Emily’s POV

The photograph stared back at me from the desk in my office the next morning, as I tried to understand perfectly its meaning. My hands moved over the words written on the back: Traitors are always watched.

A chill ran down my spine. The photo captured Joyce and I in the Café. Someone had been watching. Someone knew about the meeting. But how? And why go through the trouble of sending me this masked threat?

Paranoia crept in as I looked in my office.Was there a camera hidden somewhere? Or was this someone's way of reminding me that Oxford wasn't the only one keeping watching me closely?

I leaned back in my chair, trying to control my beating heart. The past week had been a mix of confusion, distrust and consistent disappointment of power.

First, the secret email about Project Titan, then Joyce's revelations and now this photograph . Each event felt like a piece of a puzzle, but I didn't have enough to see the full picture. Worse, I didn't know who I could trust.

My thoughts turned towards Joyce, she had been my assistant for years, but her new revelations and this photo made me question everything. How has someone known where we'd meet? Had Joyce betrayed me even more , or was she just like me, another pawn in this game?

"Emily" I heard a voice, interrupting my thoughts.

I looked up, and it was Oxford, standing in the doorway. He entered without hearing any word from me, as he looked at me intensely.

"What do you want, Oxford ?" I said, my voice firm.

"We need to talk" he replied.

"About what?"

"Well.... about us".

"I don't have time for another lecture on how to be your perfect wife." I said.

"If you're so eager to destroy me, Emily, you might want to do a better job of hiding your secrets." He replied.

My heart dropped. "What's that supposed to mean? Who let you in here in the first place"

He moved closer, leaning against my desk.

"You're distracted. You've been acting strange. And distracted people make mistakes. "

"I'm not distracted," I protested.

He laughed slightly. "You think you can play in my world? You think you can be smart with me, but you're playing a dangerous game.

A very dangerous game Emily" his tone firm. "You'll lose, and when you do, I'll be waiting."

I forced myself to remain calm as he turned the office without saying anything more.

*******

That evening, the mansion felt usually quiet. Oxford had left for a late night meeting, and I took the opportunity to do some more research. My laptop sat on the desk, waiting for me to act.

A notification appeared on my phone. It was a message from Joyce.

I found something. It's not much, but it might help.

Attached with the message was a file. My heart dropped as I went through it. Most of it was financial data, transactions, investment and reports. But as I scrolled, one detail stood out to me. A connection between Project Titan and one of Davis Enterprises' subsidiaries.

I leaned forwards, looking closely at the numbers. It was not obvious, hidden between a number of legitimate transactions, but the link was undeniable. Oxford wasn't just competing with me, he was already dismantling my company from the inside.

My grip on the mouse tightened as I tried to control my frustration. This was war, and I wasn't about to let Oxford win.

*******

A knock on the door startled me, and I closed the laptop immediately. My heart ,still racing as I called out, "Come in."

Oxford stood in the doorway, his expression confusing.

"We need to talk," he said, his tone colder than before.

"I thought we already had this conversation." I crossed my arms.

"Not about that," he said, stepping into my room.

"I've been thinking about your behaviour lately"

I forced myself to remain calm. "I don't know if you know this, but we aren't friends. I don't like you" I said, my voice filled with sarcasm. "What about it?"

"You've been distant," he said. "Well secretive actually".

I raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that what you do best?"

He laughed slightly, but it was fame. "Be careful, Emily. You're treading on dangerous grounds."

"Is that a threat?"

"No... it's a warning". "You may think you're clever, but you're not in control here. I am, and even your dad agrees to that."

His words cut deep, but I refused to let him see how much they affected me.

"Good night, Oxford " I said, pointing to the door.

He paused for a moment before turning and leaving the room.

*******

The moment he was gone. I brought out the USB drive I'd taken from his office earlier that day. My hands,shaking as I plugged it into my laptop.

A warning message flashed across the screen: Access Denied. Unauthorized Users Will Be Tracked.

My heart raced. I hastily removed the drive, slamming the laptop shit. Had I triggered something? Will I really be tracked? Or had Oxford deliberately planted this drive to test me?

I sat back, my heart still racing. This wasn't just about business anymore. It was something more than that.

The photograph, the file, the USB drive. Everything pointed to one undeniable truth. I was being watched and outplayed at every turn.

As I stared at the laptop, I could only think of one thing. I needed to get ahead of Oxford before it was too late.