The Silver Crescent Prince

"It has been perfectly—"

"Shut up!" she cut off her secretary. "Call the head of finance. Why do I see so many discrepancies?" 

"But Madam, there are no—" 

"Silence!" she barked at him with jerky head movement. "Who are you to advise me on this? Call the Finance Head now!" 

"Yes, Madam," he said and scurried away. 

As she was looking at the screen, her phone buzzed. It was an unknown number but she picked it up. 

"Mother!" Anne's voice came from the other side.

"Anne!" Lily got up to her feet. "How are you doing?" 

"What do you expect, mother? That bitch Dawn has sent me inside for life. I want to come out. You have to help me to come out. Dawn has trapped me so tightly in her web that my lawyer doesn't know how to get out of it? I didn't imagine that my life is going to be so difficult!" she cried. 

"Anne, you are facing what you did. I can't help you now. I have the company to look after. You and Helena have siphoned off so much money from here and now you want me to look after you? You have literally stolen from your own house! Did you even think of Luke when you were doing it? And what— what is between you and Helena – it has shocked me beyond words. For heaven's sake, I thought Helena was Luke's partner. How could you do that to your brother?"

"Oh come on Mother!" Anne snapped. "Don't give me moral lessons. If you were so morally sound, you wouldn't have called me out of your hatred for Clare and Dawn. You dislike those two so much that it blinded your vision, it clouded your judgment. And now that you are facing the consequences you are teaching me?"

"Anne!" Lily barked on the phone. "That was my problem. I trusted you and brought you to help me not to have a love affair with Helena! That bloody bitch used both my kids and embezzled my money. You better ask her to return it or I am going to come after you. At the same time, you should also return all the money you have stolen from the business!" 

Anne started laughing. "Keep dreaming Mother! I will not give a penny back to you because if I do, knowing you, there is no guarantee that you are going to help me to come out of the prison," she sneered. 

"Anne, don't cross your limits! Remember that your daughter Cecilia is still with me."

"Oh please Mother! You wouldn't dare to harm my daughter, not at this point. In fact you are going to keep her safe and sound else the police would love to come to you. They are already hoping that I crack and provide information about you!" Anne said with anger in her voice. "So you better get me out or else I don't know when will I crack open for them!" 

Lily swallowed her saliva as terror struck her soul. Dawn had never gone against her even though she had all the reasons to, and Anne… her own daughter was blackmailing her. 

"Time's up!" a voice came from a distance. 

"I am going mother," said Anne. "But remember what I just said. I won't wait for long!" The line went dead. 

Lily's lips quivered as she kept the phone on the table. Wrinkles bunched beneath her eyes. She looked at the Finance Head as if she was seeing him for the first time. "Hello…" she answered. 

"What was it that you wanted to see me for Madam?" he asked gently. 

Lilly steered her focus back to the finances on the screen. She waved her hand in a circle and said, "These numbers don't add." 

"Of course they add Mrs. Wyatt," said the Head. He walked to her and started explaining. "We have had huge losses this year, not to mention the fact that the Starfish Refineries is closed and the investors are crying loud to give their money back. The stock market has blacklisted us. We have to give money to the employees."

"I understand all that, but I see huge gaps here. There is so much money that hasn't been shown where it has gone and you have only totaled the expenses at the end," she snapped. 

"Where?" he asked softly. 

When Lily pointed out, he said, "No Madam, everything looks fine to me. Perhaps you must be having a headache or something. I heard you are suffering from Parkinson's. People who suffer from that medical condition have difficulty remembering or focusing on things. Madam, please don't worry. I am not the type who would do wrong with the finances. Please be assured." However, the man was smiling hard on the inside. Along with two partners, he had funneled a lot of money from the Wyatt's to his bank account. With Lily having Parkinson's she wouldn't know anything and with Helena and Anne gone, he was free to do anything. 

Lily gaped at him with shock. Her mouth fell to the floor. In an instant she knew that the Finance Head was taking advantage of the situation. She couldn't reveal the truth that she was perfectly fine, nor she could refute it. "You bastard!" she said in a cold voice. "If I don't see the missing finances, I will personally make sure that you join my daughter behind the bars!" A pain was beginning to form in her chest. So her employees were now cashing in on her miserable state. 

The Finance Head gulped. "I— I will check it again," he replied and left.

--- 

When Daryn was sitting with Dawn in the car, he said, "I would like to take you out for a romantic, candlelight dinner." 

She fluttered her eyes and said, "I would love to come dear." 

"Gods, woman! Do you want me to come down here?" 

The driver shook his head. His alpha had gone mad ever since he married this woman. 

Daryn dropped her to her office. As Dawn walked in, she met Hans Müller.

"Good morning Madam," he said with enthusiasm. 

"Hello Hans!" she replied. "What's up!"

"Ma'am, I met a businessman yesterday night. Actually he approached me. He was interested in buying The Neo Software at almost double the price."

Dawn was about to punch the button to her floor in the elevator when she jerked around to see Hans again. "What?" she said in a shrill voice. 

"Why would I sell my company? It is showing lovely growth."

"Exactly my thoughts Ma'am. The valuation that he is offering is superb. Fifteen million dollars is a lovely amount for this company."

"Fifteen million!" Dawn pressed the button as her skin prickled with excitement. She knew she needed all the money for buying Starfish Refineries when it auctioned. 

The elevator started going up. "The buyer is very serious and he has offered to meet you tonight for dinner. He will be leaving the country tomorrow."