IN LOS ANGELES

The huge Penthouse Board room at Pinnacle International gleamed like a polished weapon, glass walls, chrome edges, and a table long enough to host a small war.

And tonight, it was exactly that.

Jenny sat at the head, perfectly manicured fingers wrapped around a glass of red wine, dressed in a black gown her smile was sweet yet sharp the kind that could cut you before you even realized you’d been hurt.

“Two years,” she said, swirling the drink lazily. “And not a single ripple, the world really has been beautiful without Matilda Jones don't you guys think so.” she added laughing out loud.

Across from her, Sarah let out a bitter laugh. “I can't deny that Jenny, I can believe it's been really that long, we saved this company from her destructive hands.”

“Saved it for ourselves,” Mike corrected, leaning back in his chair, his Rolex catching the light. He looked as relaxed as a cat that had already eaten the canary. “And I intend to keep it that way after all the company has been thriving under our management.”

Jenny’s eyes slid toward him and she burst into a sarcastic long laugh

“I doubt you will be able to keep it that way for long, what do you mean Thriving?, barely breathing is more like it. The board’s starting to ask questions about your management...profits are going down, deals are falling through, and Maltida's old loyal clients are slipping away..... thriving my foot" she said eyeing him

“When did you start getting involved in the company's internal management?" Sarah asked curiously

Jenny’s smile didn’t falter, but her knuckles tightened around the stem of her glass. “Even though I'm very rich I need to know how my investments in this company are going especially since I know fully well that you both are just incapable of handling a company successfully,” her gaze flicked to Mike, “In terms of this Company's profit I really miss Maltilda, I made millions in dividends of my shares while she was here ”

Mike smirked. “you didn't think about those dividends though before you killed her” he shot back,

"Walls have ears Mike, and stop mixing all up the story...I didn't kill her you both did... nothing can be traced back to me" Jenny said casually subtly reminding the both of them of their place.

"Jenny you promised that all the evidence had been destroyed... even though nothing can be traced back to you, our words are more than enough to get you into trouble too" Sarah said

Jenny’s tone was ice, “Are you threatening me?, even if I get in trouble I have a brother to save my ass you both however....." She said leaning back casually in her chair.

"Let's stop threatening each other guys...we are a team remember and we all agreed, the accident was final....The signatures, the property transfers, the clean-up everything was perfect, let's stop talking about the dead because with Matilda six feet below nobody will ever know how she died” Sarah said and there was a brief silence, broken only by the soft hum of the city below.

Then Sarah leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Has Ada been found?”

"She is in Boston leaving with her daughter in a remote area of the City" Mike informed

Jenny’s head whipped toward him “Boston?”

“Yes..... afterall there's nobody left in the family she has spent her entire life serving so she chose to live quietly in a place where no one knows her" Mike added

For the first time, Jenny’s mask slipped, a shadow crossed her face one of pure calculation , "That's the problem, for a woman like Ada West she is living too quietly.”

Mike smirked again, the kind of smirk that made it clear he enjoyed this game far too much. “Let me guess you think that old hag is hiding something?”

“No, I believe she is” Jenny said, standing slowly. “Guys what if Matilda is still alive.... afterall we didn't see the face of the woman we buried”

"That was because the accident ruined her face too much" Sarah replied

"And there was no way she could have survived that fatal crash" Mike added

Jenny walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the glittering city like it was hers to command.

“She had better not be but....If Matilda Jones really is alive…” Jenny’s voice dropped to a lethal whisper, “…we’ll finish what we started.”

Sarah and Mike exchanged knowing looks they still couldn't understand the huge hatred Jenny had for Matilda after all these years.

.......….....

BACK IN BOSTON

The room fell silent as the doctor entered and cleared his throat, flipping through the final pages of Matilda’s chart. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, as though searching for the right words, words that could wound yet were impossible to soften.

“Miss Jones,” he began carefully, “we need to discuss the results of your examinations since your… recovery.”

Matilda’s heart hammered. She tightened her fists against the sheets, bracing.

The doctor inhaled deeply.

“The accident caused irreparable damage to your spine. You… may never walk again....Standing, even with support, may be impossible.....a wheelchair will be necessary to move from now on.”

The words sliced through her, cold and sharp. She clenched her jaw, refusing to react. Not here. Not yet.

But the doctor wasn’t finished.

“The trauma also affected your womb. The scarring is severe, we believe natural conception will be… near impossible.” His gaze flickered with pity. “I’m sorry, but becoming a mother may no longer be possible.”

Her chest tightened, breath hitching, but she bit down on her lip until she tasted blood.

“And lastly,” he continued, “the crash severely damaged several of your internal organs. Though the surgeries saved your life, your recovery will not be linear......You’ll need frequent hospital visits for treatments and monitoring. It will take years before your body can fully stabilize.”

One by one, the words fell like stones, stacking until she could barely breathe beneath their weight.

Paralyzed.

Barren.

Broken.

A faint buzzing filled her ears.

"Is this how it all ends?" she thought, her gaze drifting to the ceiling as tears blurred her vision. Is this Karma catching up with me for all the people I hurt? For all the mistakes I swore I’d never pay for?

When the doctor left, a heavy silence filled the room. Ethan’s hand hovered near hers, Ada carried on a look of helplessness, and even Nathan cold, untouchable Nathan stood frozen, his mask slipping for just a fraction of a second.

“Please,” Matilda whispered, voice cracking, “leave me alone.”

They hesitated....but finally, one by one, they filed out, they understood she needed to be alone.

The moment the door shut behind them, her walls crumbled. She buried her face in her trembling hands, and the sobs tore out of her chest, raw and unrestrained. The woman the world had once feared, admired, envied was now just a broken shell, crying into an empty room.

"Aaahh" She yelled the pain becoming too much for her to mask under silent sobs