Chapter 4 : Nothing Without Him

Los Angeles never slept.

Night-time simply gave rich people another excuse to become worse versions of themselves.

Romper was proof of that. The club only opened its underground floor to the wealthy and influential after dark.

Ryder sat inside the restricted lounge with a drink in his hand.

Across from him, Rita smiled lazily.

“I don’t know what lies you’ve been feeding father,” Ryder said coldly, “but if you don’t back off, you’ll regret it.”

Rita laughed. “Aw. Is my little brother threatening me?”

“I’m warning you.”

The smile remained on her lips, but her eyes turned sharp.

“You sound very confident for someone about to lose his position as CEO.”

Ryder’s jaw tightened. “And why exactly would that happen?”

He already knew. But hearing it aloud irritated him.

Rita leaned forward slightly. “Because the board doesn’t trust a man who can’t continue the family line.”

There it was. The real issue.

Ryder’s fingers tightened around his glass.

The board meeting he was excluded from suddenly made perfect sense.

His father wanted heirs. The board wanted control. And Rita wanted him gone.

“The company’s future cannot rest on a CEO who’s never had a serious woman in his life.” Rita continued smugly.

Ryder laughed once.

“That’s funny coming from a woman whose husband practically lives in brothels.”

Rita’s face darkened instantly. “You’re such an asshole.”

“I could say the same for you.”

She grabbed her bag and stormed out of the lounge.

Ryder watched her leave without blinking. The second she disappeared, his expression hardened.

This was no longer annoying family drama.

It was becoming dangerous.

Ryder became CEO three years ago because he was good at his job. Not because of family politics. Every department he touched improved.

Finance. Media. Technology. Expansion. Tecna grew because of him, whether his father was willing to admit to it or not.

Yet, now the board wanted to replace him over marriage.

How utterly ridiculous was that?

Ryder could see through their strategy from a mile away. Their excuse was that a married CEO with children looked stable and trustworthy.

But what they were looking for was someone controllable. The board knew Ryder was difficult to manipulate, so they wanted him gone.

Removing him would benefit everybody except Tecna. The company was nothing without him.

“Sir.” Sam approached holding out a tablet.

“I gathered the information you requested.”

Ryder took it, looking over the file that displayed one name: VICTORIA MONK.

He opened it.

A professional photograph filled the screen. Brown eyes. Dark hair. A serious expression. Ordinary at first glance.

Not ordinary after reading further.

“Twenty-nine years old.” Ryder murmured. “Orphan. Primary caregiver to grandmother.”

No powerful family. No public connections. No scandals.

Good.

He continued reading.

Top of her class. Computer science graduate. Multiple entrepreneurship awards. Several rejected investment proposals. A startup called EVANGELINE.

Ryder remembered the way she spoke while pitching.

While her confidence was magnetic and shined through, her desperation was painfully obvious.

But desperation could be good.

If she had a little bit of both, she was the kind of person who clawed her way forward no matter how many doors closed.

And most importantly...

She fit perfectly into his plan.

Ryder handed the tablet back to Sam. “Arrange a meeting with Victoria Monk.”

Sam nodded, then his phone vibrated. He glanced down at the screen. A frown formed on his face.

“Sir.” Sam said carefully. “I almost forgot. There’s one more thing.”

Ryder looked up.

“The hospital handling Victoria Monk’s grandmother just issued a payment notice. If she doesn’t pay, the woman will be sent out.”

Silence.

Then slowly, Ryder smiled.

As a business man, he weighed every factor and used it to his favour. And this, was what he’d use as a bargaining chip.