INICIAR SESIÓNPaytonI sat beside Marcus, listening to him recount every detail of his conversation with his father, the satisfaction dripping from every word. "He as good as handed it to me," he said, swirling the drink in his hand. "If Drent doesn't show up tomorrow, the empire is mine. He said it himself."I laughed, raising my glass to meet his. "To tomorrow," I said. "To finally winning."We toasted, the sound of our glasses clinking together sharp and celebratory in the quiet room. "I spoke to your father earlier too, you know," I said, arching a brow at him. "Planted a few seeds of my own. You could give me a little credit."He chuckled, leaning back. "The deal stands, Payton. The moment that empire is mine, you get your fifty percent. I don't go back on my word."I smiled, satisfied, and he excused himself to take a call, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the last of my drink.I let myself sit there for a while, savoring the quiet triumph building in my chest. After everything, after ye
Mr. ColeAll my life, I had wanted this company to pass into the hands of one of my sons when I was gone. That desire had shaped every decision I'd made for decades, every late night at the office, every sacrifice my family had quietly absorbed without complaint. I had raised Drent and Marcus to compete, believing that whichever of them proved himself worthy would be the one to carry the empire forward. It had seemed, for most of their lives, like a fair enough system.Now Drent, my firstborn, lay in a hospital bed recovering from an accident that had nearly taken his life, and I found myself questioning everything I had built this competition on.I left the business meeting the moment I received the update and told my driver to take me straight to the hospital. On the drive over, my mind kept circling back to Marcus, to the timing of it all, to how conveniently this accident had occurred right as the presentation drew near. I suspected him. I had suspected him since the moment I hear
RenataI woke to a pounding headache that throbbed behind my eyes like a second heartbeat, and beneath it, a deep, wrenching pain twisted through my stomach. The room around me was empty, quiet except for the steady beep of a monitor somewhere beside me. My mouth tasted foul, bitter and metallic, and before I could even fully process where I was, my stomach lurched violently and I retched over the side of the bed, my body still trying to purge whatever poison remained inside it.Everything hurt. My throat burned raw, my limbs felt impossibly heavy, and even lifting my head sent the room spinning. I had never felt anything close to this, not even after the worst fights I'd taken in the ring. This was different. This was my body having fought, quite literally, to keep me alive.A nurse rushed in moments later, followed quickly by a doctor, and they moved around me with practiced urgency, checking monitors, adjusting my IV, murmuring to each other in clipped medical terms I only half und
Marcus"Did you do this?"My father's voice cut through the quiet of my office like a blade, sharp and accusing, his eyes fixed on me with a suspicion I hadn't seen directed at me in years."No," I said, keeping my voice level, my expression carefully arranged into something between confusion and offense. "Why would I have anything to do with that?"He was talking about Renata, of course. The poison had worked exactly as planned, taking hold of her almost the moment it hit her system, dropping her right there in front of half the room. The crowd had scattered into panic, gasping and shouting as she collapsed, and the entire event had been forced to a complete stop while they rushed her out on a stretcher. I had watched from a careful distance, my expression schooled into shock along with everyone else's, though inside I felt nothing but quiet satisfaction. Everything had gone exactly as I'd intended."It's suspicious," my father said, stepping closer, his jaw tight. "The moment I anno
EdwinaI was at home when I got the call from the hospital, and for a moment I genuinely thought it was some kind of mistake. My best friend was Renata. There was no one else who fit that description in my life, not really, and Renata had been fine the last time I spoke to her. So how had the hospital gotten my number specifically? It felt like a cruel prank, the kind of call that made your stomach drop before your brain even caught up with the words."I was told to call you," the voice on the other end said. "She listed you as her emergency contact before she was brought in."That detail settled something in me immediately. That sounded exactly like Renata, careful even in the middle of chaos, thinking of me before anyone else. I grabbed my keys and was out the door within minutes, my hands shaking so badly I nearly dropped them twice.I told myself the whole drive over that it would be nothing. A stomach bug. Exhaustion from everything she'd been carrying with the company. Anything
RenataI sat curled up on Edwina's couch with a bowl of chips balanced on my lap, the same spicy ones I always begged her to keep stocked in her kitchen, and for the first time in what felt like weeks, I let myself laugh. Really laugh, the kind that shook something loose in my chest. I had needed this. A break from Payton's threats, from Marcus's cold eyes, from the constant weight pressing down on my shoulders since I'd accepted Drent's offer."So let me get this straight," Edwina said, setting her glass down slowly, her eyes wide. "Payton cornered you in the kitchen, and Marcus pinned you against a wall, and you're just now telling me this?""I didn't want to worry you," I admitted, picking at the chips instead of meeting her eyes."Renata." Her voice sharpened, disbelief written all over her face. "You've been walking around with actual death threats hanging over your head and you didn't think to call me?""I handled it," I said, though even as the words left my mouth, I heard how
RenataI waited for Edwina outside the class. I had stared at the flyer for so long that if someone handed me a computer, I could recreate it without looking.The bell rang and the students pushed through, rushing out. My eyes strained as I searched for Edwina. When she finally appeared, I dragged
Renata"You will never be a boxer, Renata." The coach screamed it so loud that it echoed through the hallway. My heart sank. This had been my dream since I was six, to be a professional boxer. But the school system seemed dead set on the fact that it was a male sport, and it had always been."Wait,
RenataA week passed and all my efforts to get into the tournament had failed. A part of me began to regret not taking Drent up on his offer, but another part of me was glad I had not. I did not trust him or his family.They were probably the kind of rich family that believed only money mattered, o
DrentThere was something unsettling about her. I had asked for a spa therapist, but instead they had sent me something I found far more amusing. A tiny, curvy girl who I found surprisingly tempting.Which was strange, because I had not felt that way about anyone in years. But it felt like a good s







