The Mysterious CEO

Helena Taylor stood in the kitchen, frozen; she could barely breathe properly; she couldn't believe what she had just heard from the caller on the other end of the call.

She grasped her chest, her hands patting it frantically as if trying to put out a flame. She felt like she was suffocating, her breaths coming in short, she fell on the kitchen floor as she recalled the phone conversation,

"Hello, Am I speaking to Helena Taylor?"

"Yes please, this is her," Helena replied

"I am calling from St.Louis Hospital, and I am afraid I have some bad news." The lady at the end of the call said.

"What, what happened?" Hellena asked, scared.

"Your husband was involved in a hit and run and I am sorry to say he is in a terrible condition" The caller said

"What, this can't be true," Helena said as the phone slid from her hand and fell onto the ground, she started screaming

.

With Helena's reaction, Anna who had been watching her mother with concern, rushed to her mother's side, "Mummy, what's wrong." She asked with a trembling voice

"Hello...hello...Helena? Are you there?" The voice could be heard on the other side of the call after a few minutes, the caller hung up.

Melissa, who was in the living room watching TV, rushed to the kitchen upon hearing her mother's screams, "Mummy, Mummy? She cried while throwing her arms around Helena's waist.

Anna's heart sank as she watched her mother sobbing hysterically; she knew something terrible had happened; otherwise, her mother wouldn't be like this. Just moments before, she and her mum had been chatting and laughing as they were preparing for dinner together. But then her mum's phone rang.....

Helena stood there unable to talk, as if something was stuck in her throat. All she could do was shake her head, and this scared Anna and Mellisa the most.

Helena's arms wrapped around her daughters holding them close, trying to process the devastating news,

"Daddy was involved in an accident" Helena who could barely talk whispered

Anna felt like she had been punched in the gut, her Dad? In an accident? No, it couldn't be her Dad; She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

Anna turned to look at her mother her eyes full of fear and panic with tears rolling down her cheeks

"Is he... will he be okay?" Anna asked with a cracking voice

Helena shook her head, feeling a wave of despair wash over her "We don't know yet sweetie, the Doctor said he's in a critical condition. We just need to pray for him and be hopeful." Her mother replied, trying to keep tears from coming.

A chill ran through Anna's spine, Critical condition? What does that even mean? She looked over at Melissa, who was crying uncontrollably, and she felt helpless; she just wanted everything to go back to normal.

"He has to be, I can't imagine my world without him," Mellisa said while clinging on to her mother as tears rolled down her cheeks

Helena's grip tightened while holding her daughters to her chest

"We will get through this together," She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Helena's thought dissolved into a desperate prayer: Please, God, let him be okay.....

And then guilt crushed over Anna, "It's all my fault, If I hadn't insisted that Dad makes steak for Dinner...."

Helena's expression changed from sadness to shock, "No, Anna, Don't think like that, sweetie; it's not your fault. This was just an accident."

But Anna couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt. She thought about how she and Mellisa begged their Dad to make grilled steak for Dinner, as the expert "Griller" he often called himself. He happily accepted, but there was no steak in the house, so he went quickly to get some at the nearby supermarket.

As he picked up his jacket and the car keys from the kitchen counter, Anna felt the urge to kiss and hug her father tightly.

"You want to squeeze the life out of me?" Anna's Father Jokes

"I am going to miss you Daddy" Anna Said

"I won't take long, Kiddol; I will be back before you know it, Anna's father said.

He kissed her on the forehead, picked his cap off the hook in the hallway and opened the door to get out; just as he opened the door, he turned to face Anna and blew a kiss to her, then winked and shut the door behind him.....

"If only we hadn't insisted, maybe he would be okay," Anna whispered tears rolling down her cheeks.

Helena hugged Anna tightly, "Anna, don't punish yourself like this. Your father loves you both so much, and he will do anything for you; it's not your fault that he got in an accident."

Helena's mind was racing as she stood in the kitchen, her daughters clinging to her sides. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.

Two weeks ago, her husband had come to her with a worried look on his face. "I've received some information about one of our clients," he had said, his voice low and serious. "I'm not sure what to do with it, but I have a feeling that it could put me in danger."

Helena had brushed off his concerns, telling him that he was just being paranoid. But now, as she stood in the kitchen, she couldn't help but wonder if her husband's fears had been justified.

Was this accident an accident, or was it something more sinister? Helena's mind was filled with questions, but she knew she had to stay strong for her daughters. She took a deep breath and looked down at Anna and Melissa, who were watching her with wide, frightened eyes.

"We'll get through this together," Helena said, trying to sound calm and confident. "We'll find out what happened to Daddy, and we'll make sure that he gets the best care possible."

But as she spoke, Helena couldn't shake off the feeling that she was just trying to convince herself. She knew that she had to stay strong, but she couldn't help but wonder what the future held.

And then, just as Helena was starting to feel like she was getting a grip on things, the phone rang again. Helena's heart skipped a beat as she hesitated, wondering who it could be. And then, with a sense of dread, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then in a low and serious voice, "Helena, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's accident," he said. "But I have to tell you something. Your husband had discovered some information about one of his clients that could have put him in danger. I think it's possible that his death wasn't an accident at all."

Helena's mind was racing as she tried to process the caller's words. What kind of information could her husband have discovered that would put him in danger? And who was this caller, anyway? Why was he telling her this?

"Who is this?" Helena demanded, trying to keep her voice steady. "How do you know this?"

But the caller just ignored her questions. "Be careful, Helena," he said. "You and your daughters may be in danger too." And with that, he hung up the phone.

As soon as the caller hung up, Helena's face turned pale. She tried to compose herself, but Anna could see the fear lurking behind her eyes.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Anna asked, feeling a sense of unease.

But Helena just shook her head. "It's nothing, sweetie. Just the wrong number."

Anna wasn't convinced. She knew her mother too well. Something was wrong, and Helena was trying to protect her and Mellisa.

Determined to get to the bottom of things, Anna decided to do some digging. She started by asking her mother questions, but Helena remained tight-lipped.

Undeterred, Anna turned to her father's study. She began searching through his papers and files, looking for any clues that might explain the mysterious phone call.

As she dug deeper, Anna stumbled upon a cryptic note hidden in one of her father's files. The note read:

"You have 24 hours to drop the investigation; after that, you are dead."

Anna's eyes widened as she read the note again, her mind racing with questions. Who wrote this? And what did they mean? She felt a chill run down her spine as she realized that her father's death might not have been an accident after all.

As she stood there, frozen in fear, Anna suddenly felt like she was being watched. She spun around, but the room was empty.

The silence was oppressive, and Anna's heart was racing. She knew she had to get out of there, but her legs felt heavy.

And then, it hit her - the phone call her mother had received earlier. The caller had warned them that their lives were in danger.

Anna's blood ran cold as she realized that the threat was real. They were in grave danger, and Anna had no idea who was behind it or what they wanted.

With shaking hands, Anna carefully placed the note back in the file and tried to compose herself.

She knew she had to tell her mother about the note, but she was scared. What if the killer was still out there, watching them? Waiting for the perfect moment to strike?