With a sigh of resignation, Sarah led her relatives down a long, art-adorned hallway. "This will be your room," she said, pushing open the door to a guest suite that was larger than her old apartment. It featured a king-sized bed, a private balcony, and an en-suite bathroom tiled in Italian marble.
Patrick and Jason entered, their eyes wide with awe. "This is just a guest room?" Jason asked, running a hand over the polished mahogany dresser.
"So, what happened to that loser husband of yours?" he continued, turning to Sarah with a smirk. "Did he finally get lost?"
Before Sarah could answer, Amanda chimed in from the doorway. "He went away to 'take care of a sick friend,'" she said, her voice dripping with scorn. "I wish he'd stay away for good, but my daughter insists on staying married to him. I don't know why she won't just divorce him." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Now that we're so rich, he's become even greedier than before. You should see how he looks at all this. Sarah, you need to divorce him before he figures out a way to run off with everything."
Patrick nodded in agreement. "She should find a decent man who can match her status. Someone like Jason, perhaps." The suggestion hung in the air, thick and unwelcome. He wasn't just suggesting she find a man like his son, but his son himself.
Sarah's expression hardened with disgust. "I'm happy with my current marriage, Uncle," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
The next day, Sarah sat in her CEO office, the stress of the previous evening still weighing on her. Her assistant, Anna, knocked before entering with a stack of files. "You asked for an update on our client retention, ma'am."
"How are things looking?" Sarah asked, hoping for a sliver of good news.
"They're starting to pick up steam," Anna reported with a smile. "Most of our former clients are coming back now that our financial situation has stabilized. The anonymous donation really saved us."
Sarah nodded, a knot forming in her stomach. "Anna," she began reluctantly, "is it possible for me to take my salary in advance? And to make an increase for this month only?"
Anna looked surprised but nodded. "Of course, ma'am. You've barely taken a salary for months. Is everything alright?"
"It's an emergency," Sarah said quietly, hating the lie. "I need to take out nine hundred thousand dollars."
The amount was staggering, but Anna didn't question it. She remembered how, when the company was on the brink of collapse, Sarah had reduced her own salary to almost nothing to avoid layoffs and ensure every employee was paid on time. If she said it was an emergency, it was an emergency. "I'll process it immediately, ma'am."
Thousands of miles away, Aaron slid into the back of a black Rolls-Royce, the scent of expensive leather filling the air. Natalie was already inside, her attention fixed on a tablet. "Our next destination is Sterling Pharmaceuticals," she informed him coolly. "It's the largest pharmaceutical company in the UK, but it's been bleeding money for the last two quarters. The executives at the top have been funneling funds into personal accounts and attempting to cover their tracks with falsified reports."
They arrived at a gleaming glass skyscraper. The board of directors was assembled in the lobby, their expensive suits and eager smiles doing little to hide their nervousness. They greeted Aaron with an almost desperate enthusiasm, ushering him and Natalie into the executive boardroom.
Once the door was closed, Natalie got straight to the point. "This is Aaron Turner," she announced. "From this moment forward, you will be answering to him." She began to fire off a series of precise, probing questions about recent expenditures and declining profit margins. The executives tried to deflect and maneuver, but Natalie's questioning was relentless. She was too sharp, catching every inconsistency and lie.
Finally, she had them cornered. "Let me remind you gentlemen where you were before Mr. Williams placed you in these roles," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerously quiet level. "You were nobodies. If you wish to maintain the wealth and power you've become accustomed to, you will cease your… creative accounting… and do the jobs you were hired to do. Is that understood?"
A chorus of nervous "yeses" filled the room. All of them nodded in agreement.
Natalie turned to Aaron. "Is there anything you would like to add, sir?"
Aaron, who had observed the entire exchange in silence, simply said, "No."
Back at The King's Castle, Sarah arrived home late, the withdrawal confirmation heavy in her briefcase. She found her uncle and cousin in the living room, exactly where she had left them. Without a word, she took out the check for nine hundred thousand dollars and handed it to Patrick.
His face lit up with a greedy smile. "Thank you, Sarah! Thank you! You see, Jason? I told you your cousin wouldn't let us down!" He and Jason got to their feet, pocketing the check without a second glance. "Well, we'd best be on our way!" They left so quickly it was as if they were afraid she might change her mind. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, finally glad to be rid of them.
Her relief was short-lived. The next morning, she came downstairs to find both Patrick and Jason lounging on the sofas, watching television as if they owned the place.
Sarah stopped dead in her tracks. "What are you still doing here?" she demanded.
Patrick smiled lazily from the couch. "We just wanted to spend a little more time with you and Amanda. Catch up properly, you know?"
Sarah turned to her cousin. "Jason, what about college? Don't you have classes?"
"I'm on break," he replied smoothly, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Sarah sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples. She could already feel a headache coming on.