Simon was still miles from Palm Bay when his phone buzzed. Michael''s name shed on the screen.


    "Simon, I talked to your grandfather already. There''s a position for you in the next city over-a Vice President spot. They need someone, and you''re the perfect fit. Do well, and you cane back early next year."


    "Are you kidding me?" Simon mmed on the brakes, heart pounding, face set hard. "Who said I wanted to be banished to another branch?"


    "Grandpa already agreed. He''ll probably call you himself soon."


    "I said I''m not going!" Simon''s voice was sharp.


    Michael''s tone turned icy. He knew exactly what Simon was thinking. "This is about ra, isn''t it? I''ve heard the rumors. You''re making a fool of yourself for a woman you used to look down on-letting everyoneugh at you. Didn''t she already shack up with some male model? Who knows what she''s up to these days? Doesn''t it disgust you?"


    Thatst jab sent Simon over the edge. He flung his phone at the windshield, hands shaking so hard he could barely hold the wheel. His vision blurred red, jaw clenched so tight he could taste blood.


    When the light turned green, he floored it. But as he passed the old school he and ra had gone to, he mmed on the brakes, unable to drive past. The frustration inside him was a storm, threatening to tear him apart.


    He reached Palm Bay in a haze, barely remembering the drive. He''d been waiting outside for ages, ignored by everyone, but now, staring at the big iron gate, he lost it—mming the gas, ready to smash through, anything to break the silence.


    But just as he sped up, the gates swung open. A car rolled out. Dn''s car.


    Simon braked hard and rolled down his window.


    Dn''s car crept past. Through the open window, Simon caught a glimpse of his profile.


    He shouted, "Dn! Did you lock ra up?"


    Inside, Dn didn''t even look up from the papers in hisp. ra had been shadowing him for days, but she was finally asleep-he was only now able to head to the office.


    He ignored Simonpletely, which only made Simon''s blood boil. Simon spun his car around and tailed Dn.


    Dn pulled up outside Ferguson Corporation.


    Simon started to follow, but a delivery truck roared toward him, screeching to a stop just inches from his hood.


    Simon went pale. For a second, he thought he was about to be totaled.


    He looked over in time to see Dn getting out, transferring smoothly into his wheelchair. He hadn''t said a word, but Simon felt the warning loud and clear.


    Simon''s fists clenched at his sides. He scoffed through gritted teeth. "Dn, locking ra up won''t change anything. Grandpa''s already picked out your fiancée."


    Dn just rolled away without so much as a nce, that cool indifference making Simon feel even smaller.


    Simon sat there for ten minutes, debating whether to chase after him, when a ck sedan pulled up and stopped right in front of his car.


    The window slid down, and Aaron''s pale face appeared.


    "Simon. Get in."


    Simon didn''t like him, but after what happened at the old mansion, he knew Aaron''s situation was worse than his.


    He climbed in, scowling. "What do you want?"


    Aaron, nowpletely iced out of Ferguson Corporation''s inner circle, just shrugged, a dryugh escaping him before it dissolved into a cough. He grabbed a tissue, wiped his mouth.


    "What do I want? You really think threatening Dn with Grandpa is going to work? He only pretends to respect him. Dn owns over half thepany now. Grandpa has no real power over him. And honestly, I think something happened between Grandpa and Dn. Why else would Grandpa let him get away with everything?"


    Dn was Walter''s youngest son, the one Mrs. Ferguson nearly died to bring into the world. By the time he was three, everyone in the city knew he was a prodigy. Under all that attention, Dn had never let anyone down.


    But Aaron couldn''t shake the feeling that something was off.


    He remembered meeting Dn as a kid-there''d been a hint of warmth in his eyes, a natural elegance. That was long gone now, reced by pure ice.


    Aaron dabbed his mouth, bitterness twisting inside him as he thought of how far he''d fallen.


    The photo-the backup-hisst bit of leverage over Dn, gone, destroyed. But that only proved that anything rted to ra was Dn''s greatest weakness.


    Dn might not care about the mess Aaron made, but Aaron was determined to show him just how much damage he could do.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!