LOGINThe apartment was unusually quiet. Only the faint ticking of the wall clock echoed through the living room. Estella zipped the last compartment of Aizen's suitcase before setting it upright beside the sofa. She checked the checklist on her tablet one more time. Business documents. Laptop. Presentation files. Medication. Passport. Everything was there. Satisfied, she closed the tablet and rubbed the back of her neck. The cut hidden beneath the scarf still stung from time to time. She glanced at the clock. 10:17 p.m. He was late. Again. She walked over to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. As she stood by the island counter, her phone suddenly vibrated across the table. Linda Calling. Ella answered immediately. "Linda?" Linda didn't waste time. "Ella... don't panic, okay?" Ella frowned. "I'll decide whether to panic after you tell me what's going on." Linda sighed softly. "...Check your messages." A second later, several notifications appeared. N
The old photograph frame crashed onto the polished wooden desk. Not because someone threw it. Because Benedict Deveraux's hand had struck the table harder than he intended. The servants outside his study instinctively lowered their heads. No one dared to knock. The old man rarely lost his composure. Today... He did. Several photographs lay scattered across the desk. One showed Aizen gently adjusting Estella's scarf. Another captured the way they looked at each other. The last one... Aizen's fingers resting against Estella's cheek. There was nothing inappropriate in the photos. Yet every picture carried something far more dangerous. Affection. Benedict slowly picked up the last photograph again. His jaw tightened. "You've become exactly like your father..." His voice was barely above a whisper. A knock came from outside. "Master." The butler opened the door carefully. "Young Master Aizen has arrived." Benedict didn't answer immediately. H
The summer sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Valcor Tower, turning the glass walls into mirrors of the bright blue sky outside. The city below carried on as if nothing had happened over the last few days.Inside Valcor...Everything had changed.The biggest headline of the morning was no longer the scandal surrounding Zero Degree Holdings.It was the engagement.Aizen Deveraux and Samantha Laurent.Photos from the luxurious engagement party flooded every business news outlet. The smiles. The champagne. The rings. The handshake between the Deveraux and Laurent families.To the public...It looked like strength.Like two powerful empires standing even closer together despite every rumor trying to tear them down.Inside Valcor, congratulatory voices echoed through the hallways."Congratulations, Miss Laurent.""You looked beautiful at the party.""We're looking forward to the wedding."Samantha accepted every compliment with graceful smiles."Thank you.""You're too kind
By the time Estella opened her eyes, sunlight had already spilled across the bedroom floor.The curtains were half open, letting warm summer light filter into the room. Outside, Vesper City had already settled into another busy morning. Cars drifted through the streets below, and somewhere nearby, a lawn sprinkler ticked rhythmically against the pavement.Her head throbbed.A dull ache pulsed behind her temples.She frowned before slowly sitting up."..."The room was unfamiliar for a second.Then everything from last night crashed back into her mind.The wine.The balcony.Lionel.Linda.Aizen.Her hand instinctively flew to her neck.A bandage.She touched it carefully before letting out a quiet sigh."So I really did that..."The bedroom door opened gently.Linda peeked inside first."There you are."She smiled, although her eyes still looked swollen from crying."You finally woke up."Estella offered an apologetic smile."What time is it?""Almost noon.""...No wonder my head feel
The apartment felt strangely quiet after Linda left.The soft click of the front door echoed through the living room before silence settled over everything again.Estella stayed on the balcony without moving.Summer nights in Vesper City were usually warm, but tonight a gentle breeze drifted between the high-rise buildings, carrying the distant sounds of traffic and faint music from somewhere across the city.She already knew where it came from.The engagement party.Aizen and Samantha.She didn't need to see it.She could almost picture it.Crystal chandeliers.Expensive champagne.Elegant smiles.Flashing cameras.A perfect future.A future that didn't have room for her.Her fingers tightened around the stem of the wine glass resting on the small table beside her.She slowly looked toward the apartment across from hers.Dark.No lights.Of course.He wasn't home.He was celebrating his engagement.A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips."...Congratulations, Mr. Deveraux."H
The summer night over Vesper City was warm, but the air carried a strange heaviness.From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Grand Ardent Hotel, the skyline shimmered beneath thousands of golden lights. Luxury cars lined the entrance while photographers crowded behind velvet barriers, flashes bursting every few seconds.Tonight wasn't just another high-profile gala.It was a statement.The official engagement of Aizen Deveraux and Samantha Laurent.After days of relentless headlines dragging Vraux, Troyan, and even Valcor into public controversy over the Zero Degree scandal, both families had chosen the simplest weapon available.Appear stronger than ever.If the media wanted chaos...They would answer with elegance.Crystal chandeliers illuminated the grand ballroom, reflecting soft gold across polished marble floors. A string quartet played quietly in one corner while politicians, executives, and investors exchanged polite smiles that hid careful calculations.Nobody came tonight s
Estella arrived home later than usual.The moment the apartment door opened, the smell of food greeted her.Garlic.Butter.Black pepper.For a second, she almost forgot about the chaos waiting inside her laptop.Almost.Lionel stood in the kitchen wearing a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A
By the time Devon and Aizen dragged Lionel out of the elevator, the man could barely walk straight.Estella stared at the scene from her apartment doorway.Then at Lionel.Then at Devon.Then at Aizen.And finally back to Lionel."What happened to him?"Devon sighed."Alcohol.""Obviously.""Too mu
Estella barely slept. The image of the document she had found the night before kept replaying in her mind. MIONIER SUCCESSION PLAN. Five names. Five people connected to the future of a project that had destroyed countless lives. The last name still haunted her. Aizen Quentin Deveraux. She st
The conversation with Jonathan Ritz stayed with Estella long after they parted ways.If Deveraux was the sword, Laurent was the hand holding it.Simple.Direct.Terrifying.Because it meant her father hadn't stumbled into a conflict between a few corrupt executives.He had stepped into a war betwee







