She’s Here

Heading back to the grounds that used to be taken away from me felt heavy.

I had poured everything into this place when Papa died, even when I knew people were already starting to edge me out. I continued to build what he left behind even if my position was reduced to nothing—a mere shadow of my former title.

The marble floors gleamed like the day I first stepped into Eboncorp as the founder’s daughter. But now, they echoed the sharp staccato of my heels with judgment, not welcome. My throat tightened.

The moment the sliding doors of the lobby opened, time seemed to halt.

Every eye landed on me.

The front desk froze, lips parting slightly in shock. Some whispered. A few of them even gasped. The guards—those same men who once banned me from entry without so much as a word—stood stiff, unsure whether to salute, bow, or raise their radios in alarm.

I didn’t flinch. I walked forward, chin high. My hands were steady by my sides, even as the pulse in my wrist raced against my veins.

Beside