LOGINGordon's eyes went bloodshot as rage nearly consumed him. He ground his teeth in fury, but he knew better than to act rashly.He had to play the long game.Forcing his anger down, he crouched down again and carefully picked up the remaining shards of glass. Every shard he collected added to his shame, stoking his anger further.Vincent was going to pay for this. Someday, the tables would turn.Gritting his teeth against the pain, Gordon collected shard after shard. Throughout it all, he kept his eyes locked on Vincent, his gaze filled with murderous intent.By the time he finished, his hands were covered in small cuts, thin lines of blood seeping out across his skin."Are you happy now?" he growled.Choking down his rage and shame, Gordon dumped the shards into the trash. He grabbed some tissues and pressed them firmly against the cuts to stop the bleeding.Vincent gave a cold smirk, lifting his chin."Does it hurt?" he asked."Isn't that a stupid question?" Gordon seethed in
Vincent's palm connected squarely with Gordon's face, sending him reeling back and struggling to stay upright.Vincent's gaze was ice-cold, and a mocking smile played on his lips."Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm still the CEO of Carter Group. And even if I weren't, you still wouldn't stand a chance against me.""What?" Gordon said, his eyes wide with disbelief.After everything that had happened, Vincent was still CEO? How was that possible?"No. That can't be. That's impossible!" Gordon growled.The commotion had drawn a crowd outside the office, with employees craning their necks to catch a glimpse of what was happening.An employee nearby quietly said to Gordon, "It's true. They couldn't get enough votes to remove him."The news caught Gordon off guard. He went rigid, the color draining from his face as sweat formed on his brow.What now? What was he supposed to do? Panic filled Gordon's chest.The sight of Vincent standing there, completely unfazed, was the final str
Once they left the boardroom, Marisol frowned. She lowered her voice and said, "That was reckless. What if—"Vincent stopped and looked back at her with a faint smile. "What? Are you losing faith in me too?""That's not it," she said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just too risky. We don't even know where the imposter is hiding."At that, he tapped his chest confidently. "Look at the facts. We know where Laura is, and whoever impersonated her at that gala has to be connected to her somehow. Once I get to Laura, finding the imposter should be easy."Now, the tough part was securing a meeting with Laura.Just as they reached the CEO's office, they heard a loud, smug voice yelling through the door."Hurry up and clear this stuff out! Throw it all away!"Vincent recognized the voice immediately. It was Gordon, Chad's assistant. Apparently, he hadn't learned his lesson.Another voice answered hesitantly, "Mr. Hewitt, I really don't think we should be doing this. It's not official y
Sure enough, Tony shifted gears and started working the room."Members of the board, I don't think Vincent is fit to be CEO. I propose we find someone more suitable," he declared.The room erupted into a buzz of discussion. The board members huddled together, frantically whispering as they seriously weighed the prospect of removing Vincent from his position.Sweating bullets, the exposed board member snuck anxious glances Vincent's way. If his wife ever got wind of what he'd done, his marriage would be over.Vincent waited a beat before speaking."If you'd allow me, I'd like to say a few words."He laid out his argument calmly. "What happened at the gala was a misunderstanding. I was attending on behalf of my fiancee, Calliope, to pitch a business deal to Ms. Albright."He paused deliberately, locking eyes with Tony.The look made his intentions clear. He was taking the deal, and Tony couldn't do a thing about it.Tony immediately shifted in his seat. "Vincent, I have the nego
The next day, Vincent walked into the office and immediately felt everyone's eyes on him. He wasn't the type to worry about gossip, but the scandal had clearly made its way through the entire company.Marisol had returned in a hurry, looking tired. Upon spotting Vincent, she came straight over, looking grim as she gave her report. "It's not looking good," she said. "I reached out to the media, and based on their reactions, someone is actively feeding them information to ruin you."Vincent smirked. He had a pretty good idea who was behind it.This was Chad's doing, and Tony was surely pulling the strings. The two of them would stop at nothing to strip him of his position.Vincent had been sloppy this time. He never met the real Laura, got played by a fake, and ended up in a huge mess.Even so, he wasn't worried. His reputation wasn't the only one taking a hit."Don't worry. I think I know someone who can clean this up," Vincent said, trying to reassure her.He pressed his lips
Vincent smiled. He knew Calliope was too smart not to understand the rivalry between him and Tony."There's no room for family in business. I'm the new CEO, and I need actual wins if I want people to take me seriously. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Moore?"He kept the details brief, leaving out the worst of the power struggle between him and Tony. It was a family matter, and she didn't need to know the specifics.Luckily, she let it drop. Vincent figured his explanation had done its job to ease her frustration.Or so he thought.Calliope said nothing more. She just stared at him with an unreadable expression as if she were trying to figure out what his next move would be.After a long moment, she finally spoke."You're more interesting than I expected. I have to admit, I'm curious about you."The comment, coupled with her knowing look, made Vincent uncomfortable.What was she getting at? She wasn't acting like herself tonight at all."Ms. Moore, I wasn't careful tonight. I should'v







