LOGINThe room smelled like old smoke and cheap cleaner. I sat on the edge of the squeaky bed, staring at my phone for what felt like the hundredth time today. Nothing. No texts, no missed calls, just a blank screen. Isabella had been gone for over twenty-four hours now, ever since she supposedly went to secure that deal with Vanguard’s assistant.I dialed her number again, pressing the phone tightly against my ear. It rang three times before going straight to voicemail."Damn it, Isabella!" I slammed my fist down onto the flimsy mattress, the springs groaning loudly under my weight. "Pick up the phone!"She had the money. I knew she did. She was supposed to get half a million dollars for those routing files, and now she wasn't answering me. The thought of her sitting in some luxury hotel while I was rotting in this dump made my blood boil. She was playing me. I could feel it in my gut.A sharp knock on the door made me jump. I stood up quickly, thinking it might finally be her, and yanked
The rain did not stop by the time morning came. I barely slept two hours, my mind spinning with everything Lucien had said to me in the study the night before. I arrived at the office early, long before the rest of the staff, wanting to lose myself in the work so I wouldn't have to think about how warm my skin felt every time his name crossed my mind.Elara was already waiting at her desk outside my door, a large paper bag from the bakery downstairs sitting next to her computer. She looked up and gave me a bright, supportive smile as I walked up."I got us the good breakfast pastries," she said, lifting the bag. "And the strongest coffee they had. We are going to need it if we are going into those old server files today.""You are a lifesaver," I said, unlocking my office door and holding it open for her. "Bring it all inside. Let's start before the phone starts ringing."We set up at the small round table in the corner of my room. Elara pulled out her laptop and connected it to the
The drive to Lucien’s house was completely quiet. Rain started to tap against the glass just as we pulled into his long driveway. I stared out at the dark trees passing by, feeling the tension from the long day at the office slowly leave my shoulders.Victor stopped the car right by the front entrance. He didn't say a word, just stepped out with a large umbrella to open my door and guide me inside out of the damp cold.Lucien’s private home was different from the grand, showy mansion Adrian had insisted on buying with my father's money. It was large, but it felt private and closed off from the rest of the city. The lights inside were soft and warm."Victor will bring the folders up to the study," Lucien said, taking his long dark coat off and handing it to a waiting maid. He turned his dark eyes to me, looking at my tired face. "Have you had anything to eat tonight, Ahtisa?""I haven't really been hungry," I admitted, crossing my arms tightly against the chill."I thought so," he mu
The coffee in my mug had gone completely cold, but I barely noticed. I sat behind my desk, staring at the small glowing dot on my tablet screen. The dot was moving slowly down the main street of the city, heading straight toward the old docks near the water.Elara knocked softly before stepping into the room. She carried a neat stack of folders, but her face was bright with excitement. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, letting out a breath she seemed to be holding for an hour."The swap is fully done, Ahtisa," Elara said, her voice low as she walked over to my desk. "I personally checked the shared drive before I came up here. The real files are wiped. The only thing Isabella has on her flash drive right now is the dummy routing data your father made. If she plugs it into Vanguard’s system, they will see exactly what we want them to see."I looked down at the tablet. The little glowing dot had stopped moving. It was sitting right on top of the harbor café."She i
The sun was setting by the time I finished organizing my desk. After the confrontation with Adrian this morning, a quiet stillness had settled over my office, but I knew the peace would not last. People like Adrian and Isabella did not just disappear into the shadows when they lost. They bit back.My laptop screen flashed, and Elara’s private messaging window popped open.Ahtisa, the fish is biting, the message read. Isabella Thorne just initiated an encrypted outgoing call from her laptop. It is routing straight to the corporate headquarters of Vanguard Shipping.A cold, calm feeling washed over me. Vanguard Shipping was my father’s biggest and most ruthless competitor. They had been trying to steal our eastern trade routes for over three years."Connect the audio feed to my line, Elara," I murmured into my headset.A soft click echoed in my ear, and then the sound of static filled the line, followed by Isabella’s voice. She didn't sound like the sweet, gentle girl she pretended t
The room smelled like cheap bleach and old cigarettes. I lay on the thin mattress of the motel bed, staring at the peeling wallpaper on the ceiling. My phone was completely dead, and I didn't even have the energy to find a charger. After Isabella threw me out, I spent the remaining cash in my pocket on this terrible room just to have a place to hide from the world.By the time the sun came up, the hunger in my stomach was clawing at me, and my mouth tasted like dust. I needed money. I needed a way out of this city, but my accounts were totally frozen.Then, I thought of the mansion.There had to be something left there. My mother always kept a small emergency box of cash hidden in her closet, and all my expensive designer suits and watches were still sitting in my bedroom upstairs. If I could just slip inside, grab my things, and find my mother's hidden money, I could leave this place and start over somewhere else.I got out of bed, washed my face with cold water in the tiny sink, a
The news of Adrian’s business collapse traveled fast, hitting the city news stands by the middle of the afternoon. When I returned to the mansion later that evening, the entire house felt strangely cold and empty. The usual loud noise of the television was gone, and none of the servants were walki
I drove away from my chained office building with my hands shaking on the steering wheel, my mind spinning into a dark place. The image of the legal notices taped to the glass doors kept flashing behind my eyes, making it hard to focus on the road. I didn't know where else to go, so I drove straig
The morning air was cold as I walked through the glass doors of Jehanna Holdings. Elara was right beside me, holding a thick stack of folders against her chest. Every single person in the main lobby stopped what they were doing to watch us walk toward the private elevator. I could feel their eyes
Ahtisa’s Pov“Look at this mess! Still can't clean a table properly?" Elena, my mother in law, voice echoed. “Then what are you good for?"I quickly bent down and started picking up the broken plates with my bare hands.My throat tightened. “I'm sorry, mother"The word came out of my mouth before I







