Patricia stomped her feet out of the bar, disappointed by the bartender’s remarks. As soon as she stepped outside, she scoffed and gazed up at the bar signage.
"Why would they open a bar with the sa na in the area?" she snorted. "Surely, not everyone uses their head."
Shaking her head, she stord her way back to her car. On the way, she slowed down and rummaged through her purse. This district wasn’t desolate, and with bars and other establishnts around, it was quite busy. Although it wasn’t as crowded as the main street, Patricia felt safe enough not to think she was being followed.
Once she retrieved her keys and reached her car, she got in without a problem. But just as Patricia settled into the driver’s seat, the doors of the front passenger seat and the back seat opened as well. Before she knew it, three unknown n had occupied the seats.
"What?" she panicked imdiately, gazing at the person beside her and then at the back seat. "What are you—"
Patricia’s initial reaction was to reach for her door and jump out. But before she could do that, she heard the sound of a gun cocking, and she froze in place. The man seated in the front passenger seat pressed a pistol to the back of her head.
"Huh?" Patricia’s entire body stopped moving, but it started shaking uncontrollably. She could feel the cold tal pressing against the back of her head, hearing her own gulp. Her eyes shook as she lifted them toward the window on her side, her lips quivering as her breath held in her throat.
"Get out of here, you’re dead. Scream, and you’re dead," said the man holding her at gunpoint. "If I were you, I’d shut my mouth and drive."
"Please..." she mumbled, almost biting her tongue as she teetered on the edge of panic. "... please don’t kill . If you need money, tell how much. I can give you money — please don’t hurt ."
The man in the front passenger seat smirked. "Drive."
"Please don’t hurt ," she mumbled as if she hadn’t heard him. "Please don’t kill . I’ll give you whatever you want, just don’t — mh!"
Patricia shut her eyes as she pressed her lips together because the man lightly tapped the muzzle against the back of her head while yelling, "DRIVE!"
"Ye — yes! I will — I will drive!" Her mind went blank, but her body obeyed the man’s command. Her trembling hand reached for the start button, but in her nervousness, she couldn’t seem to find it.
"I’ll drive, I’ll drive, I’ll drive!" she repeated under her breath like a mantra, but the more ti she took to start the car, the more nervous she beca. How could she function properly, let alone drive away, when her entire body was shaking frantically?
When the engine finally started, Patricia felt a slight sense of relief for a mont. However, it was short-lived because these three unknown n were still with her. Patricia froze in place, her brain resetting over and over as if it couldn’t process the situation she found herself in.
Patricia only snapped back to reality when the cold tal pressed against her temple. Her breath caught in her throat, and her neck tensed as she began sweating profusely. Her mouth quivered open and closed as she gripped the steering wheel tightly, her feet instinctively reaching for the pedals.
As a tear rolled down her cheek, they started driving away... to a place that could be her grave.
---
[PIERSON CORPORATION]
"The chairwoman is retiring," Zoren announced just before the eting ended, making everyone who was ready to leave stay in their seats. His eyes scanned the people seated at the huge round table—a much more intimate setting for people within the company and the family.
"As per tradition, there will be another shareholder eting and board eting for this matter," he continued in the sa tone. "And I will be introducing soone to all of you. Although I prefer that any matter regarding this be discussed tomorrow, I also hope that you’ll support the changes in the board and shareholder list."
Zoren stood up, unbothered by the shocked looks on their faces. "The ergency eting will be tomorrow morning. Good night, everyone."
With that, Zoren casually walked off as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on everyone. For a mont, everyone could only stare at his retreating figure until Zoren was out of sight. Only when he stepped out of the room did the information start to sink in.
"The chairwoman is stepping down?" soone around the table spoke up. "Does this an there will be another huge change in the company?"
"Isn’t this too early for this?"
"Why? Is the Old Madam dying?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? You better shut your mouth because if soone hears you and it reaches Zoren Pierson’s ears, you’ll be dead."
Confusion and shock spread across the room as each of them couldn’t help but speak their minds. This eting lasted for three hours, and only at the last minute did Zoren drop this news. How could they all go ho now, knowing that the Pierson Family could be facing a lot of changes?
Normally, even if the chairwoman retired, she could keep her share. The chairwoman hadn’t been active in the business and in many things ever since Zoren took charge. Even so, the way Zoren announced it sounded as though the chairwoman had died, and that her shares were already being redistributed.
Would it be troubleso if she passed all of her shares to Zoren?
It would be because there would be a lot of retaliation. Worse, Zoren’s life would be in even more constant danger. If that happened, those who had supported other mbers of the Pierson Family might just leave because things would be more complicated than anyone imagined. There were so many factors to consider, and an imbalance of power within the company and the family could lead to its downfall.
"He said he’d introduce soone tomorrow," Dean humd, leaning back in his seat and not engaging in the conversations around him. He kept his eyes on the door, his face twisting in dismay as he had guessed who this person was—soone Zoren wanted to introduce to everyone.
It was Jonathan, the self-proclaid half-brother of Zoren.
’Fine, let him into this place,’Dean’s eyes sharpened as they glinted with malevolence. ’In here, I can tear him apart just like I did with everyone else. I’m going to make it hell for him.’
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