When Blood Turns Cold

"Emerald," Damon Graves' deep, magnetic voice echoed. Emerald snapped out of her daze, confusion setting in. It had been years—why was he contacting her now? She'd changed her number a while ago. How had he reached her?

"How are you?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Damon, it's been a while," Emerald replied.

"Yeah. Who told you to change your number and not let me know? It was so hard to reach you," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"I'm fine, I guess," Emerald replied.

"Are you sure? I heard your grandmother passed away," he said softly.

Tears welled up in Emerald's eyes as memories of her grandmother flooded her mind. "I'm all alone now," she said, her voice trembling.

Damon sighed. "Come on, Em, you're not alone. Amy's there with you, right? And I'll be there soon," he said, his voice steady and reassuring.

"Really? You're coming back?" Emerald asked, unsure whether to feel happy or sad.

"Yes, I am. This time, you'll meet me as the CEO of Tanya Corporation," he replied.

"I'm glad your dream came true," Emerald said sincerely.

Damon laughed. "I'm afraid it wouldn't have without you pushing me," he said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice as memories of their childhood resurfaced.

Emerald smiled. "Yeah, those were the days," she said softly.

Suddenly, the bell rang. "Alright, Dam, I need to go for lunch and see the principal. I'll call you later," Emerald said.

Damon smiled, loving it when she called him "Dam." "Okay, I won't disturb you anymore, but we have much to catch up on. See ya," he replied, and the call ended.

'What did he mean by 'see ya'?' Emerald wondered as she closed her laptop and headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

…

David returned to his office and collapsed into his chair, exhausted. Meetings after meetings—what kind of torture was this? Ugh.

He had wanted to call Emerald since the morning, but there hadn't even been a moment to breathe. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and David groaned. "What?" he said, his voice sharp.

Titan stepped in. One glance at his boss, and he knew David wasn't in the best of moods, so he carefully chose his words. "Sir, Madam called."

There was only one "Madam" David knew—his mother.

"What did she say?" he asked, his tone uninterested.

"She was very disappointed that you couldn't make it to dinner yesterday and that you turned down Alina," Titan said.

"Do I have the time to deal with Alina? Why didn't you tell her I was busy with the hotel management staff?" David snapped, clearly annoyed.

Titan lowered his head, sensing the tension in the air. Today wasn't going to be easy, he thought.

"You are my assistant, and I hired you. My mother didn't send you as a spy to keep an eye on me," David said firmly. "What you hear and see stays between us. Do you understand?" He emphasized the last part, knowing this was mainly about Emerald. What if Titan mentioned their dinner? He trusted Titan wouldn't do it intentionally, but his mother had ways of finding things out.

"You can trust me with that," Titan replied not knowing where that came from.

"Good. Next time she calls, defend me and let her know I'm really busy," David said, his tone softer this time.

Titan nodded. "Alright. If there's nothing else, you can leave."

"Sir," Titan began hesitantly. David shot him an annoyed look, certain he was about to be reminded of yet another meeting.

Titan took a deep breath before finally saying, "Mr. Alexander wanted to see you."

David leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

What is that supposed to mean? Titan wondered, unsure whether to call Mr. Alexander in or not. After a moment of hesitation, he quietly left the room.

"Call him in!" David finally said, opening his eyes—only to realize the office was empty. Frustrated, he slammed his fist on the table just as the door creaked open.

"Looks like someone's annoyed," Alex said, strolling into the office and casually sitting across from David.

"You'd better not get on my nerves—I'm already frustrated," David muttered, leaning back in his chair, and staring at the ceiling.

Alex grinned mischievously. "Your future fiancée is really pretty."

David shot upright in his chair, wide-eyed. "What?"

"You heard me, your fian—"

"Shut up," David snapped, cutting him off before he could finish.

"So, my sixth sense wasn't lying. Mom's trying to play matchmaker," David said thoughtfully.

"She's planning to announce your engagement in the coming weeks," Alex added with a smirk.

"We'll see about that," David replied, standing up and making his way to the bar. He poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Alex before sitting back behind his desk.

"Dave, do us both a favor and tell me if you like someone. I can help you," Alex said, taking a sip from his glass, his gaze locked on David.

"I will handle it," David replied curtly.

"So, you don't want me to know about my sister-in-law, huh? Does that mean you are seeing someone?" Alex asked, a teasing grin spreading across his face.

David sighed deeply. "Why is my life everyone's business?" he muttered before downing the entire glass of wine in one gulp and placing it firmly on the table. "Fine. I'm dating someone," he admitted.

Alex's eyes widened in mock surprise. "I thought you'd say you liked someone or were thinking of asking them out—but dating? Your speed's impressive! Why don't you take up racing while you're at it?"

David eyed him with a hint of amusement before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "Mr. Alex, if you value your job, you'll leave me alone right now," he said, voice calm but firm.

Alex drained the last of his wine and set the glass on the table. "I'd be happy to sign the resignation papers," he replied indifferently.

David didn't move, remaining perfectly still.

"I want to know more about your…" Alex began, but David's sharp look made him reconsider. He stopped mid-sentence and left the room.

As he closed the door, Alex chuckled to himself. Why was he acting this way? After all, he already knew everything.

…

Emerald hummed a cheerful tune as she strolled out of the school premises. Her lunch break visit to the principal had taken an unexpected turn when he showered her with praise. He commended her for inspiring students to love learning and for managing everything so seamlessly. To top it off, he informed her of a 65% raise in her monthly salary. Her heart swelled with happiness—her hard work was finally paying off.

Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder, startling her. She hadn't realized she was about to step off the footpath. As she turned her head, one glance at the person behind her made her lose her balance.

"Ahhhh!" she screamed, falling forward.