Chapter 2

The elevator slid, and the doors opened with a ding sound. Victoria exited the lift, still in a dilemma over the proposal made by Alexander. As it was mentioned above, the grand lobby of Carrington Tower was filled with a lot of action, and yet she felt as if nothing around her was actually coming into focus. She had not spared much attention to the shiny marble tiles on the floor, the chrome parts of the furniture, or the giant plants installed on the walls. All she could think about was the message from Chloe that was now securely burning her pocket.

I just heard something about Carrington. Call me. It’s urgent.

She hastened her steps as she walked out through the revolving doors at the entrance and out to the sunshine that was now breaking late in the afternoon. The sound of a crowded city—car horns, distant wails of ambulances, and the buzz of strangers—returned her to real life. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialed Chloe’s number. Her hands were shaking.

The telephone went and was being answered by Chloe after the second ring. “Victoria? Where are you?”

“It was a lovely dream,” she said with force. “I just left his office. “What did you find out?”

“Victoria, you won't believe this. I was doing some digging, and I found out something huge, though I know you won't believe me. Anyway, I won't go into details for now. But let me just remind you that Alexander Carrington is in a lot more trouble than he’s letting on his company—it’s on the verge of a massive financial crisis.”

Victoria looked with horror, and for a moment she just paused; her heart missed a beat. ‘What do you mean? He is one of the most successful businessmen in the United States at present.’

‘Well, okay’ Chloe replied, anger dripping from her voice. Aside from that, there is another picture: he has been selling off many of his assets, and there is this rumor going around that large investors are withdrawing their investments; his empire could be collapsing, Victoria.

And that is when it hit Victoria that it was actually serious: she shuddered. When Alexander had suggested the marriage, it was for business purposes only; therefore, if his company was in trouble, what was going to happen to her? For her company?

"Are you sure about this?” She asked, her voice very low.

Well, as sure as I’d like without hovering over his emails and such,’ Chloe responded. Listen, Vic, I am telling you frankly, you have to watch out: if his business fails, you can go down with it.

Victoria thought hard and, in one hour, combined all the memos she had acquired in her head. If Chloe was right, then Alexander’s proposal was no; it was not just an attempt to clinch a business deal; it was about living. If she said, ‘I do,’ she might be leading herself to a life of financial ruin with the man she loves.

“Thanks, Chloe,” Victoria replied, though her voice sounded a lot more composed now. “I will work out something.”

"Chloe, please just let me go,” I said while trying to push her away. “Just promise me that you will be careful,” she said. “This guy you are dealing with is very tricky, and you don’t want to find yourself on the wrong side of him.”

“I promise,” Victoria said after hanging up the phone.

She was completely bewildered, and she stood on the sidewalk, reasoning in circles. That self-assured man, who got up and went to work every day, was in fact extremely afraid, and that was all that was left of Alexander. And yet Victoria cannot argue with the things Chloe has just said to her, and still, there was something in the man’s proposal that interested her. If she could iron out better terms, it would be rather risky.

Gathering herself up again, Victoria hailed a cab and gave the driver her home address. The next thing that she had to do popped into her head as the car raced through the urban jungle. She wasn’t going to allow herself to get caught up, as she had done in the previous encounter. If Alexander wanted a business arrangement, then she was going to make sure that it was going to be in her favor.

Finally returning to his office, Alexander sits relaxed in his chair, thinking through what just happened to Victoria. She was wise, observant, and precisely the sort of person he should work with. But he also understood that she wasn’t going to make this easy on him. Her doubts were obvious, and he was quite sure that she would perform her research before she signed on the dotted line.

Good, he thought. He required somebody with whom he would have to contend so that they would not flinch at the opportunity or turn their backs when things became a little tough. And Victoria Sinclair—bright, intelligent, and very determined—was just the kind of person that was needed.

But Alexander knew that he had not much time to live and that he could never be as influential as he was before. His own company’s financial status was quite unhealthy, and the board was breathing down his neck. The marriage was, therefore, inevitable in a bid to reinvent his image and get the green light from businesspeople to invest in him. However, there was one uncertainty that was gnawing at her, and she could not help being preoccupied with it. As for Victoria, could she really be trusted? Would she accept him with all his issues when they are fully known to her out in the open?

He was dozing off when the intercom on his desk beeped. “Sir, Mr. Marcus Langston wants to see you.”

“Let him in,” said Alexander, who leaned up in the chair.

The door opened, and Marcus Langston entered the room, his face, as always, completely masked by his superior and confident smile. He was Alexander’s right-hand man, a man who was wise in business and people and who knew how to head the affairs of the company, which were not so clean.

Something new to report?’ questioned Marcus as he pulled a chair and sat down.

“She’s rather considering it,” Alexander replied, and if his voice was not as cold as ice, it was as close to that as one could get. “But she is intelligent,” she went on. “She will investigate this matter before drawing any conclusions."”

Marcus nodded. “And what do you think will happen if she comes to know too much? She has connections.”

“I know,” Alexander agreed, ruffling his hair. “But I don’t have many options left. If we do not clinch this deal soon, everything is going to collapse.” Then we will make sure that she reasons with ours, so she won't back out.

Said Marcus, You must convince her that backing out will put her at greater risk; staying is her biggest opportunity.

Alexander only nodded, and his determination grew even more. “I will handle it. You just make sure that your side keeps it going smoothly.”

Marcus just looked at Lucy briefly, then nodded his head aggressively and stood up. “I have my address somewhere; I’ll be depending on you if there’s anything you’d need from me.”

As Marcus left the room, Alexander looked back at the skyline of the city through the window. It was evening, and the large construction had fallen into the gloom of dusk. He understood that the days to come were going to be decisive, not only for his enterprise but also for his life. He had to play this carefully, or all he had been constructing for himself would just collapse.

And for the first time in years, the boy who would grow up to become the brutal and cunning Alexander Carrington was suddenly left to the mercy of fate.

As Victoria arrived in the cab in front of the entrance to her apartment, the phone again rang. This time, the caller did not identify himself or herself, and for a moment, I could only stare at my phone. Thinking so, she waited a little while to reply; she felt afraid to respond.

“Hello?”

‘Ms. Sinclair, I advise you to be careful with your next step’, a man’s voice said cockily. “Some stories are well off leaving them to the graves.”

The phone connection was cut, and Victoria was left with her jaws gaping and staring at the red light on the phone. A new kind of fear had gripped her.