The Coffee Boy

The weight of a cardboard tray holding four iced coffees felt heavier than a billion-dollar merger.

Kasen Thorne stood in the mirror-polished elevator of the Sterling Conglomerate, staring at his reflection. His wrist was bare; the custom Rolex Daytona he usually wore was locked in a home safe, a useless souvenir of the life he had lost over the weekend. He was dressed in a plain, unbranded charcoal suit that felt like a cheap uniform.

The elevator pinged, and the doors slid open to the top floor. This was the Presidential Suite.

Kasen swallowed his mounting rage, tightened his grip on the coffee tray, and stepped out. Every step toward the double glass doors of Maeva's office felt like walking toward a public execution.

He pushed the doors open.

Maeva's office was a sprawling, glass-walled sanctuary overlooking the entire skyline of Eden City. Sitting around a massive circular mahogany table were four men.

Kasen's blood ran cold. He recognized them. They were senior board members of Meridian and Oracle Holdings—men who had spent years trying to beg Kasen for a single five-minute meeting, men who used to swallow their pride just to shake his hand.

At the head of the table sat Maeva. She was wearing a deep midnight-blue power blazer, her hair tied back in a sharp, flawless ponytail. She didn't look up from her iPad as Kasen entered.

"Ah, here is the coffee," Maeva said, her voice smooth and clinical. "Set them down, Kasen."

Kasen's jaw clenched so hard a sharp, radiating pain shot up to his temples. He walked toward the table, the eyes of his former business rivals drilling into his chest.

"Thorne?" one of the executives, a heavy-set man named Derek, gasped. He sat back in his leather chair, a slow, malicious grin spreading across his face. "Is that... Kasen Thorne? The golden boy of Axiom Global?"

"He's not a CEO anymore, Derek," another executive chuckled, not even trying to hide his amusement. "I heard Sterling Conglomerate bought Axiom for a single dollar. Looks like he comes with the property."

Kasen kept his gaze fixed on the table, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing him snap. He placed an iced caramel macchiato in front of Derek. "Your coffee, sir," he forced out, the words tasting like hot ash in his mouth.

"Thank you, boy," Derek sneered, emphasizing the last word. "Make sure you get the sugar right next time."

Maeva finally looked up from her screen. Her dark eyes swept over Kasen, taking in his bare wrist, his unbranded suit, and his rigid posture. There was no sympathy in her gaze. Only the cool, detached assessment of an owner looking at a piece of machinery.

"Kasen," Maeva said, tapping her digital stylus against her chin. "Mr. Derek's napkin is crooked. Fix it."

Kasen froze. His hands trembled. For three years, Maeva had quietly cleaned his desk, ironed his ties, and made sure his coffee was exactly 140 degrees. Now, she was forcing him to play the servant in front of the very men he had once dominated.

He picked up a paper napkin. He bent over, reaching across the desk to straighten the placement.

"Oops," Derek muttered.

With a subtle flick of his finger, Derek tipped his glass. The dark, sticky iced coffee splashed over the mahogany table, dripping down the side and pooling near Maeva's pristine white leather heels.

"My hand slipped," Derek said, though his eyes danced with cruel delight. "Clean that up, Thorne. Don't let it stain the President's floor."

Kasen's vision went red. He wanted to leap across the table and wrap his bare hands around Derek's throat. He wanted to tear this entire office apart.

But he couldn't.

If he walked out, the acquisition contract would be voided. Axiom's remaining debts would crush him, and the embezzlement files on Liora would be sent to the federal prosecutor's desk. He was trapped in a cage of his own making.

Slowly, Kasen dropped to one knee. He took a handful of paper napkins and began to wipe the cold, sticky liquid off the mahogany table, his head bowed.

"Kasen!"

The heavy glass doors of the office were flung open.

Liora Vale burst into the room, panting. Her expensive designer bag was clutched in her hands, her eyes wide with frantic desperation.

"The security guards wouldn't let me up, but I snuck past—" Liora stopped dead in her tracks.

The words died in her throat as she took in the scene.

The executives were snickering. Maeva was sitting calmly at the head of the table, sipping her tea. And Kasen—the brilliant, untouchable, arrogant billionaire she had spent months manipulating—was kneeling on the floor, wiping a spilled coffee stain near Maeva's feet.

"Kasen...?" Liora gasped, her voice trembling in horror. "What... what are you doing? Why are you on your knees?"

Kasen didn't look at her. He kept wiping the floor, his face burning with a shame so intense it felt physical.

"I came to the office because my platinum cards are still declined!" Liora screamed, her voice rising to a hysterical shriek. "The bank said my accounts are frozen under a corporate fraud investigation! Kasen, tell me this is a joke! Why are you cleaning up for her? You're the CEO of Axiom! You're supposed to be buying her out, not groveling at her feet!"

The executives at the table openly laughed now, the sound echoing off the glass walls.

Liora's face contorted in humiliation. She rushed forward, grabbing Kasen's shoulder, trying to pull him up. "Get up! You're embarrassing me! How can you let her do this to you?"

Kasen brushed her hand off his shoulder, his voice low and dangerous. "Liora. Leave. Now."

"No! I won't leave!" she yelled, turning her tear-streaked face toward Maeva. "You bitch! You did this! You're punishing him because he chose me! Because I'm having his baby!"

Maeva didn't flinch. She set her teacup down on the saucer with a soft, delicate click.

She leaned back in her chair, looking at Liora with lazy amusement. Then, her eyes drifted down to Kasen, who was still kneeling, holding a wet, coffee-stained napkin.

"Kasen," Maeva said, her voice dripping with cold, effortless authority. "Your pet is being loud. Remove her from my building immediately, or you are fired."