife.