LOGINBLACKWOOD INDUSTRIES – TWO HOURS LATERThe building was a monument to ego. Black marble. Gold letters. Guards with earpieces who thought they were secret service.Rebecca walked through them like they were furniture.Click. Click. Click. Her heels on the floor.Move.---The receptionist looked up. "Do you have an—""No.""Ma'am, I really need you to—"Rebecca put both hands on the desk. Leaned in."Call Alexander. Tell him Rebecca Stein is here. Tell him I have something that belongs to his wife. And tell him if he doesn't see me in two minutes, I'm mailing it to Don Eduardo before lunch."She smiled."Actually. Tell him that part last."The receptionist grabbed the phone.ALEXANDER'S OFFICE – TWO MINUTES LATERAlexander Blackwood sat behind his desk. Seventy years old. Still had shoulders like a boxer. Still had eyes that could cut glass.He didn't stand."Rebecca Stein." His voice was slow. Gravelly. "You've got balls walking in here.""I've been told.""Sit down."She sat. Didn'
No one spoke.Mr. Sterling tried again, careful now. “Belle is winning with younger buyers. TikTok. Influencers. Viral campaigns. We’re still relying on traditional marketing.”Sophia nodded once. “Then we evolve.”She faced the entire room now.“I want a full list of top beauty influencers. Every platform. Every follower count. Who they work with. Who they hate. Who they can be persuaded.”A pause.“We’re going to take them.”Ms. Crystal frowned. “That could cost millions.”Sophia didn’t even blink.“It could cost billions to lose.”Her gaze swept across the table sharp, challenging.“I’m willing to spend whatever it takes.”A beat.“Are you?”No one answered.Another executive spoke up. Ms. Vance. Product Development. "Ms. Langston, the board has concerns about your leadership. The recent firings. The aggressive tactics. People are talking."Sophia walked slowly toward Ms. Vance. Her heels clicked on the floor like gunshots."Let them talk." She stopped in front of her. "I don't ca
LANGSTON MANOR – MORNINGDamien stood by the window, his coffee was in hand while he was staring out at the perfectly trimmed gardens like they might give him answers. His shoulder was fine now. The wound had healed into a thin scar.But inside? Something still felt wrong. Heavy.Behind him, the bathroom door opened.Sophia stepped out like she had everything under control silk robe, perfect hair, not a single flaw on her face. She smiled when she saw him.“You’re up early.”Damien didn’t turn. “Couldn’t sleep.”She walked over slowly and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back. “Bad dreams My Love?”A small pause.“You could say that.”She leaned in closer, trying to pull him into her warmth. “I can help with that.”But he didn’t move. Didn’t react.That’s when she knew.Sophia pulled back and looked at him properly. Her smile faded, little by little.“You’re thinking about her again.”Damien finally turned, his expression tired. “I’m thinking about a l
FAVINO PENTHOUSE – THE NEXT MORNINGThe morning sun came through the big windows. Amelia sat at the kitchen table in her bathrobe. The folder Victor had given her lay open in front of her. Photos. Bank records. Secrets.Her younger sister Valentina walked in, yawning. She was still in her pajamas, her hair a mess. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Amelia.Valentina pointed at the folder. "What's that?""Insurance," Amelia said quietly.Valentina frowned. "Insurance for what?""For the war. Against Don Eduardo. Against Alexander. Against all of them."Valentina stared at her sister. Her eyes went from Amelia's face to the folder and back again. "You're going to use it? Whatever is in there?"Amelia looked down at the evidence. Pictures of Catalina Reyes with another man. Letters. Proof of money being stolen from her own father."I don't know yet," Amelia admitted.Valentina shook her head. "Yes, you do know. You're just afraid to admit it to yourself."Ameli
VICTOR SANTOS'S OFFICE – LATE THAT NIGHTThe office was hidden in an old, dirty building. No name on the door. No windows facing the street. You could walk past it a hundred times and never know it was there.Inside, Victor Santos sat behind a massive wooden desk. His hands were folded in front of him. His eyes were sharp like a knife. He was Alejandro's uncle. The mafia connection. The man who fixed problems that couldn't be fixed legally. The man who made people disappear.Amelia sat across from him. Her hands were in her lap. Her face looked calm, but inside she was tired. Very tired.Victor studied her for a long moment. Then he spoke."You look tired, Amelia.""I am tired," she admitted."Good." Victor nodded slowly. "Tired people make better decisions. They don't waste time on emotion. Emotion gets people killed."Amelia almost smiled. "Is that why you wanted to meet with me so late?"Victor leaned back in his chair. It creaked under his weight. "I heard about Don Eduardo.
STONE INDUSTRIES – BOARDROOM – MORNINGThe boardroom was freezing cold. Not because the air conditioning was broken, but because of the mood. Everyone sitting around the long wooden table looked miserable. Their faces were pale. Their hands shook slightly as they flipped through open folders. On the large screens behind Amelia Stone, red numbers flashed everywhere. Losses. Bad news. Nothing good.Amelia sat at the head of the table like a queen on a broken throne. She looked calm on the outside, but her fingers tapped quietly against the armrest. She was angry. Very angry.Mr. Harrison, an older man with gray hair and a nervous tie, cleared his throat. "Ms. Stone," he said, his voice tight like a rope about to snap. "I have bad news. Don Eduardo Reyes has announced that his shipping line will no longer do business with any company connected to Stone Enterprises."Amelia's jaw tightened. She didn't blink. "How many contracts does that affect?""Three major ones," Mr. Harrison sa
Alejandro looked at the envelope. He could go to his lawyer. He could go to a PR crisis manager. He could call his mother and read her the medical terms.But there was only one person who needed to see this first.“The Stone-Favino building,” he said. “And step on it.”---THE STONE - FAVINO BUILDI
She slipped it into her pocket without a word.When she got back to the penthouse, the elevator opened to a heavy silence. Maria was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and getting dinner ready. In the living room, Leo sat on the floor, Lego pieces spread everywhere.“Mom!” He jumped up and wrapped
SOHO APARTMENT ~ NEW YORK Gabriella paced the small living room of her rented SoHo apartment. The city lights flickered through the half-closed blinds, throwing shadows across the bare walls and borrowed furniture. An open suitcase sat in the corner, clothes spilling out. Nothing here felt perman
BLACKWOOD INDUSTRIES ~ NEW YORK The conference room on the 42nd floor felt unusually tense. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, papers shuffled, and the quiet murmur of board members filled the space.Alexander Blackwood Damien’s father, the man who had built the company from scratch sat at the he







