Regina's POVI knew Cassandra wouldn't go quietly. People like her never did.The morning after the board meeting, a leak appeared online—anonymous, of course. A gossip piece claiming I had "manipulated my way to the top using charm and favors." Accompanied by a blurry photo of me and Nicholas exiting his car.They were playing dirty again.I leaned back in my chair, letting the fire build in my chest. The old me would've cried, maybe hid. The new me? She welcomed the flames.Marching into Nicholas's office, I walked in with full armor. "We need to kill this story."He was already on the phone. "No, we're issuing a statement. She earned her place here. End of discussion." He looked at me. "Damage control is underway. HR, PR, and legal are handling it.""Do you think it's Cassandra?"He nodded. "She's sloppy when she's emotional. And right now? She's desperate.""Then let's end this."Nicholas gave me a sharp look. "You sure?""I'm done waiting for people to save me."I went back to my
Regina's POV By lunchtime, I was a headline and a cautionary tale. Every side-eye, every hushed whisper—it all boiled into one hard truth: I wasn't just fighting for my job anymore. I was fighting for my name. And I wasn't going to lose. I locked my office door and called the only person who'd understand. "Tell me it's time," I said. A deep chuckle answered. "Regina Moore calling me in the middle of a scandal? Must be bad." "Devon, it's a war zone." Devon—a PR fixer, a marketing genius, and my friend from college—was infamous for turning messes into miracles. "I saw the photo," he said. "You look great, by the way. But yeah, the narrative is ugly." "I need to rewrite it." "You want to play offense?" "No," I said coldly. "I want to scorch the damn field." An hour later, I was in a private café downtown, hoodie up, sunglasses on, laptop open. Devon slid into the seat opposite mine, his grin sharp and dangerous. "You want me to spin the truth?" he asked. "No. I want you to
Regina's POV I wasn't expecting him to show up at my apartment. Not tonight. Not after the week I'd had—after the disaster at the investors' pitch, the tabloid photos of Nicholas and Cassandra, the awkward silence he'd maintained like a coward too afraid to tell me the truth. But there he was, tall and exhausted in my doorway, holding a bottle of wine like we were some kind of normal couple trying to patch things up with Pinot Noir and apologies. "Can I come in?" he asked, voice rough. I stared at him, torn between slamming the door in his face and dragging him inside just to scream. Instead, I stepped aside. "You've got five minutes." He walked in slowly, like he wasn't sure if the floor would hold him. Or maybe he was just that used to treading carefully around me now. "I didn't kiss her," he said without preamble. I raised a brow, folding my arms. "Oh, so she fell mouth-first onto your lips? How tragic." "It was a setup. She kissed me, and the cameras were already waitin
Regina's POV Lolita didn't scream. She didn't cry damn it! She didn't even blink! She just stared at Nicholas like she'd finally seen the monster she always suspected he could become. "You've made a mistake," she said in a low voice. "One you won't recover from." "I already did," he replied. "The day I let you run this place unchecked." The room was still reeling from the vote, the silence so heavy it nearly choked me. Board members began quietly packing their things, avoiding eye contact with both Nicholas and Lolita like they were afraid either one might spontaneously combust. Lolita stood slowly, smoothing down her blazer with grace that almost masked her venom. "To all of you," she said to the board, "don't think I'll forget this. When the shareholders start asking questions—and believe me, they will—I hope you have answers." Then she turned to me. "You think this is over? Little girl, I raised empires with men like Nicholas under my heel. You're a passing phase.
Regina's POV Lolita didn't go down without a fight.The moment Jenna's footage ended, the boardroom was plunged into chaos. Some members looked stunned, others confused, but Lolita? She stood perfectly still. Silent. Calculating.Nicholas leaned toward her. "You've lost control. Walk away while you still have your dignity."Lolita laughed softly. "You think I built this empire by folding at the first storm?"She turned to the board. "That video proves nothing. It could have been faked. Deepfakes are common now. Audio manipulation? Cheap and easy. Do you really think we'll make corporate decisions based on a tech intern's PowerPoint show?"Jenna bristled. "I'm a digital forensics expert, not an intern."Lolita ignored her. "Anyone can be made to say anything these days. What we saw was a performance—crafted by two people who are sleeping together and desperate to take over the company."Every gaze swiveled toward Nicholas and me. She smiled like a woman throwing gasoline on an open fl
Regina's POV Nicholas and I were doing something dangerous.We were plotting a coup against the woman who built him, controlled the board, and practically owned the Harwood name. And the worst part? We had no idea who was still loyal to her—or how far she'd go to keep her throne.Jenna arrived at my place just after midnight. She came armed with her laptop, an energy drink, and a face that said don't ask me how illegal this next part is."I traced the server from Cassandra's last leak," she said, cracking her knuckles. "Guess what? It links to an offshore holding company registered to an address in Luxembourg. And surprise, surprise—Lolita sits on the board of that company too."I blinked. "She's laundering company sabotage through her own ghost firm?""Exactly," Jenna said. "That's how she's been moving files, data, even false narratives—without leaving a fingerprint."Nicholas swore under his breath. "We need hard proof. Something that connects her to the sabotage directly.""She's