Chapter 3
Two days later, I called a private meeting in my study.
Only three people were present: my lawyer, my head of security, and my doctor. All three knew the truth about my condition.
I sat behind my father’s old desk, no longer in the wheelchair. My legs worked perfectly. The only thing still healing was a fractured rib and some bruises from the crash.
My lawyer, Mr. Harrington, adjusted his glasses.
“Are you certain you want to continue this charade, sir? It’s been three weeks already.”
I leaned back in the chair.
“I need more time. I want to see who shows their true colors when they think I have nothing left.”
My security chief, Marcus, spoke up.
“Vanessa has already been making moves. She’s been meeting with some of the board members privately. She’s trying to convince them that you’re no longer fit to lead the company.”
I wasn’t surprised.
“What about my family?” I asked.
Marcus hesitated.
“Your uncle Martin has been talking to lawyers about contesting your position as CEO. Your cousins have been asking about inheritance. They all believe you’re… permanently disabled.”
I nodded slowly.
Of course they did.
The accident had been a blessing in disguise. It had shown me exactly who was waiting for me to fall.
Only one person had treated me with genuine care since the crash — Clara.
I thought about her quiet kindness, her steady hands, and the way she had defended me when no one else would. She didn’t know I could walk. She didn’t know I was testing everyone. She had simply seen someone being hurt and chose to be kind.
That mattered more to me than anything else right now.
I looked at my lawyer.
“Keep gathering evidence on Vanessa and my family. I want everything — financial records, communications, anything that shows they were planning to take advantage of me while I was ‘disabled.’”
Mr. Harrington nodded.
“And what about Miss Clara?” he asked carefully.
I paused.
“Leave her out of it for now. She’s the only one who doesn’t deserve to be investigated.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.
After they left, I stood up and walked to the window. My legs felt strong. The lie was working perfectly.
But the longer I kept pretending, the more I realized something important.
I wasn’t just testing them anymore.
May you like
I was also figuring out who I wanted in my life when this was all over.
And right now, the only person I could think of was the quiet maid who had knelt beside me when everyone else had turned away.
