24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aidan
T he phone rang, and I grabbed it instinctively. Julian’s voice came through, urgent.
"Sir, we’ve got a serious problem. Some of the warehouses have been set on fire, and the company is in crisis. Shareholders are furious. They want answers to a lot of questions, and I can’t give them."
“What!”
My stomach dropped at the news, a knot forming in my chest. This was the last thing I needed right now.
"How many warehouses are affected?" I asked, trying to steady my voice despite the panic that threatened to rise.
"At least five major warehouses, Aidan. The fires are still spreading, and we’ve got reports of significant damage. We’re trying to control the situation, but it’s bad," Julian’s reply came quickly.
"Send me the reports. Email them to me now," I said, already moving toward my laptop. I needed to see the full scope of the damage before making any decisions.
As soon as the email came through, I opened it, scanning the details. The number of warehouses burned, the financial loss, the damage to the infrastructure, it all pointed in one direction.
"Shit! This has Vera written all over it. No one else had the resources, the knowledge, or the motive to target my business like this," I muttered to myself, my heart sinking.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples as I thought about my next move.
"Julian, send the helicopter to pick me up from the safe house," I said, my tone curt. I wasn’t going to let Vera’s games distract me from what needed to be done.
But before I could hang up, Amelia’s voice cut through the tension in the room.
"Aidan, no. It’s too dangerous for you to go out there. I’m already worried sick about Finn. I can’t…" She broke off, frustration and fear lacing her words.
Has she been standing here all this time? I thought as I turned to look at her, my chest tightened.
I knew she was right. But the thought of leaving this crisis unresolved wasn’t something I could stomach.
"I know you're worried, but my company needs me. The shareholders are about to tear everything apart," I said, my tone softer now, though my mind was still racing. "I’ll be back as soon as I can."
Fergus, who had been standing off to the side, now stepped forward.
"Aidan, I’ll go in your place," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Let me handle the situation at the office. I’ll take care of everything there, and when I get there, I’ll report back to you immediately. This could be part of Vera’s plan to lure you out. She’s clearly trying to get under your skin."
I hesitated, considering his offer. It was tempting to stay here with Amelia, to keep her safe and calm. But the crisis at the office couldn’t wait.
"Alright," I said finally, nodding my agreement. "Go. But I want regular updates. Keep me posted on everything."
Fergus nodded, already pulling out his phone to plan.
After Fergus left, Amelia walked closer and hugged me tightly.
“I know how frustrated you must be feeling but I need you to hang in there and I’m sure all these will come to an end soon,” she said.
“I really hope so … I’m about to lose it…” I said as I continued hugging her.
“You are strong and I’m sure you’ll find a solution to this. I believe in you,” she said as she looked straight into my eyes.
“I really needed to hear that,” giving her a kiss on her forehead.
While in my office, I got a text from Fergus.
“Aidan, I have arrived at the office, I want to put something’s in order and then I will set up a meeting with you and the shareholders. I’m thinking it would be best to make use of the hologram for the meeting,” I read out loud.
The call came quickly, the holographic projection flickering to life. The shareholders appeared, their stern faces reflecting the panic consuming the company.
"Fergus, I’m here," I said, standing up as the meeting loaded.
The room settled into a tense silence as the shareholders began their tirade.
"You’ve been absent, Aidan,", Mr. Harrow said. "The company is in crisis, and you’ve been dealing with personal matters. You’ve neglected your duties, and now we’re paying the price. What kind of CEO are you?"
"This is unacceptable. We need answers. We need someone who’s going to take charge. Your absence is damaging our bottom line, seems like the person responsible for the fire incidents has a personal issue with you," another Mrs. Denvers, chimed in.
The call came quickly, the holographic projection flickering to life. The shareholders appeared, their stern faces reflecting the panic consuming the company.
"You think I’m neglecting the company?!" I growled; my voice was dangerously calm despite the rage inside me. "You don’t think I’m aware of what’s at stake? My company is being torn apart by a fucking fire, by a planned attack. And I’m the one who’s supposed to keep things together while you sit here and judge me?!"
The room fell silent, all eyes on me. I could see the fear flickering in their eyes. They had underestimated me before, and now I was going to make sure they never did again.
"I’ll get to the bottom of who’s behind these fires. I will make the person responsible pay dearly," I continued, my voice full of authority. "But I need you to trust me. I need time. And I need you to stop acting like everything is falling apart, because it isn’t. Not yet."
I paused, letting my words sink in.
"From this moment on, Fergus is in charge of the day-to-day affairs. He’s my right hand, and you will work with him to ensure the company stays on track while I deal with the bigger picture. Do not doubt him, or me. We’ll fix this."
The skepticism faded into respect. The meeting ended, and the weight lingered. Fergus nodded, turning off the hologram.
"I’ll handle it from here, Aidan," he said quietly.
I nodded, relieved that at least one part of my life was being handled.
While I was still in my office, my phone rang, the number flashing on the screen as an unknown caller.
“Aidan,” came the smooth, taunting voice on the other end. My blood froze in my veins. It was her.
“Vera,” I said, my tone a mixture of disbelief and anger. "What the hell do you want?"
“Oh, little brother…” her voice was calm, almost amused, as though she enjoyed hearing me snap.
“I’ve missed talking to you, Aidan,” she continued sweetly, but I could hear the venom beneath her words.
I didn’t waste a second. My patience snapped.
“Cut the crap, Vera. What do you want?” I demanded, my voice low and threatening.
She sighed, drawing out the moment, as though relishing my frustration.
“I want you to listen very carefully, Aidan. Come to the old warehouse on the outskirts of town. Bring Amelia with you. If you want to see Finn alive, you have to come with only her.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My heart began to race, panic rising.
“You have Finn?” I asked, my voice barely above a growl.
“I have him …for now he’s alive but I can’t assure you if he will be in the next 3hrs,” her response was chilling.
“I told you, Aidan. If you want him back, you’ll come only with Amelia. But remember, you have just 3hrs to make it here.”
The call ended with a soft click, leaving me standing in stunned silence.
I slammed my fist into the table, fury boiling over. The wood splintered, breaking in half. Amelia and Sienna rushed in, concern on their faces.
“What happened?” Amelia asked, her voice trembling as she took in the broken table and my furious stance.
“Vera has Finn,” I growled, pacing the room. “She has him, and she wants us to come to her. She said we have to come alone if we want him alive.”
Amelia’s face drained of color. Her body trembled, and she collapsed into a chair, tears welling in her eyes as fear gripped her.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “She can’t…Aidan, please. She can’t do this. She just can’t.”
I moved toward her, kneeling in front of her, my hand gently gripping her arms.
“I won’t let her hurt him. I’ll do whatever it takes, Amelia. I’ll get him back, I promise.”
Sienna, who had been standing by the door, spoke up, her voice sharp.
“Wait. How sure are we that Vera has him? We can’t just walk into this blindly. We need to be sure.”
Amelia wiped the tears from her face, nodding in agreement.
“Aidan, what if this is a trap? What if it’s just another one of her games?”
They were right, there were too many unknowns, too many risks. We couldn’t afford to walk into this without being absolutely sure.
“Fine,” I said, my voice steady now. “I’ll call Damon. He might know something. If Finn’s alive, he has to know where he is.”
I pulled out my phone, dialing Julian’s number.
“Julian, send me Damon’s number. I don’t have it,” I said, my voice urgent.
“Sending it now, sir,” Julian responded quickly.
I dialed the number, the ringing feeling endless. He didn’t answer the first time, but I called again, frustration building.
“Hello,” came his voice, gruff and tired.
“Damon, this is Aidan, where is Finn?” I asked not wasting time with pleasantries.
Damon’s response sent a chill down my spine.
“The werewolf camp was attacked. I couldn’t stop them, Aidan. Finn was taken. They’re gone.” His voice was full of regret. “I couldn’t save him.”
“Damon, you’re telling me he’s gone. Where is he? Who took him?” I demanded, my mind racing.
“They were vampires, Aidan. I couldn’t hold them off. The camp’s in chaos. Some of our wolves are dead. We’re trying to pick up the pieces, but I don’t know where they took Finn.”
I felt the weight of his words like a crushing blow.
“Damn it!” I hissed, running a hand through my hair. “How could this happen?”
“The cursed one is responsible for this, Aidan, he was so strong. He killed the werewolves in a blink,” Damon said, his voice shaking.
“And your dad, have you heard from him?”
“Yes, before your call came in, I got a message from him and then he told me where he hid a diary that belonged to Finn’s father in our house and that the diary has all the answers we are looking for. According to my father, Finn’s father gave him the diary and made him promise not to open it until the time was right.”
“Perfect, we need to first know Vera’s plan before we can defeat her and the cursed one. Damon, I am going to send you the location of the safe house, once you have found the diary, bring it. Remember we have limited time to save Finn, so we need to act fast.”
“On it!”
Immediately the call ended, I sent Damon the location of the safe house.
“Aidan, what’s the next move? What do we do now?” Amelia’s voice was shaky, and I could hear the fear in it, but there was also a hint of determination. She wasn’t backing down.
“If war is what Vera wants,” I said, turning to face her, my voice cold and steady, “then war is what she’ll get.”
I moved toward the door, heading toward the basement where the vampires kept guard. It was time to get ready.
“Summon all the vampires guarding the safe house. Bring up every weapon we have,” I ordered looking at the vampire standing next at the door.
As I made my way back to the room, I pulled out my phone and dialed Julian’s number.
“Julian, Vera has Finn, send me the map of the outskirts of town. I need to know the layout around the warehouse where Finn’s being held.”
“Sending it now, sir,” Julian replied, and within moments, the map appeared in my inbox.
I opened it immediately, studying the details closely. We needed to surround the place, cut off any escape routes, and ensure we had the upper hand when the time came.
The vampires started filing in, weapons in hand. I nodded in approval and began pointing at key locations on the map.
“We’ll need to position teams here,” I said, circling the spots on the map. “Team A will cover the north side; Team B takes the south. I’ll lead the assault from the east. No one moves in until I give the signal. We’re not just rescuing Finn; we’re taking the fight to them.”
I turned to Amelia, who was standing nearby, still looking worried but trying to hold it together.
“I’ll get him back. I promise you that.”
She nodded, though I could see the lingering concern in her eyes. The weight of everything hung heavy on her too.
“Everyone ready?” I asked the vampires. They nodded, a quiet intensity filling the room. They knew what was at stake, and they knew I wouldn’t stop until Finn was safe.
“Aidan, Damon is here with the diary,” Amelia said.