chapter 3

Chapter three:

As the morning light seeped through the window, Courtney’s eyes gradually opened, her vision initially blurry but slowly brightening. Her head throbbed in pain; she couldn’t recall what had happened. As her gaze took in the unfamiliar room, she realized that it was illuminated by the sun’s gentle rays. She yawned and stretched her arms wide before getting out of bed and scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. This was definitely not her room in Chelsea. Where on earth was she?

Her mind raced as she hastily made her way to the door and flung it open. Fear and confusion settled in—had she been kidnapped? Her memories refused to offer any clarity, and she found herself walking briskly through the corridor, casting quick glances in all directions. Moments later, she arrived at what appeared to be a Marina, her presence there adding to the mystery. On a Wednesday morning, she should have been at the office with her colleagues or at the very least working from home.

Becca! That’s right—she had been at a party with Becca, sort of her party, the pieces of her memory gradually falling into place.

“Good morning, Madam,” a friendly voice broke through her thoughts. An African American man greeted her with a wave, which she returned with a smile. Based on his attire, she deduced that he must be a marina staff. But where was everyone else? And where was her gifted fancy yacht?

“You’re Courtney Williams, aren’t you?” he asked.

She nodded, almost tempted to inquire about her peculiar situation, waking up in one of the dockside condos where the workers presumably dwelled during their shifts.

“And that must be your baby over there?” He gestured behind her.

Courtney glanced over her shoulder to find her luxurious yacht.

“Am a dock master, actually it's part of my job to oversee your boat and a few others,” he explained with a smile.

Despite the man’s warm demeanor, Courtney couldn’t help but feel utterly confused, yet she managed to maintain her composure.

The questions swirled in her mind. Where was her phone? Where in the world was Becca? And then it hit her—Hernandez, that pest of a brother, had crashed her party. The memories came flooding back: she hadn't wanted a party in the first place, but she had done it for Becca's sake. As she stood staring at the water, the events of the night before began to crystallize in her mind. Regardless, she needed to get out of this place as soon as possible.

“Courtney!” a familiar voice called from behind.

“Becca,” she replied, turning around to find her sibling.

“Oh my God!” Becca exclaimed, pulling her into a warm and tight embrace. “What the hell happened last night? You ditched me, you didn't pick up your phone… what happened to you?”

“I… I don’t know,” Courtney whispered, breaking the embrace. “I found myself here, sleeping in one of the rooms.”

“Okay, I’ll pretend to be a complete idiot—explain that again,” Becca chuckled, clearly expecting a more plausible explanation.

“I'm not kidding, Becca,” Courtney insisted, witnessing Becca's’s skeptical reaction. “But I need to get the hell out of here.” After all, this entire situation stemmed from one of Becca's ideas.

Courtney led the way, adamant about leaving the Marina and getting back to her normal routine, back to business. The disruption caused by the party and its aftermath was enough for her to want to return to the stability of her daily life.

***

As the afternoon arrived, Hernandez found himself in the company of the man he had tasked with taking Courtney for the night, furious that he had failed to follow through with his assignment to capture photos and videos of himself and Courtney together. The man claimed to have missed her and been unable to locate her.

“Look, babe,” the woman who had posed as a waitress interjected, trying to defuse the tension. “You have to calm down.”

Hernandez, however, was far from calm. His frustration bubbled to the surface as he realized that his plan had completely unraveled, leaving him without the leverage he sought over his sister.

“Don't tell me to calm down, Jessica." Hernandez fired back, seething with anger. He had invested significant effort into this plan, only for them to carelessly let it fall apart. His eyes remained fixed on the man who stood before him, silent and staring at the floor of the hotel room.

Hernandez had already removed his suit jacket upon their arrival, his fury intensifying as he learned that things had gone awry the previous night. Now, he rolled up his sleeves, his gaze never wavering from the man's face.

“look, I'm really sorry,” the man began, attempting to defend himself. “But she was gone before I could get there, and I tried searching for her everywhere. I just couldn't find her; it's like she vanished or something.”

His explanation fell on deaf ears. Hernandez's fist connected with the side of the man's cheek, sending him staggering and nearly collapsing to the ground. Jessica watched in shock as the scene unfolded, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife.

“Don't you dare feed me that crap, you understand?” Hernandez spat, his voice laced with fury as the man nodded, gingerly touching his bruised cheek.

Jessica, witnessing the escalating violence, attempted to reason with Hernandez. “What more do you want? You're a part of the WEB now, isn't that enough?"

Hernandez turned to face her, his anger still simmering just beneath the surface. “ is never enough!” he declared before making his way to the window, his gaze fixed on the scene outside.

In that moment, he was transported back to his childhood, to the days when he had suffered alongside his single mother as a little boy, sent home from school because she couldn't keep up with the bills. All the while, Courtney had been living a life of luxury as the golden child. The scars of those experiences still festered within him, driving his relentless pursuit for more power, more recognition, and more control.

Even after his father had acknowledged him, nothing had changed—he was still the illegitimate son, forever overshadowed by Courtney. She, on the other hand, had spent her entire life being groomed and prepared to succeed their father as CEO, carrying on the family legacy at WEB. Hernandez exhaled deeply, determination etched on his face. As long as he was alive, he would be the one to extend the family legacy, not her. This was the driving force behind his plan to blackmail her, to tarnish her reputation within the company.

“What do you really want?” Jessica's voice cut through his thoughts, her hand gently resting on his shoulder.

Hernandez turned to face her, his voice now low and calm. “I want what she has—everything.”

Jessica took his cheek in her hand, offering assurance. “Whatever you have to do, am here for you.”

He brushed her hand away and ran his fingers through his hair. “We need new plan,” he concluded, a half-smile playing at his lips.

“What do you have in mind this time?” Jessica asked, prompting a devious smirk from Hernandez.