[PRESENT]The masquerade ball, one month later, was nothing short of spectacular.The event was held at the Plaza, which was decorated with an opulent array of flowers and fairy lights. A live band played music that could be heard throughout the entire venue, and the guests mingled and danced with one another, their outfits the height of fashion and their masks an elaborate collection of feathers, lace, and jewels.In the midst of it all was Elena, wearing a floor-length gown of navy blue silk and a mask covered in silver beading. Her dark hair was swept up into an elegant twist, and her lips were painted a deep red. She looked gorgeous and she knew that, but the night was hardly about her. It was about the company, and it was about Josh.Elena had thrown the ball, inviting all the richest and most influential people in the world, in the hopes of drawing in the attention of the man who was known to have all the answers.Simon Walsh. The president of the Walsh Group of Companies. The m

Cecelia was busy talking to some handsome man in an expensive suit and black mask. It was the typical suit and black tie sort of party, where everyone dressed in their finest clothes and acted like they were better than everyone else. However, the black mask made everything more intriguing than usual, as if each person had a secret that they weren’t willing to reveal.Cecelia loved the mystery of the night just as much as the next person, she was not oblivious to the attention she was getting. People were watching her everywhere she went, their eyes following her every move like they were all waiting for something to happen. Cecelia couldn’t help but preen under such intense attention. She loved being the centre of attention. It made her feel powerful and strong in a way that nothing else could.But then, when she least expected it, a waitress, out of absolutely nowhere, bumped into her and spilled wine all over her dress. Cecelia was furious as she turned around and glared at the gir

The next morning when Richard picked up the newspaper, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he read the headlines of the New York Times: “The ‘Love and Disobey’ star, Cecelia McDowell warming bed with her billionaire brother”.“What the hell?” He muttered to himself as he stared at the front page, eyes widening at the images displayed on it. He quickly skimmed through the article, reading about the intimate moment shared by Cecelia and Richard in a hotel room. There was even a photo of the two of them kissing in the hallway, and even though the picture was kind of grainy, he knew the man in the picture was no one else but him.But…what the fuck, though? When the hell did this happen? He didn’t remember anything about kissing anyone in a hotel room, Cecelia or not. And why would he have an affair with his own fucking sister? That made the least sense of all.Sure, they weren’t exactly related by blood, but still. She was the daughter from his stepmother’s first marriage, and it was only a

Simon Walsh grinned to himself, watching the chaos unfold on the television screen in front of him as he sipped his coffee slowly. “Look at that, little guy,” he said as he nudged his small dog that was lying beside him. “The whole world is going to hell now thanks to that fucking whore. Good job, Elena. You finally did something right.” The dog gave him a small bark in response before continuing to stare at the television, his head tilted slightly to one side as if confused by what was happening around him. Simon leaned forward in his chair and grabbed a bottle of whiskey off his table, pouring a generous amount into his cup before taking another sip and closing his eyes, relishing in the delicious flavor. He loved whiskey. And he especially loved it when he got to watch his dear nephew go down like that. Fuck. He hadn’t expected Elena to be so bold, but apparently, she proved him wrong. She was indeed a formidable opponent to have, and those people underestimated her capabilities

Richard sat in his office when his father stormed inside.“What do you think you’re doing?” Gerald McDowell hissed.“I’m handling the problem as it should have been handled a long time ago,” Richard said without even looking up from the file he was reading.“Cecelia is my daughter!” Gerald slammed his fist on the desk, making the papers fly around and almost knocking over the cup of coffee Richard was drinking from. “You can’t just go around and declare her missing, goddammit! Are you stupid or something?!”Richard finally looked up and raised an eyebrow at his father. “No,” he said calmly, “I’m not stupid. And neither was I when I decided to do what needed to be done. I tried to talk to your wife, but she only fed me with excuses. So I figured, since she wouldn’t do anything about it, I should.”Gerald narrowed his eyes at him. “You think you know so much better, don’t you? That you’re old enough to make decisions for this family and its members? That you have some kind of power over