"Oh my God, Andrew," Eleanor said. "My sweet boy. You took that innocent boy from this house when he was barely five years old. Because of your spite, you denied him a father who adored him!"
Zara smoothed a stray hair away from her face and looked Eleanor up and down.
"No, Eleanor. I saved his life. I took him away so he wouldn’t grow up with a woman like you whispering in his ear. I gave him a life where he didn’t have to compete for his father’s love, with you. He was the only thing I loved."
"You are so crazy," Eleanor snapped, her composure finally breaking. "I loved him, we all did. And you just took him and left."
Zara walked over to a velvet armchair, sitting down with forced elegance. She crossed her legs, obviously trying to reclaim her status as the lady of the house.
"I left because you tried to kill ," she said . "Do you think I would ever leave my son alone with a murderer? You are the crazy one if you think I’ve forgotten. Now, like I said, I want to speak with the Chairman."
Eleanor didn’t move. She took out her phone.
"You’re going to have to wait," Eleanor said. "He’s gone for a eting."
....
Lily was busy at her desk, typing up a report for the upcoming board eting.
The office was quiet as usual. She was trying to finish everything before Julian checked in.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated and the screen lit up: Chairman Grant.
Her heart skipped a beat, knowing that the Chairman never called just to say hello.
She waited a mont, then answered.
"Good morning, Sir."
"Where is my son?" he asked, sounding angry.
"He... well, he is..." Lily couldn’t find the right words.
"Lily, I asked you a simple question. Where is Julian?"
"Sir, h-he is at ho. He told not to call him today. He said he needed to be alone."
"That is preposterous," Grant snapped. "He does not get to be alone today. Did you tell him about the important eting in Madrid?"
"Yes, sir," Lily replied, her grip tightening on the phone. "I sent him the brief and the flight itinerary yesterday morning. He confird receipt."
"Then he has lost his mind. I’ve been trying his personal line for twenty minutes, and it’s going straight to voicemail. He’s avoiding ."
Lily looked at the clock. It was already 9:00 AM. She didn’t know if he was in the hospital with Lyvana, or which of his properties he was in. He was likely keeping his phone off to avoid exactly this kind of confrontation.
"I’m sure there’s a logical explanation, Sir. Perhaps he’s in a dead zone or..."
"Enough with the excuses, Lily. You work for Grant Industries, not as Julian’s personal bodyguard. If he isn’t on that plane to Madrid by noon, the shareholders will have his head, and I’ll be the one to hand it to them."
The line went silent for a second, but Lily could hear the Chairman’s heavy, agitated breathing.
"Find him," he added. "I don’t care if you have to drive to his house and drag him out of bed yourself. Tell him that if he misses this eting, he would regret it."
Click. The line went dead.
Lily sat a second, not knowing exactly what to do.
"Right... no pressure," she murmured, as she quickly dialed Julian’s ho line.
"Grant residence," Clara answered on the second ring.
"Clara, it’s Lily. Is Julian there? I need to speak with him, now."
"He’s here," Clara whispered, her voice dropping as if Julian might hear her through the walls. "I think he just stepped into the shower. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days, Lily. He’s in a bad mood."
"Bad mood or not, I need to speak with him ASAP. His father just called, and he’s going to have my head soon."
There was a short pause on the other end.
"Ms. Lily, you know I can’t do that. He gave strict instructions, no interruptions. He was very clear."
"Clara, listen to . This is a massive ergency. His father is on the warpath."
"Then you co here and tell him," Clara countered. "You know how he gets when he’s like this. If I walk into that room and disturb him now, I’ll be out of a job before the water stops running. If you want him, Lily, you’re going to have to be the one to co knock on his door."
"Fine," Lily muttered under her breath. "If I’m going to get fired today, it might as well be for breaking into a bathroom."
She ended the call and grabbed her car keys from the desk.
She rushed out of the office and headed straight for the elevator, her mind already rehearsing what she would say to a very angry Julian Grant.
Back in the Chairman’s private study, he was pacing the floor, his face red with frustration.
"This is unacceptable," he snapped, turning to Lord Windsor, who sat comfortably on the sofa. "He’s distracted. Julian is never distracted."
Lord Windsor took a slow pull from his cigar, watching the smoke drift upward. "My daughter tells he’s quite serious about this new girl."
"He hasn’t said a word about her to or my wife. Unless Eleanor is keeping secrets again."
Windsor shrugged. "I told my wife to let it go. We can’t always control every move our children make, can we?"
"That is unacceptable," Grant countered, slamming his hand on the desk. "He had a responsibility. He agreed to the arrangent. He had no right to annul the marriage without my consent."
"I hope this won’t affect our business agreents," Windsor said.
"Of course not," Grant said quickly.
"And this girl?" Windsor asked. "What do you plan to do about her?"
"Nothing yet. My son has never been serious about anyone. Who knows how long this one will last? She’s likely just a temporary diversion."
As he spoke, Grant’s phone lit up on the desk. He looked down and his frown deepened.
Twenty missed calls.
All of them from Eleanor.
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