..Y..🚨 Unexpected Meetup: Bethany Invites Sharra to a Hotel to Accept Her Family Business 😱
🚨 Unexpected Meetup: Bethany Invites Sharra to a Hotel to Accept Her Family Business 😱
Sharra Lorne had barely set down her phone after a long shift when it buzzed again—this time with a message she never expected.
Bethany Voss:
“Meet me at the Meriden Grand Hotel. Penthouse 47. I have something important for you.”
Sharra blinked at the screen.
Bethany Voss was many things, but “casual texter” wasn’t one of them.
Heiress.
Perfectionist.
Her brother Cade’s ex-fiancée.
And Sharra’s ex–best friend… if you could still call someone that after two years of silence and a blowout argument that set both their lives on fire.
So why tonight?
Why a penthouse suite?
Why her?
She typed twice and deleted both replies before finally grabbing her jacket.
The Hotel in the Storm
The Meriden Grand was buzzing with late-night guests, though outside a storm raged against the glass with sheets of rain lit by passing lightning. Sharra took the elevator to the top floor, her heartbeat pounding louder than the thunder.
Penthouse 47’s door was cracked open.
A soft glow spilled out, warm but strange.
“Beth?” Sharra called softly.
“In here,” came the reply—steady, smooth, prepared. Bethany Voss was never unprepared.
When Sharra stepped inside, she found Bethany sitting at a round glass table with two untouched glasses of wine. Her dark hair was pinned back in a sleek twist, but her eyes… they were tired, shadows underlined with something almost like fear.
“You came,” Bethany said. “Good.”
“I almost didn’t.”
“I knew you would.”
That was the problem with Bethany—she always said things like that. Like she already knew the ending before anyone else had even opened the book.
The Offer
Bethany pushed a thick leather folder toward her.
“This,” she said, “is the Voss Estate.”
Sharra froze. “Your family business? Why are you showing me this?”
“Because I’m giving it to you.”
Sharra laughed, but it was shakier than she expected. “I’m not falling for one of your power plays. Why me? We haven’t spoken in years.”
Bethany looked down, fingers tightening on her wineglass.
“My father stepped down. Cade wants nothing to do with the company. And I—”
She swallowed.
“I won’t be running it, Sharra.”
“What happened?” Sharra asked, instinctively softening.
Bethany’s voice dropped.
“I’m leaving. Tonight.”
Sharra’s breath hitched. “Leaving where?”
“Everywhere,” Bethany whispered. “This country. This life. Everything the Voss name has chained to me.”
Sharra was stunned. Bethany Voss wasn’t the running type—she was the one people ran from.
“I need someone I trust,” Bethany continued. “Someone who could rebuild it. Someone who won’t let it rot the way it did under my father.”
Sharra shook her head. “Why me? After everything we—”
“Because you're the only one who ever told me the truth,” Bethany said quietly. “You’re the only one who cared enough to walk away.”
There it was. The memory.
The fight.
The betrayal.
The moment Sharra left Bethany’s world because she refused to follow its rules.
The Revelation
Bethany opened the folder. Documents. Transfer papers. A handwritten note.
Sharra’s name was on everything.
“I’ve had lawyers prepare this for months,” Bethany said. “I chose you long before tonight.”
Sharra stared at her.
“You could have called me anytime.”
“I know,” Bethany whispered. “I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
Bethany met her eyes—really met them—and Sharra suddenly saw the truth.
“Of caring again,” Bethany said softly. “Of needing you.”
The storm outside cracked in a bright flash, lighting up the whole room.
A Choice in the Storm
Sharra exhaled, sinking into the chair across from her.
“Bethany… this is insane. Running away? Handing me your empire? What aren’t you telling me?”
Bethany looked toward the rain-soaked window.
“My father made enemies,” she said. “Powerful ones. And they think I’m still his weapon.”
“You’re scared,” Sharra said.
“For the first time,” Bethany admitted.
A long silence fell between them—heavy, but honest. More honest than they’d been in years.
“So,” Bethany said finally. “Will you take it? Will you take all of it? The Voss name, the responsibility, the future I can’t stay for?”
Sharra looked at her.
At the woman who had once been her best friend—maybe more, if life had been kinder.
At the empire Bethany was placing in her hands.
At the storm outside and the storm inside them, both waiting for an answer.
“Beth,” Sharra said softly. “If I take this, it changes everything.”
“I know,” Bethany whispered. “That’s why I chose you.”
The Cliffhanger
Sharra touched the folder.
Lightning flashed.
Bethany held her breath.
And slowly—
Sharra closed the folder and placed her hand over Bethany’s.
“Tell me everything,” she said.
Bethany’s lips parted in relief.
“Then,” Sharra continued, voice quiet but firm, “we’ll decide your future—and mine—together.”
Bethany’s eyes glistened.
Outside, the storm began to ease.
Inside, something long-lost between them sparked back to life.
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