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Where It Hurts

Penulis: Shmoukh
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-11 17:42:43

Sofia didn’t strike the company.

She struck memory.

I realized it the moment my phone began vibrating without pause unknown numbers, old contacts resurrected, names I hadn’t seen in years clawing their way back into my present.

“She’s bypassing structure,” Elena said, already moving. “This isn’t legal pressure.”

“No,” I replied, reading the latest message. “This is personal.”

Adrian stood behind me, silent, watching the cascade with a stillness that meant fury tightly leashed.

YOU ALWAYS NEEDED A MAN TO CLEAN YOUR MESS.

HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU LIE BEFORE HIM?

ASK HIM ABOUT THE MONEY FROM BEFORE YOU MET.

The messages were timed. Coordinated. Designed to fracture trust, not reputation.

“She’s activating ghosts,” Adrian said quietly.

“She’s rewriting history,” I replied. “And she knows which parts sting.”

My inbox filled with screenshots old conversations stripped of context, transactions cropped to imply intent. Not fabricated. Curated. The most dangerous kind of truth.

“She’s sending th
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  • Bought by the Devil CEO   Personal Cost

    The leak didn’t come as a headline.It arrived as a screenshot.A cropped image, shared quietly in private circles first group chats, DMs, the places where curiosity pretended to be discretion. By the time it surfaced publicly, it had already been interpreted.Not damning.Not illegal.Personal.Elena called before dawn. “It’s out.”“I know,” I replied.“How?” she asked.“Because this is how he operates,” I said. “He doesn’t burn. He stains.”The image was old context stripped, intent implied. A moment from years ago, harmless in isolation, weaponized by timing.“They’re framing motive,” Elena said. “Ambition. Opportunism.”“And distraction,” I added.Adrian stood behind me, reading over my shoulder. He didn’t touch the screen.“This wasn’t necessary,” he said.“No,” I replied. “It was precise.”The commentary followed predictably. Not outrage. Analysis. The most dangerous kind.“What does this suggest?”“Why now?”“What else remains unseen?”“They’re asking questions without waiting

  • Bought by the Devil CEO   The Third Hand

    The call didn’t come from an institution.That was how I knew it mattered.Unknown number. No title. No formal greeting.“You don’t know me,” the voice said calmly. “But you should.”I didn’t respond.“I’m not with the committee,” he continued. “And I’m not interested in your partner’s position.”“Then why call?” I asked.“Because pressure creates opportunity,” he replied. “And you’re standing in the open.”I ended the call.Ten minutes later, an email arrived unencrypted, precise. A short file attached. No threats. No demands.Just information.It was old, buried, and irrelevant to the review legally harmless, reputationally volatile. Not false. Not damning.Human.“This isn’t institutional,” Elena said after one glance. “This is private leverage.”“Who?” Adrian asked.“Someone adjacent,” she replied. “Close enough to see. Far enough to deny.”The email came again, this time with a message.We should talk. Privately.“No,” Adrian said immediately.“Yes,” I replied.Elena looked betwe

  • Bought by the Devil CEO   Redefinition

    Pressure clarifies faster than time.By the next morning, the shape of things had changed not because anyone announced it, but because the rules stopped pretending to be flexible.The closed review was confirmed.The advisory scope stayed frozen.Momentum slowed just enough to be felt.“They’re narrowing the corridor,” Elena said. “Not closing it. Making it uncomfortable.”Adrian nodded. “They want me reactive.”“And you predictable,” she added, looking at me.I didn’t disagree.“We don’t play defense,” I said. “We change formation.”They both looked at me.“I step out of the advisory role,” I continued. “Not because they asked but because it no longer serves leverage.”Elena frowned. “That gives them what they want.”“No,” I said. “It removes their excuse.”Adrian studied me. “You’d lose visibility.”“I’d gain independence,” I replied. “There’s a difference.”Silence followed not resistance, but recalibration.“They framed your presence as influence,” Adrian said. “Without you there,

  • Bought by the Devil CEO   Immediate Impact

    The consequences didn’t wait.They never did.By mid morning, the first call came not accusatory, not dramatic. Just an update delivered in a voice trained to sound neutral while carrying weight.“They’ve withdrawn provisional support,” Elena said, phone still in her hand. “No explanation. No appeal window.”Adrian didn’t react immediately. He read the message again, slower this time, as if repetition might change meaning.“That affects three divisions,” he said.“And eighty-seven employees,” Elena added. “Directly.”Silence followed not shock, not panic. Calculation.“This was the warning,” I said.“Yes,” Adrian replied. “Not the punishment.”The ripple spread quickly. A partner delayed signing. Another requested “clarification.” Meetings stayed polite but ended earlier than scheduled. Invitations that had once come automatically now required confirmation.“They’re watching who flinches,” Elena said.“And who stays,” Adrian added.By noon, a rumor surfaced not planted loudly, just fl

  • Bought by the Devil CEO   The Choice That Stays

    The decision didn’t come in a meeting.It arrived in the quiet late, unannounced, when the city had finished pretending it wasn’t watching.Adrian stood at the edge of the bedroom, jacket still on, phone dark in his hand. He hadn’t spoken for minutes. That alone told me everything.“They offered a path,” he said finally.I sat up. “To what?”“To resolution,” he replied. “Stability. Distance.”“Distance from who?” I asked, though the answer was already in the room.He exhaled. “From you.”The words landed without cruelty. That was the problem. They were framed as care. As strategy. As maturity.“They want you protected,” he continued. “Privately. Quietly.”“And you?” I asked.“They want me unobstructed,” he said. “Publicly.”Silence pressed in. Not heavy precise.“On what terms?” I asked.“Formal separation,” he replied. “No shared appearances. No coordination. No inference.”“For how long?” I asked.“Indefinite,” he said.There it was.“They’re asking you to choose,” I said.“Yes,” he

  • Bought by the Devil CEO   Fault Lines

    The split didn’t announce itself.It appeared in tone.Morning analysis segments softened their language. Afternoon panels hardened it. By evening, the conversation had fractured not into camps, but into interpretations. Support didn’t look like loyalty. Criticism didn’t look like hostility. Everything sat in the gray.“That’s dangerous,” Elena said, watching a clip replay. “Gray gives people permission to project.”“And projection breeds certainty,” Adrian added.I scrolled without reading comments. I didn’t need to. The pressure had shifted from credibility to character.“They’re asking why you care so much,” Elena continued. “That’s the pivot.”The invitation arrived just after noon.Private. Discreet. Off the record.Dinner.“No,” Adrian said immediately.“Yes,” I replied.He turned to me sharply. “That’s exactly what they want.”“They want reaction,” I said. “This is reconnaissance.”Elena hesitated. “It’s risky.”“So is not knowing,” I replied.The restaurant was chosen for its

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