Harry’s Doubts

At Hawthorne Industries, the normally sleek and calculated operations of the company had taken on an undercurrent of tension. For Harry Knight, the man who had stood by Drake Hawthorne through countless business coups and ruthless takeovers, something felt off. Their current strategy with Mila Morgan—the lies, the manipulation, and the delicate game they were playing—was beginning to spiral in a direction that made Harry uneasy. And for someone like Harry, whose entire career had been built on sharp instincts and ruthless efficiency, that feeling didn't sit well.

Drake, ever the master of his own domain, seemed unbothered on the surface, keeping up the façade of control as they barreled toward the final stages of the merger. But Harry had been watching him closely, noticing the cracks. The problem wasn't just that Mila was a formidable opponent—it was that Drake's feelings for her were getting in the way of the plan. The kiss they shared in Paris, the poker game where Mila outplayed him, the quiet moments when his gaze lingered on her longer than it should have—all of it was adding up to something dangerous.

And Harry wasn't sure how much longer Drake could keep playing this game without losing control.

One evening, after a late board meeting where Drake had once again laid out his grand vision for the future of Hawthorne Industries, Harry cornered him in his office. The floor-to-ceiling windows framed the glittering Manhattan skyline, a stark contrast to the shadows brewing within the room. The office was spacious, modern, and cold—a reflection of Drake's carefully curated life.

But that control was slipping.

"Drake," Harry said quietly, his voice laced with the weight of their years of friendship and business partnership. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure no one was around to overhear. "You need to be careful. This game you're playing with Mila—it's getting out of hand."

Drake, seated behind his desk, didn't look up from the financial reports he was pretending to read. His jaw clenched slightly at Harry's words. "I know what I'm doing, Harry. We're close. Once the merger is finalized, I'll have the leverage I need."

But Harry didn't let the brush-off stop him. He moved closer, leaning against the edge of Drake's desk, his eyes narrowing. "I've known you a long time. This—" he gestured vaguely, encompassing everything from the merger to Drake's strained relationship with Mila, "—this isn't just business anymore. Mila's not stupid. She's starting to figure things out. She's been way too calm lately. You think she doesn't suspect what's going on?"

For the first time in the conversation, Drake met Harry's gaze, his expression hardening, though there was a flicker of something underneath—uncertainty. He knew what Harry was saying was true. Mila wasn't just any opponent. She was shrewd, calculating, and far too observant to miss the subtle cracks in the surface. Their high-stakes poker game had confirmed it: Mila was watching him more closely now, piecing together the web of lies he had spun.

And it wasn't just that Mila was growing suspicious. It was his own feelings that were complicating things. He had never anticipated the pull between them, the chemistry that had turned their rivalry into something more dangerous, more personal. Their kiss had shaken him in a way nothing else had. He had convinced himself that it was just a moment of weakness, a lapse in judgment, but the truth was far more complicated. Drake had always prided himself on keeping emotion out of business, but with Mila, the lines were blurring.

"I've got it under control," Drake repeated, though his voice lacked its usual conviction. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes drifting to the skyline beyond the window, the city's lights blinking like distant stars. "Once the merger goes through, everything will fall into place."

But Harry wasn't convinced. He had seen this before—how personal entanglements could destroy even the most well-laid plans. And this wasn't just any entanglement. Mila Morgan was a different kind of opponent. She wasn't just playing for leverage; she was playing for survival, for control, and she wouldn't hesitate to burn Drake to the ground if she found out the truth.

"Don't wait too long," Harry warned, his tone serious. "You know as well as I do that Mila's not someone you want to make an enemy of. If she realizes what's really going on—if she finds out you've been playing her this whole time—" he trailed off, letting the weight of his words sink in.

Drake didn't respond immediately. He knew what Harry was implying. If Mila found out that he had been manipulating the merger from the start, that the entire arrangement had been about securing power and control over Morgan Enterprises, there would be no coming back. He would lose her trust—what little of it he had—and more importantly, he would lose the merger. And losing the merger meant losing the future of Hawthorne Industries.

But more than that, it meant losing Mila—not just as an opponent, but as... something else. Something that had become more complicated than he cared to admit.

"I won't let that happen," Drake finally said, though his voice sounded far from certain. The lie was becoming harder to sustain, not just with Mila, but with himself. He had convinced himself that this was all about business, about securing his family's legacy and the power that came with it. But the more time he spent with Mila, the more that rationale slipped away.

Harry watched him closely, noting the hesitation in his friend's voice, the doubt in his usually unwavering gaze. He sighed, pushing away from the desk. "Just don't wait too long, Drake. You've come too far to let your feelings get in the way now. Mila's already suspicious. She's watching you. And if she puts all the pieces together..." He didn't need to finish the sentence. They both knew what would happen if Mila discovered the truth.

With one last look, Harry left the office, the door closing softly behind him, leaving Drake alone with his thoughts.

As the silence settled in, Drake leaned back in his chair, staring out at the Manhattan skyline that stretched out before him. The city, bathed in a sea of lights, felt distant, almost unreachable. His mind was a storm of conflicting emotions—the drive to succeed, the need to win, and the unsettling realization that for the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what winning even meant anymore.

His father's words echoed in his mind, a constant reminder of the path he had been raised to follow: "Hawthornes dominate. We don't compromise. We don't lose." But now, for the first time, Drake wasn't so sure. The game with Mila had shifted. It was no longer just about the merger, about power or control. There was something more at stake—something he wasn't prepared to confront.

And the longer he stared out at the city, the more he realized that he wasn't just playing a game with Mila. He was caught in it himself.