The elevator doors opened to the 47th floor of Chen Industries' headquarters, and Brent could already hear Sarah's voice echoing down the marble hallway. "Where is that useless excuse for an assistant? Does he think running my company is a part-time job?" Brent adjusted his tie, the weight of the resignation letter in his pocket suddenly feeling lighter. After two years of calculated submission, today would change everything. "Well, well," Sarah's lips curled into a sneer as he entered the conference room. "Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence. Did you get lost between the coffee shop and here? Or were you too busy daydreaming about being something more than my charity case boyfriend?" The boardroom fell silent. Twelve executives in suits worth more than most cars shifted uncomfortably in their leather chairs. They'd witnessed Sarah's treatment of Brent deteriorate over the past two years, but none dared speak up against the CEO of Chen Industries – or at

The press conference room at Walker International was packed. Every major news outlet had shown up. Of course they had – it's not every day that one of the world's most mysterious billionaires reveals he's been working as some CEO's assistant for two years. Brent adjusted his Patek Philippe watch, the same one Sarah had once called "a cheap knock off." The memory made him smile. He wondered if she was watching the livestream, probably still thinking this was some kind of trick. "Five minutes, sir," James said, handing him a tablet. "And... you might want to see this." The tablet showed security footage from Chen Industries' lobby. Sarah was trying to force her way into the building – her own building, or what used to be her building. Security wasn't letting her in. Her access had been revoked an hour ago. "Miss Chen, please," one guard was saying. "We have strict orders. No one enters without proper clearance." "I own this company!" Sarah screamed, mascara running down her f

The morning news played on three screens in Brent's office. Every major network was covering the same story: Chen Industries' collapse. He didn't bother turning up the volume. The headlines told him everything he needed to know. "Chen Industries Stock Plummets 78% in Historic Crash" "Sarah Chen: From Corporate Darling to Wall Street Catastrophe" "The Assistant Who Brought Down a Billion-Dollar Empire" His real office was nothing like the cramped space Sarah had given him. No more pretending to love that squeaky IKEA chair or the desk with the wobbly leg. Now he sat in hand-crafted Italian leather, surrounded by art worth more than Sarah's annual salary. Well, her former salary. James walked in without knocking. They'd worked together too long for formalities. "Sir, you're going to enjoy this." James held up his tablet. "Sarah just tried to access her corporate accounts. All of them. They're frozen." Brent smiled. "How much does she have left?" "Her trust fund's wort

Marcus Chen's hands shook as he read the email. His last hope – a VP position at Morgan Stanley – was gone. The hiring manager's words burned into his brain: "Due to recent revelations about your role in the Chen Industries scandal..." He'd been Sarah's right hand. Her enforcer. The one who made sure Brent got all the worst assignments, the broken equipment, the impossible deadlines. Now he couldn't even get a job as a bank teller. His phone rang. Unknown number. These days, that usually meant debt collectors. "Hello?" "Hello, Marcus." Brent's voice was calm. Almost friendly. "How's the job hunt going?" Marcus's throat went dry. "How did you get this number?" "I get everything I want these days. Like your personnel file. The one with all those harassment complaints Sarah helped you bury." "Those were lies—" "Were they? Because I found the victims. All six of them. They're very interested in speaking to the press." Marcus sat heavily on his couch – the only piece o

The Chen Industries building had always reminded Brent of a glass castle. Seventy storeys of steel and mirrors, reaching into the clouds like some modern fairytale. He'd spent two years looking up at it from the street, watching his reflection distort in its perfect surface, feeling as small as Sarah and her friends wanted him to feel. Today, they were taking down the sign. He watched from his office as workers dismantled each giant letter. C-H-E-N coming down one by one, like a countdown to the end of an era. Each letter that fell sent another ripple through the business world. Another reminder that empires built on cruelty had glass foundations. "Sir?" James entered with a stack of papers. "The board members are starting to turn on each other. It's getting ugly." "Show me." The documents revealed a beautiful mess. Harold Chen was accusing Thomas Chen of stealing company funds. Thomas was blaming Patricia for covering up losses. Patricia was threatening to expose everyone