"No, you tell them to let go of my child!" Tyrson shouted at Meryl, his voice full of anger and fear. "Have you lost it? Our daughter's life is already in danger here!" Meryl protested.

"Yes, I've lost it!" Tyrson snapped, his voice rising in frustration.

Just then, a cloaked figure appeared, a sniper rifle in hand, and aimed it at Joanna. No one else seemed to notice.

Just then, there was a flash, a deafening crack, and Joanna fell to the ground. "Joanna!" Meryl screamed, rushing to her daughter's side.

"Joanna..." Tyrson said, his voice trembling. He knelt next to them, his eyes welling up with tears.

.....
*

Julia was stunned by what she had just seen. She couldn't believe that the man she'd trusted, the man she'd called a friend, had kept so much from her.

"No, this isn't true," she said aloud, but deep down she knew it was.

Tyrson was married to Meryl, and they had a daughter together. And yet, he had never told Julia any of this.

Why would he keep something like that from her? She was supposed to be his friend.

She removed the flash drive from her laptop and kept it in her pocket and smirked devilishly.

Julia kept the flash drive in her pocket, a plan forming in her mind. "Just you wait," she whispered to herself, "this is just the beginning."

She walked out of the office, her head spinning. She almost collided with Meryl as she stepped out of Tyrson's office, a wide smile on her face and a necklace around her neck.

The necklace looked familiar to Julia, but she couldn't place where she had seen it before. She watched Meryl walk away, her mind racing.

*FLASHBACK*

Meryl looked up at Tyrson, her eyes wide and expectant. "Wow, I love this! Is it for me?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"No, it's not for you," Tyrson said, snatching the necklace back and putting it back in its box.

Meryl's face fell. "Aww, were you going to surprise me?" she said, pouting. "I guess I'm just too nosy!"

"I said it's not for you!" Tyrson said, sounding frustrated. "I've been holding onto this for three years, hoping to give it to that one person when the time comes," he stated dreamily.

"Is the person special to you?" Julia asked, and Tyrson nodded. "She means a lot to me," he said, his eyes far away.

He turned and walked away, leaving Julia alone with her thoughts.

Julia's heart sank. She couldn't believe that after everything they had been through, Tyrson still didn't see her as anything more than a friend.

She had thought that perhaps he felt the same way about her as she did about him, but apparently she was wrong.

All she could do now was hope that the person Tyrson was waiting for never showed up,
***********

"So it was you," she said, a pained smile on her face. "Well, if I can't have Tyrson, then you won't either."

With that, she turned and left, feeling a mix of sadness and anger welling up inside her. She wasn't going to let this go. If she couldn't have Tyrson, then no one else would.

She made up her mind to do whatever it took to keep him from falling in love with anyone else. Even if it meant destroying his happiness.
*

Meryl walked to the rooftop of the skyscraper, coffee in hand, in need of some fresh air and time alone.

She felt torn between telling Tyrson about Michelle  and keeping quiet. She wanted him to know how about her, but she also worried about what would happen if he knew.

If Tyrson's mom found out about her, she might try to ruin her relationship with Tyrson. She'd do anything to take Michelle away from her.

Meryl took a deep breath, trying to clear her head.

"Meryl!" Iris called out, and Meryl looked up to see him standing on the balcony. She hadn't realized he was there, and now her alone time was ruined.

"You're here?" she asked, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Yeah, I come up here sometimes to get some alone time," he said, oblivious to her feelings.

"Oh," Meryl said, trying to act like it was no big deal. But inside, she was aching for some time to herself, to sort out her thoughts and emotions.

"I'll leave you here then" she said as she turned to leavr but he stopped her by holding her hand to hold her back.

"I'll leave you here then," Meryl said, turning to go. But he stopped her, taking her hand in his.

"Will you be available this weekend?" he asked, his voice unsure. Meryl raised an eyebrow, finding his behavior suspicious.

"Why do you ask?" she asked, not sure what to make of the situation.

He bit his lip, unsure if this was the right time to confess his feelings. "Go out with me!" he blurted out, and Meryl's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't been expecting him to say something like that, especially knowing that she had a child.

"But..." Meryl started to say, but Iris cut her off.

"I can't..." he began, but Meryl wasn't sure what he meant.

"You can't what?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I can't stop thinking about you, Meryl," he confessed, his voice shaking. "I think I might like you."

"Iris..." Meryl said, her mouth suddenly dry. "I have a daughter."

He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I know," he said quietly.

She pulled her hand out of his, her heart breaking as she saw the hurt on his face. It was clear he'd been hoping for a different response.

"Does it matter?" he asked, sounding almost desperate.

"I'm sorry...I can't do this," she said, backing away. "I'm sorry."

She turned and started to walk away, her head spinning. She had no idea that turning him down would hurt so much. He was just standing there, his expression a mix of hurt and disappointment.

******

Julia watched Tyrson approach her in the hallway. He was deep in conversation with his assistant, Manson, and didn't notice her at first.

Julia smirked, realizing this was her chance to enact her plan. She faked a scream, falling to the floor and clutching her ankle.

"Ahhhh!" she yelled, and Tyrson immediately looked up, distracted from his conversation. He saw her lying on the floor, groaning in pain.

"Julia!" he exclaimed, rushing over to her side. "What happened?"

"I think I've sprained my ankle!" she cried, her voice loud enough to attract the attention of people passing by. They stopped to watch the scene unfold.

"You should have been more careful," Tyrson said, checking her ankle. But when he went to touch it, she pulled away.

"Ouch! It hurts!" she exclaimed, exaggerating her pain.

"Let's go get you some first aid and I'll call Iris to take you to the doctor," he said, trying to help her stand. But she wasn't putting in much effort to stand on her own.

Tyrson let out a frustrated groan. He bent down to pick her up, and the workers watching gasped.

"Awww, she's so lucky!" one of them said.

"They must be dating!" another said.

"I think they should get married!"

The workers kept whispering and murmuring, and Julia smiled to herself. Her plan was working.

She put her arms around Tyrson's neck, resting her head against his chest and feigning pain.

*****

Meryl wandered into the hallway, thinking about Tyrson and Michelle. She knew he would be happy to know about his daughter, and she was tired of having to carry the burden of secrecy on her own.

Besides, Michelle had been dying to meet her father, and she knew he would be a wonderful role model for her. She also thought about Iris's confession.

Meryl continued down the hall, passing by the dispersing crowd. Something must have happened just moments ago, but she was too distracted by her thoughts to notice.

As she approached Tyrson's office, the door was slightly open. She slipped inside, and was met with a sight that made her blood run cold.

Julia was seated on Tyrson's desk, her shirt gone and Tyrson was on his knees, massaging her ankle. Meryl stood there in disbelief, her mind racing. She didn't know what to think.

Tyrson was so focused on applying the ointment to Julia's ankle that he didn't even notice that she had taken her shirt off. It wasn't until he looked up and saw Meryl standing in the doorway that he realized what was going on.

"What the f-!" he exclaimed, shocked and embarrassed. He scrambled to get Julia's shirt back on her, trying to avoid looking at her.

Then he turned back to Meryl, her eyes wide and her face pale. "Meryl!" he called out, but she didn't respond. She seemed frozen in place.

Julia's smirk widened as she heard Meryl's voice and looked up to see her in the doorway. "I guess I came at the wrong time," Meryl mumbled, clearly flustered. Julia's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I... I guess I should leave," she added, turning to go. Tyrson ran his hand through his hair in frustration, grabbing Julia's hand and dragging her to the door.

She had been playing him all along, seducing him to get his attention. And Meryl had seen everything. He was so angry, he could hardly see straight.

Julia pulled her hand free from his grasp. "Don't you ever want to see me again?" she asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Attention? You already have all my attention. More than anyone else in the company," he said, his voice dangerous. "And yet you had to act like a... a slut." He spat the word out, unable to contain his anger.

"Have you ever looked at me the way you look at Meryl?" she asked, her voice breaking. She sounded hurt, but he was too consumed by rage to care.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You won't even sleep with me, yet you've slept with her countless times," she said, anger creeping into her voice. "Or did you think I wouldn't find out about her?"

"Don't drag her into this," he said, his annoyance growing. "This has nothing to do with her."

"You and I both know that if I told your mother about her, she wouldn't last in this company," she said, a threat in her voice. He frowned, his eyes narrowing.

"I would like to see you try" he said before throwing her out of his office and slamming the door on her face.

She stood there, seething. "You've left me no choice," she muttered, reaching for her phone and putting it to her ear.

"Release it," she said, her voice shaking with rage. She hung up the phone.