Chapter Five

After the whole fiasco at the mall, Lisa’s face shifted—her expression going from pale to horrified as the realization of what had almost happened sank in. She left with a quiet, "See you later," . I couldn't help myself, I laughed softly under my breath, the sound almost bitter. It felt like a small victory, a taste of control over something that had always seemed so out of reach. But even as I stood there, watching her retreating figure, I knew it was just a blip. A tiny victory in the grand scheme of things. It meant nothing compared to what I had to do next.

I left the mall with a sense of satisfaction, but it quickly faded when I walked into the house. The familiar, comforting scent of dinner being prepared greeted me as I stepped inside. My family had already set the table, and I could hear my mother bustling around in the kitchen. The soft clink of plates and silverware, the hum of quiet conversations—everything felt normal. Everything felt safe.

As I sit at the dining table, surrounded by my family, a warmth settles in my chest. The air hums with quiet conversation, the clinking of silverware against plates filling the space. My mother moves gracefully between us, refilling glasses and fussing over whether everyone has eaten enough. My father sits at the head of the table, his usual air of quiet authority softened by the relaxed setting.

Brian, seated across from me, is deep in conversation with my father about some business article he read earlier; his brows are furrowed in concentration. I watch them both, letting the scene soak into me.

This was what Lisa had wanted to destroy. Had destroyed and taken away from me.

I grip my fork tighter.

There were nights my father stayed up late in his study, looking over financial reports, the weight of the company’s downfall pressing into his shoulders. My mother had tried to shield us from it, but I’d heard the hushed conversations, the fear laced in their voices.

I remember Brian, always strong, always composed, punching the wall in frustration the day we got the call about our father.

I remember the way our house had felt colder, the way we all felt the ground shifting beneath our feet, powerless to stop it.

And Lisa—

I inhale sharply, pushing away the bitterness threatening to take hold.

“Anna, are you okay?” My mother’s voice pulls me back. She’s looking at me with concern, her eyes searching mine.

I force a small smile. “Yeah, I was just thinking."

Brian snorts. “That’s dangerous."

I roll my eyes, kicking him lightly under the table, earning a laugh from him.

My father watches me for a moment before speaking. “You’ve been a little weird since this morning,” he says gently. “If there’s something on your mind, you can talk to us."

I swallow, looking down at my plate. How could I tell them? That Lisa, my best friend, had spent years plotting our downfall? That Josh, the man I had once trusted, had been a part of this from the beginning? That I had been blind to it all?

I look back up at them—at my father’s quiet strength, my mother’s unwavering warmth, and Brian’s easy smirk, masking his own burdens. Everything that happened will happen again if I don't find some way to stop it.

“I know,” I whisper back. “And I will.”

A plan. I need a plan.

As I sit there, my family continuing to talk around me, my mind starts racing through the possibilities.

Lisa had spent years weaving this trap, carefully dismantling my family piece by piece. If I wanted to stop her, I had to be just as meticulous.

First, the company.

If I could figure out what her next move was, I could counter it. But how? I needed access to company records and internal reports—something to give me information about its current state. My father was still the CEO in name, but his power had been slipping. I had to find a way to strengthen his position.

My fingers tighten around my fork as determination settles in my chest. 

I glance at my father, his weary eyes watching me with quiet pride, at my mother, still holding my hand as if she could somehow shield me from the darkness, and at Brian, who was pretending not to watch me too closely, as if worried I might break.

No.

I had been broken once. I wouldn’t let it happen again.

This time, I would fight. And I would win.