Emma’s POV

I stared at my phone, my fingers gripping it so tightly that my knuckles turned white. The silence in the room was suffocating, thick with fear and uncertainty.

Every passing second without word from Sam felt like another needle pressing into my skin, another breath stolen from my lungs. It had been more than twenty-four hours, twenty-four hours of waiting, of pacing the room, of replaying every worst-case scenario in my head until my stomach twisted itself into knots.

Across the room, Jeff stood by the window, his hands resting on the windowsill, his back rigid, his posture unyielding. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the barely contained rage in the way his fingers twitched every few moments.

His phone sat on the table beside him, useless. There had been no ransom demand, no threats, nothing but a cruel, unbearable silence.

I hadn’t slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined Jason and Anna trapped somewhere unfamiliar, scared, crying out for me.

The thought made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t think straight, couldn’t focus on anything except the waiting, the agonizing, endless waiting.

And then, finally, my phone rang.

I jumped at the sound, my heart hammering against my ribs as I fumbled to answer, my fingers were shaking so badly that I nearly dropped the phone.

I didn’t even need to check the caller ID, I knew who it was.

I pressed the phone to my ear, my voice coming out sharper than I intended, “Sam.”

A slow, amused chuckle came through the speaker, sending a chill down my spine, “Ah Emma. I was starting to think you wouldn’t pick up.”

I gritted my teeth, my free hand balling into a fist, “Where are my children?”

“Tsk, tsk. Straight to business, I see.” He sounded almost entertained, as if this was nothing more than a game to him, “No pleasantries? No concern for how I’m doing?”

My vision blurred with fury, “I swear to God Sam, if you hurt them… ”

“Oh relax,” he drawled, “They’re perfectly fine but I suppose you don’t have to take my word for it.”

There was some rustling on the other end, and then I heard it, the tiny, hesitant voice that nearly brought me to my knees.

“Mommy?”

My throat closed up, “Jason!” I choked out, my entire body going rigid.

“I’m here Mommy,” he said, his voice small but steady, “Anna’s with me.”

A muffled sniffle followed, and then a softer, more fragile voice, “Mommy, I wanna go home.”

I pressed a trembling hand over my mouth, struggling to keep myself together, “You will, baby,” I promised, my voice shaking, “You and Jason just stay together, okay? Be brave for me. Mommy and Daddy are coming to get you.”

I heard Jason exhale shakily, “Okay.”

“I love you both so much.” I whispered, my eyes burning.

But before I could say more, Sam’s voice returned, smooth and satisfied, “Touching really but we both know that’s not why I called.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm, “Why are you doing this, Sam? What do you want?”

His chuckle was low and menacing, “Oh Emma, haven’t you figured it out yet?”

I gritted my teeth, “You already ruined Jeff’s company, you made sure I lost my job, haven’t you done enough?”

Sam sighed dramatically, “See, that’s the thing. I never felt satisfied with just ruining Jeff’s company, watching his stocks plummet, seeing his employees turn against him, it was fun, but not nearly enough. No matter what I did, he still had something left. He still had you, he still had his children, he still had something worth fighting for.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, “So you kidnapped my kids because you want to destroy him completely.”

“Now you’re getting it,” he said smoothly, “But I’m not an unreasonable man Emma. There’s still a way to fix this, a way for Jeff to end all of this with just a few words.”

My heart pounded, “What do you want him to do?”

“Oh it’s simple, really.” His voice took on an edge of cruel amusement, “Jeff is going to hold a press conference. He’s going to stand in front of cameras, in front of the entire world and admit that every single accusation made against him during the protests was true.”

I felt the blood drain from my face, “What?”

“You heard me,” Sam said, his voice as smooth as silk, “Jeff will go on record, in front of the press, and confess that every former employee who accused him of corruption, of unethical business practices, of mistreatment, he will say that they were all telling the truth.”

I felt like the air had been knocked from my lungs, “You want him to destroy his own name??”

“I don’t want him to,” Sam corrected, “I’m telling him to.”

I looked at Jeff, my stomach twisting. He hadn’t moved from his spot by the window, but I knew he was listening. His hands were clenched into fists, his jaw tight. His entire body was like a coiled spring, ready to snap.

I pressed the phone tighter against my ear, “And if he refuses?”

Sam let out a quiet laugh, “Then Jason and Anna will never see their parents again.”

A strangled noise escaped me, “You wouldn’t.”

Sam’s tone turned cold, “Wouldn’t I?”

My heart pounded in my chest. This was impossible.

If Jeff did this, his reputation would be permanently destroyed, Anderson Industries would never recover. His career, his legacy, everything he had worked for would be gone in an instant.

But if he didn’t do it…

I couldn’t finish that thought.

I turned to Jeff, my voice barely above a whisper, “He wants you to confess. Publicly. Say that everything your employees accused you of is true.”

Jeff’s face remained unreadable, but I could see the war waging inside him. He was a man who prided himself on control, on power, on always being the one holding the reins but right now, Sam had all the control, and Jeff knew it.

There was a long silence. Then, finally, Jeff spoke.

“I’ll do it.”

I flinched, “Jeff, wait…”

He held out his hand for the phone, his voice firm, “I’ll do the press conference, just don’t hurt my kids.”

Sam hummed in approval, “Good. Smart decision.”

Jeff’s fingers tightened around the phone, “But after I do this, I want my children back. Immediately.”

Sam chuckled, “Oh Jeff, we’ll get to that.”

A sick feeling settled in my stomach, “There’s more?”

“Of course,” Sam said smoothly, “But let’s take it one step at a time. First, you do your part, then we’ll talk.”

The line went dead.

I stood frozen, my breath coming in short, shallow bursts. The silence in the room was deafening.

Jeff exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face, “I had no choice.”

I closed my eyes, my heart aching, “I know.”

But deep down, I knew this wasn’t over.

Sam wasn’t done with us yet.

Jeff wasted no time after Sam’s call ended. Without hesitation, he turned to his team, his expression set in stone, “We need to organize a press conference immediately.” He said, his voice calm but firm.

His assistant, Lisa, hesitated, “Sir, don’t you think we should at least consult the board before…..”

“No,” Jeff cut in sharply, his jaw tightening, “This isn’t up for discussion. Just get it done.”

I swallowed hard, watching the tense exchange unfold. Jeff was making a decision that could cost him everything but I understood why.

This wasn’t about his company or his reputation, this was about Jason and Anna. And for them, Jeff would tear down his entire world if that’s what it took.

Within an hour, the press conference was set. The moment we arrived at the venue, a swarm of reporters and flashing cameras greeted us.

Jeff adjusted his tie, squared his shoulders and stepped forward. I wanted to reach out, to tell him one last time that this wasn’t the only way, but I knew it was pointless. He had already made his choice.

The second Jeff stood behind the podium, the room fell silent. Every pair of eyes in the room was locked onto him, waiting, eager to pounce on whatever came next. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then spoke.

“I am here today to address the allegations made against me and Anderson Industries,” Jeff began, his voice steady, “The accusations brought forward by former employees during the recent protests, are all true.”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. My heart clenched so hard it physically hurt.

Jeff kept going, “There have been instances of unethical practices within this company, wrongdoings that were ignored under my leadership and I am here today to take full responsibility for that.”

I gritted my teeth. This wasn’t true. Not a single word but the media didn’t care about the truth. They only cared about the scandal and now that they had their confession, they were ready to pounce.

Immediately, hands shot up.

“Mr. Anderson, are you admitting to corruption within Anderson Industries?”

“Do you plan to resign as CEO?”

“How long have you known about these violations?”

“What does this mean for the company’s future?”

Jeff’s expression was unreadable as the questions came like a storm. He didn’t answer them, he had said what he needed to say. That was enough.

I clenched my fists.

Not a single person in that room questioned why he was doing this. Not one of them wondered why Jeff Knight, a man who built his entire empire on discipline and integrity, would suddenly confess to something like this.

They didn’t see the father sacrificing himself to protect his children, they only saw a businessman at the center of a scandal.

Jeff exhaled slowly and then made his decision.

“This press conference is over.”

Chaos erupted.

Reporters shouted over each other, desperate for more. Cameras flashed wildly, the room was a mess of noise and accusations but Jeff didn’t stay to listen. He turned and walked out without another word.

The second we stepped into his office, his secretary rushed toward him, an urgent look on her face, “Sir the board has called an emergency meeting,” she said, “They’re waiting for you now.”

Jeff didn’t react at first. Then, slowly, he nodded, “Of course, they have.”

I followed him down the long hallway toward the boardroom. We both knew what was coming, the press conference had only been the beginning. Now, the real damage would begin.

When we entered, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Every board member was already seated, their faces a mix of anger and disbelief. At the head of the table sat Mr. Sterling, the chairman, his fingers steepled together in front of him.

“Jeff,” he started, his tone sharp, “what the hell was that?”

Jeff didn’t sit. He merely looked at them, calm but unyielding, “A necessary move.”

“Necessary?” Another board member, Mr. Dawson, scoffed, shaking his head, “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done? You stood in front of the entire world and confessed to crimes that could ruin this company.”

Jeff’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.

Mr. Sterling leaned forward, his eyes narrowing, “Anderson Industries is on the verge of bankruptcy because of you. Our stocks are in free fall. Investors are pulling out. Clients are cutting ties.” He exhaled sharply, “And now, we have no choice but to act.”

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach, I knew what was coming before he even said it.

“Effective immediately, we are appointing an acting CEO.”

Silence. Heavy. Unforgiving.

Jeff remained perfectly still. He didn’t argue, didn’t protest. He just stood there, unreadable, absorbing every word.

And that was when I did something bold.

I stepped forward, “You’re making a mistake.”

A few board members exchanged puzzled glances before Mr. Dawson turned to me, his expression hard, “And you are?”

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Jeff did.

“She’s my wife.”

The room went utterly silent. My breath caught in my throat and I turned to Jeff, stunned, but he didn’t look at me. His gaze remained locked on the board, unwavering. He had said it deliberately.

“If any of you have an issue with my wife speaking on my behalf,” Jeff continued, his voice quiet but sharp, “then you should reconsider your position on this board because right now, she’s the only one in this room who actually cares about why this is happening.”

I swallowed hard, then turned back to the board, “You’re all acting like Jeff just woke up this morning and decided to throw his company away for fun,” I said, my voice steady, “Instead of attacking him, maybe you should be asking why he did it.”

No one responded.

I exhaled, shaking my head, “None of you even considered that he might be doing this for a reason.” I looked directly at Mr. Sterling, “You’ve worked with Jeff for years. Do you honestly believe he would do this without a reason?”

Sterling’s lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn’t answer.

Jeff exhaled sharply and straightened,“Believe whatever you want,” he said, “The truth will come out eventually but for now, my priority isn’t this company. It’s my family, so if any of you think you can run this place better, be my guest.”

Without another word, he turned and walked out.

I hurried after him, struggling to match his long strides. He was tense, his hands clenched into fists as we walked to the car.

The moment we got in, his phone rang.

He didn’t even check the caller ID, he already knew who it was.

He put it on speaker, “Sam.”

A slow, amused chuckle echoed through the car, “That was fantastic  Jeff. I must say, I’m impressed, you really committed to the role.”

Jeff’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, “Where are my kids?”

Sam sighed, “So impatient. I gave you an order and you followed it beautifully but this was just step one.”

I clenched my fists, “You got what you wanted Sam, let them go!”

Sam laughed, “Oh Emma. You still don’t get it, do you?” He paused, letting the silence stretch before speaking again,“This was only the beginning, there’s still so much more I need you to do.”

My stomach twisted.

Jeff’s voice was low and lethal, “What’s next?”

Sam’s smirk was practically audible, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

And then, the line went dead.