I stood there amidst the flashing cameras and the eager chatter of reporters, my eyes fixed on Sandra as she confidently accepted the title of Chief Financial Officer of King Tech. A wave of disbelief surged through me, accompanied by a sharp pang of anger. This was not how things were supposed to go down. But I couldn't let my emotions show, not in front of the media. As the applause and questions filled the room, I forced myself to maintain a composed exterior. Inside, however, a tempest of thoughts raged. How had she managed to orchestrate this so perfectly? How had she manipulated the board, the media, and even my closest allies to ensure her rise to power? I had always known Sandra was ambitious, but I never fathomed the extent of her ruthlessness. It was a bitter realization that left a bitter taste in my mouth. The company that I had poured my heart and soul into was slipping through my fingers, and there she stood, the orchestrator of it all, basking in the spotlight what was

Leah's POV The cold, hard ground presses against my knees as I huddle in a dim corner of the warehouse. The stolen phone I've managed to secret away is my only connection to the outside world, my lifeline in this web of darkness that Sandra has woven around me. As the minutes stretch into an agonizing eternity, my fingers tremble as they punch in the numbers. The phone's screen casts a faint glow on my face, a glimmer of hope amidst the shadows that surround me. My heart hammers in my chest as the call connects. I try to be as low as possible not knowing where Sandra is or who she has left to watch over me. My voice wavers, a mix of desperation and fear as I try to convey the urgency of my situation without alerting Sandra to my actions. Every second feels like an eternity as I wait for him to answer, my desperation growing with each passing ring. "Hello?" His voice cuts through the darkness like a lifeline. "Xavier!" I breathe, relief flooding through me just at the sound of hi

Leah's POV Xavier's body lies crumpled on the ground, an agonizing table of pain and sacrifice. My mind is a whirlwind of shock, grief, and disbelief. The room feels distant as if I'm viewing this heart-wrenching scene through a fog of numbness. The air is thick with the acrid scent of gunpowder, a reminder of the violence that has unfolded before me. But amidst the chaos, a new voice rises—a voice that trembles with a pain that mirrors my own. Sandra's cries cut through the suffocating silence, her anguished sobs a haunting symphony of regret and despair. "No! No, I didn't want this! Xavier, I didn't want to kill you!" Sandra's voice is a broken wail, each word carrying the weight of a thousand shattered dreams. She falls to her knees beside Xavier's still form, her hands hovering over his body as if unable to touch him, to bridge the chasm between them. Her cries are a collision of emotions, a torrent of love and torment that fill the room. She speaks of a love that has festered