Monday night. Sam had five days to get everything squared away before leaving for her vacation. The day had been hectic and she still had work to do, but she wanted to be home, not at the offices.

She walked through the door of her apartment, dropped her keys into the small bowl on the top shelf just inside, and kicked off her heels.

When she’d bought the 3,500 square foot apartment overlooking Manhattan, Carla was flabbergasted. "Good lord, woman!” She’d exclaimed. "You're going to get lost in your own house!" They both laughed about it, but Sam's reasons for buying the excessively large, open-concept living space were anything but humorous.

Sam loved her home. Gleaming hardwood floors, shiny granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances were the things her realtor highlighted, but none of that mattered to Sam when she saw the floor to ceiling windows lining the East wall and master suite. Those windows let the morning sunlight poor in, brightening everything in the house.

On the days when she felt it was too hard, she was too tired, too worn out in every way imaginable, it was that light, pouring into her home, into her, that made her feel like she could be Samantha Covington for one more day. She had a goal. A new day meant the chance to move one step closer to a new life.

She shrugged out of her jacket before making her way to the bedroom. Unbuttoning the silk, ivory blouse and unzipping her charcoal grey pencil skirt, she breathed a sigh of relief. Undressing after a day at the office always felt like being loosed from bonds. It was all part of the package that was Samantha Covington.

Always put together.

Always in full armor.

Clothing. Hair. Makeup. Expression. These were the things that made Samantha. These were the things the world got to see. Her armor. Meticulously applied every day for maximum impact. She didn’t want to be approached. She didn’t want to be anybody’s friend. There were many people who said Samantha Covington was a bitch. That was just fine with her. It kept them exactly where she wanted them - an arm’s length away.

Those were her father’s words. His motto in business and life. It was a motto Sam adopted and adapted to suit her style. She prided herself on being very different from what her father had been, but that didn’t mean she’d learned nothing from him. She never wanted to be the kind of monster he was, but she couldn’t deny that a ruthless ability to ruin your competitors had proven useful a time or two.

While she stripped off her blouse and let the skirt that hugged her so well fall to the floor, a warm bubble bath was the thing on her mind. A bubble bath and a cool glass of chardonnay. Then she'd call Nora and tell her about the plans.

* * *

Sam rested comfortably beneath a layer of luxurious bubbles in her oversize Jacuzzi tub, her Bluetooth earpiece nestled in its place. She dialed her PA, Nora Banks, to tell her about the surprise vacation she’d be sending her and her daughter on.

“Oh, Sam! Thank you!” Nora exclaimed. "Thank you. This means more to us than you know. You always give me time for vacation, but this is over and above. And you, taking a full two weeks yourself!” Nora laughed playfully. “Who are you and what have you done with my boss?"

Still laughing, Nora said she was kidding, but Sam knew she was right. This was highly uncharacteristic of her. She could only hope her absence didn't raise flags with the shareholders.

What Sam didn't tell Nora was that she and Chelsea would have two former military operatives watching over them while they gallivanted all around Disney World. She wanted mother and daughter to relax and enjoy the vacation. She was taking precautions, but she didn't want Nora to be nervous.

Carla's husband, Cameron, ran a private security firm and he'd put his best couple on Nora's case. The two would be posing as a married couple on honeymoon, which was not a stretch, since they were married and still seemed to be on honeymoon. It didn’t matter that they’d been married for more than six years. Casey and Zara would be in the room next to Nora and Chelsea and surveillance would be heavy.

* * *

“Andrea Parker is on her way up.”

Sam looked across her office at Nora, who was already pulling the recording device from her desk.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yep, I'll just get this sorted and let you two have your privacy.” Nora grinned as she said, privacy.

Sam didn’t know why, but Nora seemed all too happy about recording the conversations people thought were private. Maybe she should have been a spy… No. Nora Banks, spy, just didn’t seem right. Nonetheless, she was one of the best people-readers Sam had ever known. Nora would glean all the valuable information she could from a person and they would let her do it. She had an air of sweet innocence about her that made people let down their guard. Those two traits made her invaluable to Sam.

As a precaution, Sam recorded all her interactions with the shareholders. She’d done so from the beginning of her reign.

James Nelonie and Norman Grey were masters of the thinly veiled threat, Andrea Parker was the most narcissistic person Sam had ever met, the other three: Devon and Olivia Reilly, and Bennet Alexander, were decent people, but if she ever needed to win the ‘he said, she said’ battle, she’d have all the ammo she needed.

The elevator dinged, and Ms. Andrea Parker stepped out like she was making her Hollywood debut. Her long, blonde hair fell in a glossy sheet down her slender back. Perfectly manicured nails perched on the ends of fingers wrapped in enough diamonds to be seen from space.

Today, Andrea was wearing an expertly tailored sheath dress which, Sam would guess, cost more than most people made in a month, maybe two. The dress skillfully hugged Andrea’s curves, some of which had cost a pretty penny. The deep, plum color, was a rich contrast to her flawless, pale skin. To finish the look, a pair of nude, Louboutin heels complemented the Channel handbag perched on her arm.

Andrea was the woman that women wanted to be. Until she opened her mouth. She came from old money, an aristocratic family that owned a large portion of businesses along the East Coast. Michael Covington gifted Andrea a stake with the Shareholders of CSM to make her father happy. It was always a good idea to have a Senator in your pocket when you wanted the ability to sweep your shady business dealings under the rug.

“Samantha darling.” Andrea crooned, causing Sam to cringe inwardly. It sounded more like, “Samantha daahling.”

Sam stood, extending her hand across the desk.

“Ms. Parker, you look stunning, as always.”

The other woman smiled that smile that said, “Tell me something I don’t know,” and took Sam’s offered hand with a brief shake.

“My sweet girl.” Andrea began in her syrupy smooth voice. “Always so kind to me.” Another all-together fake smile. “I came today because I’ve been hearing some whispers in the wings and I just had to know if it’s true.”

Andrea crossed her legs and smoothed her dress before looking back up at Sam.

“You know that my father and I have invested so much into this company, and you, well, you have far surpassed our expectations. I have to say though, to be entertaining a merger without consulting me and my father, without consulting the shareholders. Well, that is just astonishingly disappointing.” Another smoothing of the dress. “My dear Samantha, still so young. You should be aware that a move like that could have serious repercussions.”

Sam smiled calmly at the woman sitting across from her, threatening her, just as James and Norman had done.

“Ms. Parker, I assure you that anything you’ve heard is far beyond the scope of our current position. I will tell you that yes, we’ve been approached - like we have many times before - but I assure you that before anything happens, the shareholders will have their say. You have taken such good care of CSM with your service. I fully intend to see that you and your father get exactly what you are due. The same goes for our other shareholders. There is nothing official on the table, we’re simply being looked at. I’m sorry I don’t have anything else for you right now, but I assure you, if the time comes when I need a discussion with the shareholders, I will be sure to let you know immediately.”

Sam offered another smile. “Was there anything else you wanted to discuss, Ms. Parker?”

Andrea stood with the grace of a professional ballet dancer, offering her own smile, which failed to reach her eyes.

“No darling, that was all. Be sure to let me know just as soon as anything changes.” She was gliding towards the elevator when she stopped and turned. “We do love this company, and you’ve been so wonderful. We just want what’s best, dear.” Then she lifted her hand in a halfhearted wave and stepped into the elevator.

“Ciao!”

The doors closed. Sam took a breath and blew it out her cheeks. She picked up her phone, dialed the number, and waited for her friend to pick up.

"We have a problem" Sam said when Carla picked up the phone.

"What's happened?"

"Andrea Parker just came to see me." Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "She knows we've been approached, that we're entertaining an offer. Someone's talking and we need to get it figured out before things escalate."

"Oh boy." Carla exhaled. “It's good you're going away then. With the CEO on vacation, nobody will have an indication that something potentially serious is in the works. Don't take any more meetings. You leave in four days, but you'll only be in the office for three. If we can keep things quiet until you and Nora are gone, I think we'll be okay.”

Sam smoothed a hand over perfectly smooth hair and closed her eyes, trying to ease the ache behind her temples.

"I want to send Nora and Chelsea early. Can we make that happen?"

A brief pause, then, “Yeah, I’m sure that won't be an issue."

"Thank you, Carla."

Sam stared up at the ceiling. For once, getting out of town sounded like a really good idea.