Catherine Walter- The heiress without aninheritance.
Catherine stood in a world of her own after years of toiling hard as a real estate developer; tonight will finally mark the beginning of a breakthrough for her. In the middle of all her hard work, she stood in a tall fortress transparent building reflecting her rise from the ashes of ruins like a phoenix bird, steadying her glass of champagne and straightening her velvet dress; she let out a satisfactory smile. Tonight isn't just another business deal, it is her restoration. The board of directors seated before her looked satisfied and nodded in agreement as she delivered her final business pitch. The tone of her voice was confident enough to hide her desperation; she delivered a first-class pitch without breaking a sweat just like a boss lady. This is the deal of a lifetime, a deal she has been pursuing for months, a deal she has put in the work- paid her dues with every of her sweat and blood and if she can secure this one deal, it is going to restore her family's tarnished reputation.
A question from across the room made her breath jerk '' does anyone here know if Mr. Sullivan has reviewed its final conditions?''
That name, like a sword, pierces her heart once again. Sullivan Jake is responsible for her father's downfall and tarnished image. Her heart pounding so hard still she maintained her composure. She masked the tension she felt with her poised nature, no one could see through her cracks.
Certainly, Sullivan has to be a part of this deal. The universe had to put him in her hands even as she tried so hard to break free of his shadow. She faked a smile and nodded. She won't fret; she will face him—nothing can stand in the way of this deal, not even him, she pondered in her heart as the meeting came to an end.
Alone in the boardroom sat Catherine with her legs crossed and jaws clenched; a lot was going through her mind, but the most was the memory of how her father was ruined and disgraced; it kept flashing back.
25th September 2005 seems like yesterday, its detailed event Still as fresh as a new wound. I was just 10 years old- was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My mother was heavily pregnant to be due in 3 months; I was overjoyed cause I would have a younger sibling soon. Everything was going great for my family, or so we thought until Sullivan Jake came into the picture; Catherine breathed in heavily, dark clouds gathering in her eyes. My father, popularly known as Jackson Walter, was a very respected and successful business mogul; he was a force to reckon with in the real estate industry. He started his career early, and in his early 30s, he had climbed the corporate ladder pretty fast. My mother was living the dream life of every woman- she was regal, Gorgeous, and married to a very wealthy man. But in a twinkle of an eye- the life of glamour we lived in was swept off our feet, and with a backlash, we somersaulted into poverty, tears trip down her cheek. Who would have thought that my once successful and powerful father would one day become a nobody?
A set-up, A scandal - a disgraceful court trial had stripped my family of its glory. The mastermind behind it all, Sullivan Jake, she sniffles. Her face reddened, eyes firing shots. He didn't soil his hands in the open but his influence and power had been absolute. Rumor has it that it was his company that took over my father's empire- his name was on every legal document confirming my father's suspicion that it was Sullivan who was the mastermind behind his destruction.
My father was publicly disgraced, ridiculed, and destroyed. We lost everything, everyone turned their back on my father.
No hope, no help- all was lost, all was gone, we were back to square zero.
My father became a shadow of himself- frustrated and withdrawn. My mother did all she could to bring him out of his gloomy state, but all her efforts were in vain.
One fateful morning, jaws clenched, we woke up to the dead body of my father; he had committed suicide overnight, leaving a suicide note for us. She bit her lower lip to suppress her agony. I was just a child, but the question on my mind was, where do we go from here? My father was my hero, my model, and in one night, he was gone, never to be seen or heard from again; more tears tripped down her cheeks.
Her lips quirked in fury, I thought I had seen it all, but looking at my mother, I could tell her heart shattered into a million pieces. She couldn't bear the shock of my father's death- she stood still, looking at my father's body, and she became unresponsive, but before I could get wind of what was happening to her, she suddenly slumped to the floor.
I found myself next to the hospital. Sitting beside me was my godfather- my family's most trusted friend. My mother was taken to the theatre for an emergency surgery; she was having premature labor, and they needed to take the baby out to save their lives.
I was shaken and confused at the ongoing; everything was happening really fast, and I was just praying for my mother and baby sibling to be okay. In less than an hour, the doctors came and informed us that my mother had a stillbirth- my heart sank.
Eyebrows down and drawing closer, eye glare and a narrowing of her lips, Catherine slammed the board hard, biting deep into her lower lip to prevent her from bursting into tears.
The downfall of her family, followed by her father's suicide, was the front page of every news headline in Los Angeles. This man has taken everything she loves from her- her father, her sibling, and her family wealth. All for what? I and my mother went through the toughest kind of emotional torture. How can this man be this wicked and ruthless? How can this man destroy the life of another, making them go through shame and disgrace? How does he even sleep at night or live with himself after executing such evil acts? Amid all the storms befalling my family, I swore to revenge- rebuild back everything that was forcefully taken from my family and bring everyone involved to book, even if it meant giving up my life. The time has come; the opportunity has finally presented itself.
She wiped off her tears, grabbed her black leather bag, and gracefully swayed her way out of the boardroom heading home.
The drive to her home was fast, the road was free, and in less than 30 minutes she had gotten to her apartment. Just as she was about to enter her room, it struck suddenly like a cord; damn! She hit her forehead; the memory had slammed right into her; she had an exclusive dinner to attend tonight by 7 pm, which was being organized by her company. The invite was sent through the company's email last week. How could she have forgotten, she frowns her face, she had less than an hour and 30 minutes to prepare. She quickly rushed into the bathroom, had a quick shower, got out, and started preparing for the dinner night. She applied light makeup, unclipped, and combed her long dark hair granting it the freedom to cascade down her shoulders. She decided to put on a silk turquoise blue knee-length body-hugging gown; this gown fit right into her every curve. She had nude lipstick on, a pair of dangling earrings and she crowned her overall look with a pair of gold heels and a clutch purse. Standing in front of the mirror- she admired how beautiful and radiant she looked; she was good to go, she mumbled as she gracefully swayed her hips into her car.
Walking into an exotic ballroom, which was tastefully glammed up from the shining chandeliers to the beautiful light bulbs illuminating radiancy. The ballroom was filled with power players and big business investors- billionaires. Their discussion was whispered deals masked with hidden agendas. Catherine's turquoise blue dress hung perfectly on her, giving her a well-primed look. She admires the beauty of the ballroom giving it a 360-degree turn. She straightened the hem of her dress and swayed elegantly to a round table where she sat down like the queen she was.
Tonight is not just a dinner night but a night for her to face her arched enemy head-on- she is here to face Sullivan but she won't be playing the role of a fallen heiress but a woman in charge of her own chess game; playing by her own rules, she gave out a wicked grin. A waiter arrived in front of her, and just as she was about to grab a glass of rare champagne, she felt it; like a shadow, a stare that burns through the atmosphere, grazing over her soft skin with an awareness that shouldn't exist. The moment she had been waiting for was finally here. She turned swiftly and locked eyes with him- Sullivan Jake. Neither wanting to be the first to look away, he stood at the center of the ballroom, his black tuxedo emphasizing his quiet dominance aura coiled within him, silver grey at his temple, a sharp jawline carved by age and ruthlessness; a smirk curved out of his lips and he raised his glass to her in acknowledgment, she looked away. He is older now, more fiercely dangerous but also more dashing and compelling in looks. The same man who threw her family under the bus is the same man who quickens her pulse, making her heart beat faster than usual, and unable to control herself, she catches her breath. Catherine's hatred and desire battle within her; she should leave, she should feign ignorance, act like she didn't feel the spark between them. She should back down, eyes rolled; she sniffed at the thought and whispered to herself- tonight, I won't be a coward. She picked up her champagne glass and gracefully swayed her way to his table.
If he thinks he is the one in charge, he had better rethink because she was about to show him that two can play the game and she plays it a lot better- checkmate.