"Mommy... for my birthday, can you invite Aunty Stella? And Grandma Martha, too?"
Evelyn chuckled softly.
"That’s supposed to be a surprise, sweetheart. I can’t tell you who’s coming."
He yawned, struggling to keep his eyes open. "But... you’ll tell tomorrow?"
"We’ll see."
He mumbled sothing unintelligible and finally drifted into sleep, his little hand still clutching her sleeve.
Evelyn sat there for a mont, watching him. His soft breathing, the peaceful curve of his lips, lted every ounce of exhaustion she had left.
"Good night, sweetheart," she whispered. "Please don’t grow up too fast."
When she stood to leave, Axel was waiting by the door, a quiet smile on his face.
"He outsmarted again," Evelyn whispered, closing the door behind her. "I think he’s planning to steal away permanently."
Axel chuckled softly. "I can’t bla him. I’d do the sa. I plan to steal his mommy away..." His voice turned solemn.
Evelyn blinked and looked up, eting his gaze. She smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Geez... Be careful. If he hears you, he might think it’s true. Not a joke."
"I’m serious. It would be fun to lock you on my island so no one else could take you away from ..." He wrapped an arm around her waist.
Evelyn shook her head as they walked down the stairs together.
As they walk to their bedroom, they start planning Oliver’s birthday party.
...
The next day.
Inside a luxury villa in the heart of the city, William Walters sat calmly in the living room, sipping his morning coffee while skimming through a few company docunts.
He had promised himself this would be his day off; no business calls, no etings, no stress. After the chaos of the last two days, he felt he deserved at least that much peace.
The ss Stella had caused had been nothing short of a disaster.
His head was still pounding, and if things kept going the way they were, he was certain his blood pressure would shoot through the dangerous level again.
Too many things had gone wrong too fast.
Shareholders wouldn’t stop calling.
Reporters were camped out in front of the company building.
Even his parents demanded that he co ho to "explain himself."
He ignored them all.
Silence and avoidance seed like the safest options for now, or else, he’d end up in the hospital again.
With a heavy sigh, William placed the project report on the table and took another sip of coffee.
The morning sky outside was clear and calm, mocking the storm brewing inside his head.
He tried not to think about the humiliating headlines that had flooded the internet, dragging the Walters’ na through the mud.
Just when William thought he could finally relax, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.
Lana appeared in the doorway, her face pale, her expression grim. She held an iPad tightly in one hand.
"Will, do you know about this?" she asked urgently, shoving the device toward him.
William frowned, confused by her tone. "Know about what?"
"Just look," she said, impatiently pointing to the screen.
He took the iPad from her, glanced down, and froze.
"What?" His voice ca out sharper than intended. "A shareholders’ eting?"
"Yes," Lana said. "It’s already trending everywhere. Why are you still here? Didn’t you get the invitation?"
William didn’t answer. His eyes scanned the article, each line making his pulse spike higher.
Then it hit him.
The agenda of the ergency eting: "Discussion of CEO replacent."
"Damn it!" he snapped, his voice echoing across the room as he slamd the iPad onto the couch. "How dare they? Without notifying ? Without board approval?"
Lana winced at the sudden outburst but didn’t flinch. She had seen this side of him before.
"They didn’t inform you at all?" she asked, following him as he stord toward the bedroom.
William didn’t answer.
"Are you heading to the office now?" She asked again. "Be careful, the dia’s going to swarm you... They’ll force you to make a statent the mont you step out of the car."
William stopped halfway down the hall, his jaw clenched.
"I don’t have a choice," he answered. "If I don’t show up, they’ll make their move without . And once that happens, I’m finished."
Lana frowned deeply.
"But they can’t just replace you like that, can they? You’re the largest shareholder."
"I am," William replied, buttoning his shirt with quick, agitated movents. "But not enough to make decisions alone. I still need my father and my siblings to back up. If they turn their backs on because of this damn scandal, I’m done."
His tone was low but filled with frustration. He raked a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a man ready to explode.
Lana bit her lip, guilt weighing heavily on her chest. "I’m sorry, Will. This is all my fault. I dragged you into this ss."
He stopped and looked at her, his anger softening for a brief mont. Then he smiled weakly and reached out, his hand brushing against hers.
"It’s not your fault," he said quietly. "You didn’t ask for any of this. And besides, my family won’t abandon that easily. My father’s old-fashioned... he won’t hand the company over to an outsider. He’ll side with . I know he will."
He cupped her cheek gently, the warmth in his eyes montarily returning.
"Trust , everything will be fine. I promise you, I will end this all..."
Lana nodded, but the worry in her eyes didn’t fade. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes," William said, his voice turning brisk again. "Call my chauffeur. Tell him to get the car ready imdiately. I can’t afford to be late. If they start the eting without , I might as well hand them my resignation letter myself."
His irritation was evident in his voice as he roughly grabbed a tie from the wardrobe and quickly looped it around his neck.
Lana stepped in to help, her hands steady where his were trembling. She had done this countless tis before, allowing him to suit up before yet another crisis.
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