Anastasia’s POV
The morning was full of different feelings, but I stayed calm while sitting at the front of the table in the conference room. The department leaders were together, each one sharing their feedback. My dad’s company was in chaos, and I wanted to find out why.
As the meeting progressed, a particular piece of information caught my attention. One of the heads mentioned Blake’s name in connection with some recent decisions affecting the company’s financial health. It felt like my stomach had been twisted. Why was Blake involved in any of this? He was no longer part of my life, and yet, here he was, still casting shadows over everything I held dear.
“Are you sure Blake had a hand in this?” I asked, my voice steady but my heart racing.
“Yes, ma’am,” the head of finance confirmed. “Blake was listed as an investor and has been involved in some recent dealings with your father. It’s unclear to us how deep his involvement goes, but it seems significant, because we were told only to follow the task given to us. And Mr Harry never really appreciate opinions,”
I nodded, absorbing the information. My mind raced with a mixture of confusion and anger. Was Blake trying to sabotage the company, or was there something more that I don’t know about? Blake was really sound in dealings like this, he knows that the risk involved is alarming yet he went through with it? I needed answers, and I knew exactly where to get them.
“Thank you all for the update,” I said, dismissing the team. “I’ll take it from here.”
I stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. They shuffled out, leaving me alone in the vast conference room. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before heading back to my office. There was no time to waste; I had to confront Blake.
I informed Mike, my assistant, that I would be stepping out for a while. “Hold all calls, and if anyone asks, tell them I’m out on urgent business.”
Mike nodded, his expression concerned but respectful. “Yes, Miss Anastasia.”
Grabbing my keys, I left the office and headed to my car. The drive to Blake’s office felt longer than usual, the tension in my chest growing with every passing mile. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was at play, something I wasn’t seeing yet.
When I arrived at his firm, I was greeted by the sight of fresh flowers in the reception area. I frowned. Blake always claimed to be allergic to flowers. Why were they here now? I pushed the thought aside and walked up to his secretary, Emily.
“He’s in his office, right?” I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
“Yes, ma’am,” Emily stammered. “You can see him now. I believe he’s alone.”
“Thanks,” I said quickly as I walked down the hallway to Blake’s office.
I knocked gently, and soon I heard him say, “Come in. ”
I opened the door and walked in. Blake raised his head from his desk, his hair a bit messy. His face showed both surprise and annoyance.
“What are you doing here. ” he asked, sounding annoyed. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work or something? ”
I felt really angry at how he ignored me, but I spoke in a calm voice. “You and I both know that I have the right to be here. ”
Blake leaned back in his chair and squinted his eyes. “I don’t know anything. ” he paused. “Do you have a problem with the company that you need my help with, or are you here to finalize the divorce. ”
I took a deep breath to stay calm cause if I don’t I might actually run crazy. “Blake, I came here to ask you a simple question. ”
“And what could that be. ” he asked, crossing his arms.
“I heard at work that you might be involved in the company’s recent problems. I even got hold of some agreements between you and Dad, Care to explain?”
Blake’s expression changed from the initial one to a shocked one, like he heard something he never wanted to hear. It immediately changed to a sinister look, a smirk playing on his lips.
“Ana, it was never my fault. It was simply a mutual agreement between your father and me. If that has affected you in any way, then I’m sorry, but that’s your problem.”
His words hit me like a slap in the face. How could he be so callous, so indifferent to the chaos he had caused? “…Wow,” was all I could manage to say, my voice trembling with barely restrained fury.
Blake shrugged, as if my reaction was of no consequence to him. “Anyways, about the divorce-”
“Just hang it there,” I interrupted, my voice firm. “Do not resume that sentence.”
“Look,” Blake continued, unfazed, “you better face it now because I might not have time to discuss this later. So-”
“Blake,” I said, my voice dangerously low, “I will not repeat myself again. Kindly shut up about that. How can you have the audacity to tell me such things? You know how much I-”
Before I could finish my sentence, my phone rang. It was Mike. I took a deep breath and answered. “Yes, Mike, what is it?”
“Miss Anastasia,” he replied, his voice tense, “could you please come back to the office quickly? You have an urgent visitor… more like visitors.”
“What happened? Is it serious?” I asked, feeling a knot form in my stomach.
“No, everything’s okay,” Mike reassured me. “We just need you to come over to attend to them quickly.”
“Alright,” I said, relieved that it wasn’t a disaster. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Anything urgent?” Blake asked with a mocking smirk.
I shot him a cold look. “Whether or not anything’s urgent has nothing to do with you of all people.” Everything urgent in the company screamed Blake’s involvement, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how rattled I was.
I picked up my handbag and stormed out of his office, my anger simmering just below the surface. As I drove back to my office, I replayed our conversation in my mind, each word stoking the fire of my rage. How could he have the heart to blatantly spew such nonsense? That conversation was living proof that I had married a heartless pig.
Only concentrating on the road, I squeezed the steering wheel tighter until my hands were ghostly pale and my mind was still buzzing with everything I saw at Blake’s office.
Unfortunately, as much as one would like to lose one’s head and scream, it was imperative to maintain one’s sanity. There was too much at stake to lose control now.
As I pulled into the parking lot of the company, I received a text message from Mike: Your visitors are here: The two of them are in the conference room and they are waiting for you ma.
I closed the car door and then I swallowed a lump in my throat before proceeding into the building. If there was one thing I was going to do was confront it and stand toe to toe with it. But I still got the impression that something much greater and much more deadly had just begun than I could have suspected.