All Chapters of When the Masks Fell: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Back when Elina Chandler was just starting out, she had no connections, no one to back her, and no investors willing to give her the time of day.While others complained that working late-night shifts was exhausting, she could power through one after another. When her voice went hoarse, she would sip warm water before putting on a smile and carrying on.Watching her, my heart softened—and watching her, I fell for her.So I handed her the company.She wanted a team, so I gave her one. She needed resources, so I provided them. When she said she wanted a car to keep up appearances, I had someone deliver the keys. When she complained that her home was too far from the office, I gave her the apartment closest to the company.Every time she told me, "Bridger Hart, I'll prove myself to everyone," I nodded."Alright," I’d reply. "Go ahead and prove it."Three years later, she had truly made something of herself. She just happened to push me into the shadows along the way.That day, I

The next day, I didn't go to the office. It wasn't because I was scared.I was lazy. Maybe I was a little disheartened, too.At nine that morning, Aislinn Fisher called me. She was a veteran in the finance department, one of the old hands my dad had sent to the company years ago. She had steady hands, a tight mouth, and a sharp eye.Most people at the company knew her only as the woman who handled the money. Few realized she understood the company's underlying structure better than many of its executives."Mr. Hart." That was how she always addressed me, neither familiar nor distant. "Elina held a management meeting this morning."I leaned against the balcony railing, coffee in hand. "Did they spend the whole time cursing me out?"Aislinn paused. "Not exactly. Lance proposed removing destabilizing elements before the press conference.""I'm an element now?""You're considered a historical element."I nearly spat out my coffee.Aislinn continued, "He also recommended revoking

Three minutes later, the doors to the venue opened again.This time, there were no security guards at the entrance.My dad was the first to walk in. Wesley Hart, chairman of the parent company's board.He rarely appeared at events like this. Not because he wasn't entitled to be there, but because he had no need to be.The moment he appeared, several investors in the front row changed expressions. Some stood up immediately. One nearly knocked over a glass of water.Lance's speech caught in his throat. He probably didn't recognize my dad, but he recognized the investors' reactions.I followed behind my dad.Behind us came Elise Bentley, head of legal at headquarters, along with the audit team and several staff members carrying cases of documents.The applause in the venue died completely. It was as if someone had pressed a pause button on the entire room.Lance forced a smile. "And you are...?"My dad ignored him. He walked to the middle of the front row and looked up at the au

The press conference ended in a complete mess.The investors couldn't get out fast enough.The media were even more excited. They came expecting to capture the inspiring story of a female CEO successfully securing financing. Instead, they'd gotten a spectacular combination of a wealthy family's ownership dispute, a forged authorization, and suspicions of asset transfers.After leaving the stage, I went straight to the backstage corridor.Elina came after me. Her heels struck the floor in quick succession, each step echoing down the hallway."Bridger!"I stopped.She hurried up to me. Her eye makeup was smeared, and she no longer looked like the dazzling woman who'd stood onstage.She looked like the small-time streamer from three years ago, crying in the break room and asking me what she should do."I wasn't trying to steal your company."I looked at her. "Then what were you trying to steal?"Tears spilled down her cheeks again. "I just wanted to take back the part that belo

After the audit team moved in, it felt as though the roof had been ripped off the company. All the dust hidden in the ceiling came pouring down.Over the past six months, Lance had approved a number of questionable expenses: consulting fees, marketing advances, brand partnership deposits.Every item looked explainable on its own. Taken together, they were a different story.When Elise finished her investigation, she dropped a relationship chart in front of me. It traced a path from external financing firms to Lance through several shell companies posing as suppliers, and finally, to the new entity.Follow the connections around, and they led to a fund associated with one of my father's longtime rivals.I studied the map and stayed silent for half a minute. "So they weren't simply trying to raise money.""No," Elise said. "They wanted to strip out the most valuable people and contracts. They'd leave you with the original company, along with its debts and the public backlash."I l