LOGINThree days after I was discharged, I was sitting in an office on the 47th floor of Brightline Corporation headquarters.The office had originally belonged to Natalie, but now it was mine. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city skyline stretched into the distance as sunlight poured into the office.Two documents sat on the desk in front of me.One was a Brightline Corporation stock transfer agreement transferring 15% of Natalie's shares into my name. The other was the Sullivan Enterprise takeover agreement. As the company's largest creditor, Brightline had already secured a controlling stake and only needed my signature to make it official.Both signature lines were still blank, waiting for me.I picked up a pen and signed the Brightline agreement first, then the Sullivan Enterprise one.After signing both documents, I pressed the intercom."Send someone from Legal up."Twenty minutes later, Brightline Corporation's legal director, Thomas Graves, arrived with his team
Sure, Abigail knew she was wrong.Not because she realized what she had done to me, but because she finally realized who she had crossed.If she had known from the beginning that I owned Brightline Corporation, would she have treated me the same way?No. She would've treated me like royalty.But that wasn't love. That was fear.And I didn't want her fear.On the seventh day of my hospital stay, the stitches came out.Fresh skin had grown over the wound on the sole of my foot. Walking still hurt a little, but I was finally back on my feet.The fracture in my shoulder needed more time to heal. The doctor said it would be at least another two weeks before I could start moving it normally.Most of the bruises had faded. The deep purple and black had turned yellow and green, leaving me looking like a faded oil painting.Natalie came to the hospital every day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.She didn't talk much. Most of the time, she just sat beside me, working.E
As the helicopter lifted off, I looked down one last time.Abigail was on her knees, Mason's arm locked around her throat. Two bodyguards were desperately trying to pry his fingers loose.Her face had already turned purple. Her mouth kept moving like she was shouting something, but the wind was too loud for me to hear.Not that I cared anymore.Natalie sat across from me, wiping the blood from my face.Her movements were gentle, but her brow stayed furrowed the entire time.She studied me for a long moment, lips pressed into a thin line.After a long silence, she simply said, "Let's go home."The Brightline helicopter landed directly on the hospital rooftop.On my second day in the VIP ward, Abigail and Mason made headlines.The livestream had cut out halfway through, but countless people had already recorded it.The footage spread across the internet like wildfire. Within a few hours, views had passed 100 million.Shortly afterward, Brightline Corporation released a statem
Abigail completely lost it.She lunged at Mason and started hitting him. He took a few blows before shoving her away and slapping her right back.The two of them crashed to the ground and started fighting, rolling across the pavement with fists flying. By the time they pulled apart, both of them had blood smeared across their faces."You! This is all your fault! You ruined me!"Mason's hands closed around her throat. Abigail grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked hard. Neither of them let go.I stood there and watched.A woman who had just been on her knees, begging, and a man who lived on lies, tearing each other apart.Natalie stood beside me and glanced down. "Do you want me to stop them?"I didn't answer.A moment later, Abigail released her grip and collapsed onto the pavement, gasping for air.Mason curled in on himself, coughing violently.She turned toward me, her eyes red and swollen."Did you see that? I hit him. I stood up for you."Her voice was hoarse as she
Abigail's lips trembled as the color drained from her face.She looked at Natalie, then at me, her mouth moving before the words finally came out."I didn't know. I really didn't know…"Her voice shook so badly that it barely held together."I didn't know those deals were arranged by you. I didn't know Brightline was…"Her legs suddenly gave out, and she dropped to her knees.Not in front of me, but in front of Natalie."I really didn't know. I thought… I thought I earned those projects on my own."Carter never told me. He never said anything."Her voice broke.Natalie looked down at her, her expression calm and unreadable."He didn't tell you because he kept a low profile. He wanted you to believe you'd earned it."He gave up everything to make that happen. And this is how you repay him?"Abigail's whole body shook.She kneeled there on the asphalt, hands against the gravel as quiet sobs shook her shoulders."I'm sorry. I'm really sorry!"She suddenly scrambled toward
The livestream chat erupted again.[Wait… are those Brightline helicopters?][Three of them? Who are they here for?][Ms. Sullivan just got herself into deep trouble…]Abigail went completely still.Mason instinctively took a half step back, his voice tightening. "Abby… who are these people?"She didn't answer.The cabin door opened, and a woman stepped out.It was Natalie Remington, the head of Brightline Corporation, Sullivan Enterprise's biggest partner.Several of Abigail's core projects depended entirely on Brightline.But she had never met Natalie in person.Every deal had been handled through Brightline's executives. Abigail had always assumed Natalie was a silent investor who stayed out of day-to-day operations.What she didn't know was that Brightline hadn't partnered with Sullivan Enterprise because of its projects.They did it because of me.Natalie walked straight over and crouched in front of me.She looked me over from head to toe, taking in every injury wi
As I collapsed, I caught a glimpse of the livestream chat exploding.[He's down!][Not even a mile and a half. I win!]Mason leaned out the window and looked at me for a second. When he spoke again, his voice carried just the right amount of panic. "I think Carter passed out from heatstroke!"Ab
I shifted my gaze away from Abigail, ran my tongue over my cracked lips, and looked straight into the phone pointed at me. My voice came out hoarse but steady."Done enjoying the show? Now come and pick me up."The chat froze for a second before exploding.[Is this guy crazy?][After everything
Heat shimmered off the asphalt.In the back seat of a Rolls-Royce, Abigail Sullivan and Mason Hayes were laughing so hard that they could barely sit upright.Abigail kept the camera trained on me while the livestream chat scrolled so fast it blurred."Look at him," she said, her tone almost playf







