AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A heavy breath left him. Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, he turned me to face Mom’s grave.
“Do you hear her, Eva?” he said. “Milla’s going to start her own company. Can you believe how much she’s grown? A college graduate and an entrepreneur. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”
“I’m glad she married you,” I said, looking up at the only father figure in my life. “I didn’t believe her when she said I’d need you when she was gone.”
He pulled me into a one-arm hug. “I think I’ll need you more, kiddo.” He took a deep breath. “You’ll stay in touch with me at all times, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
“And you’ll let me visit you often?” Brian added hopefully.
“Please do,” I said. “I don’t have anyone else who cares about me. And I’ve never been to California before. I’ll be all alone there.”
“I’m sure that won’t always be the case, honey,” said Brian, kissing the top of my head. “You’re going to start a new life in California. You will make friends who’ll love and support you. I’m sure of it.”
I stayed quiet, wishing he was right. After the way Noah, Corey, and Caleb treated me, I doubted I’d trust anyone for a long time to come.
The rain slowly receded. Sunlight shone through a break in the clouds, illuminating Mom’s gravestone.
Sinking to my knees, I bowed my head before her grave.Watch over me, Mom, I prayed silently.
Some of the weight seemed to lift off my chest. I wasn’t going to be alone after all. Brian would be by my side, supporting me so I could become strong enough to destroy Noah and his brothers.
A long, hard road stared me in the face. There was no guarantee of a win even if my stepfather supported me. In the end, it’d all depend on me and my competence.
My goal was to prove I was better than Noah Amhurst in every way when it came to running a company. So far, he and his brothers led privileged lives, never having to fight for the smallest of things. What would they know of struggle and strife?
Brian was going to provide me with everything they had. I wasn’t going to be a powerless girl anymore.
For the first time, we were going to play on a leveled field. I was going to have the same support as them. We’d be eyeing the same goal.
I was going to make Noah’s worst fears come true. He put me through me so much pain because he thought I was a money-grabbing bitch who entered his life to snatch his father’s company away.
I’ll show you, I vowed.I’ll snatch everything from you.I’ll make you beg and kneel before me, and even then, you might not be able to satisfy me.
It might take me a year or more to get my revenge, but I was determined to make the Amhurst brothers lose everything they cared for.
Five Years Later...
3
Caleb
The warm air of the posh boardroom was starting to feel suffocating. My fingers dug into my tight collar, hoping to get some air to breeze over my sweaty neck.
My gaze fell onto my eldest brother.
Noah looked utterly comfortable and in command of the men’s attention as he went through a PowerPoint presentation, proudly showing yearly projections of our profit margins.
The heat didn’t seem to bother him at all. Dressed in a dark suit, he looked at perfect ease.
A lot of things changed over the past five years but my brother remained the same. He was still obsessed with taking over the family business.
If possible, he’d turned even more ambitious, channeling his zealous spirit into forcing me and Corey to manage the subsidiary companies, so he wouldn’t have to trust an outsider.
All in all, these past five years didn’t see a single change in our cold, uptight asshole of a brother.
“The construction of these key factories has led to a spurt in our profits,” Noah shouted, his gray eyes shining with fervent pride. “Which means, the price of your shares has increased by five percent this term.”
