ANMELDEN*Monday | 6:12am | Elena’s Apartment*Elena didn’t sleep. "You want to use a child, Victoria? Then we’re done being civil."She said it out loud again in the dark. Her voice sounded tired. She made coffee. Burned her tongue. Her phone had 43 missed calls. All press. All about Victoria. She didn’t answer. At 6:30 she texted Maya: _“Come early. We’re auditing Blackwood.”_Maya replied in 2 seconds: _“On my way.”_Elena looked out the window. Voss Tower was still on. She wondered if Adrian slept at all. She wondered why she cared. She shut the thought down. ---*Monday | 7:45am | Carter Holdings, 20th Floor, Finance*The finance team looked dead. CFO Dara said, “We started at 5am.” Elena said, “Show me.” Dara pulled up a spreadsheet. Red lines everywhere. Dara said, “Six months ago. $40 million. Moved out of Blackwood Holdings. 4 transfers. Cayman, Zurich, Singapore.” Elena leaned in. Elena said, “Who authorized?” Dara clicked. Two names came up. Dara said, “Ryan Hayes.
Elena’s blood went cold. Because that notebook was from her storage unit. From the apartment she moved out of 3 weeks ago. A place Victoria had no right to be. Sunday | 7:00am | Elena’s ApartmentThe TV was still on mute. Victoria. Smiling. Holding the black notebook. Elena sat on the floor. Coffee cold. Maya came in and turned the TV off. Maya said, “You’ve been watching it for 3 hours.” Elena said, “She broke into my storage.” Maya said, “I know.” Elena said, “Three weeks ago. While I was in court.” Maya said, “What’s in it?” Elena said, “Notes. Budgets. Things I wrote when I came back. Nothing illegal. But she’ll twist it.” Maya said, “Then we sue.” Elena nodded. Elena said, “After work.” ---Sunday | 9:30am | Carter Holdings, COO OfficeThe office was full. Board Member 1 said, “She’s calling you a thief.” Board Member 6 said, “She’s saying you’re unfit to run a company.” Board Member 8 said, “The board is getting calls about the baby.” Elena looked up. Elena
*Saturday | 2:00pm | Beverly Hills, Kian’s Restaurant*Elena hated this. Kian sat across from her with a menu he wasn’t reading. Cameras were across the street. She knew because Mercer told her 20 minutes ago. Kian said, “Are you sure about this?” Elena said, “No.” Kian said, “Then why are we here?” Elena said, “Because if they think I’m moving on, they’ll stop watching me and start watching you.” Kian smiled. Kian said, “That’s cold.” Elena said, “That’s war.” The waiter came. Waiter said, “Can I get you started?” Elena said, “Water. Both.” Kian said, “And the tasting menu.” Elena looked at him. Elena said, “I’m not eating.” Kian said, “You have to. Or it won’t look real.” Elena picked up the water. Across the street, a camera flashed. ---*Saturday | 2:05pm | Black Car, Across the Street*Ryan was in the backseat. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He told himself he was just driving by. But he saw her. Hair down. Black dress. Laughing at something Kian said. Ryan’
*Friday | 11:47pm | Elena’s Apartment*The apartment was quiet. Elena sat at her kitchen table with a cold mug in front of her. The city was loud outside, but in here it felt like nothing was moving. Three days since the vote. Garrison was CEO. She was still COO. Maya came in with two fresh mugs. Maya said, “You’re going to make yourself sick.” Elena looked up. Elena said, “I’m fine.” Maya sat down. Maya said, “You haven’t slept. You haven’t eaten. And you’ve been here since nine.” Elena picked up the mug. Elena said, “I was thinking about Leonard.” Maya said, “Hayes?” Elena nodded. Elena said, “He was the only one who called me kid. Even when Victoria was losing it. Even when Ryan was gone for months. He’d just say, ‘Come eat, kid.’ Like I actually mattered.” Maya said, “He was good to you.” Elena said, “He was the only one who was.” They sat in silence for a bit. Maya said, “And your dad?” Elena shook her head. Elena said, “Leonard Carter. He never knew I existed.
*Thursday | 9:00am | Elena’s Apartment*The table was covered in legal pads and the derivative suit draft and none of them had slept more than 4 hours, and that was when Maya knocked and came in with her phone still in her hand. Maya said, “Ms. Carter, Kian Monroe is downstairs. He says it’s about the overflow contract and that he knows he doesn’t have an appointment, but that the Q3 rush fees are about to hit and he has numbers you need to see.” Board Member 6 looked up. Board Member 6 said, “Kian Monroe. As in the vendor from Monday.” Elena pinched the bridge of her nose. Elena said, “The one who keeps showing up without an appointment because he thinks persistence is a business strategy.” She was quiet for a second. Elena said, “Send him up. And Maya, you stay. Because if he tries to give me a speech about me not being alone again I’m going to lose my mind.”---*Thursday | 9:10am | Elena’s Apartment*Kian came in with a folder and no coffee this time, and he looked like he
*Wednesday | 8:00am | Carter Holdings, 40th Floor*The floor was too quiet for 8am, and that was the first thing that told Board Member 1 that something had already shifted before anyone said a single word. The assistants were at their desks, but their eyes kept flicking to the executive suite like they were waiting for a door to slam. Board Member 6 set her coffee down and looked at Board Member 8. Board Member 6 said, “Did you sleep at all last night because I didn’t, and if you tell me you did I’m going to be very annoyed with you.” Board Member 8 said, “I slept for maybe two hours, and it was mostly me staring at the ceiling wondering if we were about to make the biggest mistake of our careers or the only right decision we’ve made in five years.” Board Member 1 said, “It’s the right decision. I’ve been on this board for twelve years and I’ve never seen someone walk into a room and dismantle a company in ten minutes just to prove they could, and I’m not going to sit there and







