Nathan woke before his alarm, the room still dark, the city quiet in the way it only ever was for a few minutes each morning. His eyes opened without urgency, but his chest tightened immediately, as if his body had remembered something his mind had not yet caught up to.He lay still, staring at the ceiling.The apartment felt different lately. Not unfamiliar, but heavier. Like it had absorbed every conversation that had ended unfinished, every night he had come home carrying decisions he couldn’t put down.He reached for his phone.No missed calls.No emergencies.That almost unsettled him more.Nathan swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. The floor was cool beneath his feet. He crossed to the window and pulled the curtain back just enough to let a thin blade of light spill in.Somewhere below, the city was already moving. Vendors setting up. Cars idling. People arguing softly over nothing that would matter by evening.Normal life.He envied it more than he liked to admit

The rain started without warning, drumming against the glass of Nathan’s office in sharp, irregular pulses. He didn’t notice immediately. He was too focused on the email thread blinking at him across the screen — requests, complaints, threats, and questions stacked like bricks. Each one had a tone carefully calculated to make him flinch. None of them succeeded.Cassandra stood behind him, arms crossed, the corner of her mouth tight. “They’ve escalated overnight,” she said. “Minor investors, former board allies, and a few journalists are now openly questioning your leadership. The leak about the family footage isn’t even old news anymore; they’re spinning it as a pattern.”Nathan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I expected as much.” His voice was flat, but his body betrayed him with a brief shiver. “It’s not the attack that matters. It’s how they hope I’ll respond.”“They want you reactive,” Cassandra said. “They want headlines, sound bites, and a story where you’re unstable. They’re cr

The morning came slow, muted by heavy clouds that hung over the city like a curtain of gray. Nathan woke to the sound of rain tapping against the glass of his apartment, steady and relentless, and for the first time in weeks, he allowed himself to linger in the quiet before the storm of the day began.Cassandra was already awake, moving through the kitchen with quiet efficiency, the scent of strong coffee curling in the air. Liam sat at the table, shoulders relaxed for once, reviewing a tablet with precise focus. Neither spoke immediately. Nathan simply observed them — his anchors, his confidants, the few people who had remained steady while the rest of the world wavered around him.He took the mug Cassandra handed him, letting the warmth seep into his hands. “The board?” he asked softly.“They’re restless,” Cassandra said, pouring herself another cup. “They haven’t seen you backpedal yet, and that makes them nervous. Some are considering open opposition. Others are quietly aligning w

The city felt colder than usual that morning, the wind slicing through narrow streets, rattling windows, and stirring a restless energy Nathan could feel in his bones. He stepped out of his car into the brisk air, coat collar raised, eyes scanning the skyline as though the buildings themselves might whisper secrets he needed to hear. Cassandra and Liam trailed him, both attuned to his every move, yet silent, letting him set the pace.The meeting had been scheduled at one of the family’s older properties — a converted warehouse now serving as a hub for strategy, planning, and occasionally confrontation. Nathan had insisted on this location; its neutral, industrial feel stripped away pretense, leaving only the raw facts, decisions, and actions to guide the room.Inside, the long table stretched like a line of fire. Several board members and family representatives had already arrived. Marcus was present, seated rigidly, fingers steepled, eyes fixed on Nathan as if willing him to falter. D

Nathan stepped off the elevator onto the forty-first floor of the corporate tower, the usual hum of the office subdued, almost tentative. Today was different. Today was the day he would confront the emerging threat not from the outside — the press, the shareholders, or the rival factions — but from the inside.Cassandra and Liam flanked him silently as he walked toward the conference room. The glass walls reflected a distorted view of the city outside, fragmented by raindrops still clinging to the windows from the night before. The air smelled faintly of polished wood, coffee, and the lingering tension of unspoken arguments.Inside, the senior executives had gathered, their expressions guarded, some strained. They had been following Nathan’s lead for months, but not everyone had adapted to the new approach — the transparency, the accountability, the refusal to let fear dictate decisions. A few were still loyal to old alliances, old loyalties, and old narratives.“Good morning,” Nathan