Page 3 of Blackmailing the Mogul

Henry's sneer deepens, and he releases my wrist, sensing my struggle. “You’re smart, Jenna. You know what the right choice is.”

I take a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. I don't want to agree to his terms, but the alternative is too risky. “Fine, I’ll help you,” I say, my voice strained.

He smirks, satisfied with my answer. “Good. We’ll talk more about the details soon. But remember, Jenna, this is a one-time deal. Do this, and you can walk away. Try to mess with me and I'll bury you in a scandal so big you'd never recover. Understood?”

I swallow nervously but I nod, unable to find my voice. Henry's threat is clear: help him or risk losing everything I've worked so hard to protect. The weight of the situation presses down on me, leaving me feeling trapped.

“Good girl,” Henry says with a senile smile, standing up and smoothing his suit jacket. “You'll be hearing from me soon. Don't disappoint me, Jenna. And… enjoy your meal.”

And with that, he walks away. I sit at the table for a moment, trying to process everything that just happened.

I close my eyes with a ragged sigh as my mind races with possible scenarios of what could happen if Henry made good on his threat and none of the options are appealing. First, I need to figure out a way to protect my anonymity and ensure Henry can't use my hacker identity against me. If I can find a way to cover my tracks and make it seem as though Ghost002 never existed, perhaps I can free myself from his grasp. But before that, I need to give in to his demands, or at least pretend to.

One thing is for sure, I'm in some deep shit.

Chapter One

Ryan

One month later

“Thanks for coming aboard, Mr. Patel,” I say, shaking hands with the gruff-faced Indian man, with a practiced smile.

It took two grueling hours to convince the man to invest in our advanced robotic surgical systems. Mr. Singh Patel is a seasoned investor known for his shrewd business acumen, and his decision to invest is yet another significant win for MedPlus Innovations.

"Thank you, Mr. Anders," Patel says in his heavily accented English. "I look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership."

“Absolutely, Mr. Patel,” I reply with a curt nod, “We look forward to working with you.”

As he leaves the boardroom, I roll my shoulders to relieve the tight knots in my back. It's been a long day packed with seemingly endless meetings. The usual CEO business is not my favorite thing to do, but it’s not like I have a choice.

"What's next on my schedule, Maria?" I ask my secretary as I head out of the meeting room.

"Next on your schedule is lunch with Dr. Stevens at 12:30 p.m.," Maria replies, checking her tablet. "After lunch, you have a 2 p.m. conference call with the finance team to discuss the allocation of Mr. Patel's investment. Following that, you have a meeting with the R&D team at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the latest progress on the robotic surgical systems."

"Thank you, Maria. Can you move the meeting with Stevens to 2:30? I need to recalibrate before I deal with his obnoxious ass,” I say, barely resisting the urge to cancel the meeting all together.

"Of course, Mr. Anders. I'll make the adjustments now." Maria begins to make notes on her tablet.

"Also, reschedule the R&D meeting for tomorrow morning. I want a more detailed presentation with all team members present,” I add, glancing briefly at her. “You should also…”

I'm interrupted by a sudden collision, followed by a soft gasp and the fluttering sound of papers as they hit the ground. I take a step back to assess the situation. Standing a few steps away from me is a flustered young lady.

I stare, simply unable to do otherwise. She's mesmerizing. Her dark hair is in a bun that looks both messy and put-together. Her gorgeous green eyes are encased in nerdy glasses, and she’s wearing a skirt that seems to hug her curves in all the right places… She's a dream.

“I- I'm sorry,” she mutters as she scampers to gather the scattered papers.

"You need to watch where you're going," I say in a clipped tone, keeping my expression inscrutable.

"Yes, of course," she replies, her voice soft and apologetic. She quickly finishes picking up the papers and clutches them to her chest, avoiding eye contact as she scurries away.

“Who's she?” I ask Maria as we resume walking. She's obviously new. I would know if someone with that face and body worked in my company.

"I believe she's the new associate office manager," Maria replies beside me. "I don't have any information on her except that, but I could find out more details if you'd like, sir."

“Please do” I say, pushing open the door to my office. “Now.”

Ever efficient, Maria returns to my office thirty minutes later with a complete file in hand.

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