The boardroom of Stone Enterprises gleamed with glass, chrome, and silent warfare. Emilia sat at the head of the long table, flanked by executives in custom suits and plastic smiles. Her assistant placed a folder in front of her—a summary of internal activity flagged by the audit team she'd hastily hired.
She opened it with a calm expression.
But her heart thundered.
The final page held a list of unusual approvals. Financial clearances. Access granted to files she'd never touched. And at the top of those approvals?
Clara Halden.
Emilia blinked.
Clara had been her CFO for five years. One of the few women in the company who didn't flinch around her. They'd shared hotel drinks during international trips, inside jokes about old men on the board. She was brilliant. Precise. Trusted.
And now, she was a thief.
The door to the boardroom opened, and Clara strolled in like she had nothing to hide. Shoulder-length brown hair sleek, heels tapping confidently.
"Morning," she chirped, sliding into the seat across from Emilia. "You look tense."
Emilia slid the folder across the table without a word.
Clara glanced down. A flicker of recognition passed through her eyes—but it vanished too quickly.
"You're going to want to explain this," Emilia said quietly.
Clara didn't even blink. "You're being paranoid."
"No. I'm being careful. You signed off on nearly every flagged transaction in that file."
"And you approved them."
"No," Emilia said coldly. "You did. Using my credentials. Or did you forget we log every digital fingerprint?"
Clara's expression sharpened. "Don't turn this into a witch hunt. You know how many fires I've put out for this company."
"And how many have you started?" Emilia stood. "You're suspended. Effective immediately."
"On whose authority?"
"Mine."
Clara rose slowly, gathering her purse with icy elegance. "You're just like your father, Emilia. Pretending you're better than the system you inherited. But you're already drowning in it."
Emilia didn't respond.
But her hands clenched behind her back.
As Clara walked out, the boardroom fell into a suffocating silence.
---
Hours Later
She sat alone in her office, staring at the city skyline. For the first time in years, she felt the cracks.
Not in the company. Not in her image.
In herself.
The phone rang.
She ignored it.
Then another buzz—this time, a message.
Sebastian:
If you're hiding again, you're doing a bad job. I can still feel you from here.
She stared at it for a long time before typing back.
Emilia:
I just lost someone I trusted. Again.
Sebastian:
Then it's time to stop trusting people who wear silk smiles and start trusting someone who doesn't need a suit to stand beside you.
A small, bitter smile tugged at her lips.
He wasn't wrong.
And for the first time, she was starting to realize: maybe the man from the wrong side of town was the only one who had her back.