Alex In his small apartment, his hands shaking as he stared at the phone. The message flashed on the screen again: “Meet me at the club tonight. Don’t be late.”He didn’t know why he was nervous. He’d gone to that place hundreds of times, but something about tonight felt different. Maybe it was the way Mia, his girlfriend, had texted. Short. Cold. No smiley. No warmth. Just a command.“Whatever,” he muttered, shoving his phone into his pocket. He grabbed his jacket and left, trying to steady his nerves.The streets of New York were alive. Neon lights reflected off wet pavement from the earlier rain. Alex felt the city pulse beneath his feet. He had spent years scraping by working multiple part-time jobs, living in this tiny studio that barely fit his bed and a worn-out sofa but tonight, he wanted to feel like he belonged somewhere bigger. Somewhere powerful.He arrived at the club. The bass thumped against his chest, and the air smelled of perfume, alcohol, and cigarette smoke. He sca

The door to Alex’s suite barely clicked shut behind the visitor before Alex realized he had no idea who the woman was or why she had appeared so suddenly. She was tall, dressed in black tailored attire that screamed power, and her eyes were sharp, calculating, like someone who could read him through and through. Her presence filled the room like a storm, and Alex’s fists tightened almost instinctively.“I’m Claire,” she said smoothly, her voice commanding yet calm. “I’m here to teach you how to survive and dominate.”Alex blinked. “Dominate? Survive? What are you talking about?”Claire gave a small smile, almost amused by his confusion. “You’re the heir to Stanton Industries now. But wealth alone doesn’t make you powerful. It’s what you do with it. People like Mia and Jake, the ones who humiliated you, will try to control the narrative. They’ll think they can step on you, take from you, or even destroy you. You need to learn how to fight back. And not just fight… win.”Alex’s mind rac

Morning came with a strange calm.Alex sat by the window of his penthouse, staring at the rising sun that washed the skyline in gold. New York looked peaceful from up here, like a city that finally bent to his will. But the quiet didn’t fool him. Peace never lasted long in his world.The headline from yesterday still flashed on every business site:“Stanton Industries Exposes Internal Fraud: Executives Under Fire.”Lawrence and Vanessa were out of the game, at least for now. Suspended pending investigation. Their faces splashed across every news feed. It was Alex’s silent victory, and he loved every second of it.He should’ve felt satisfied. He had power, control, and his enemies were falling like dominoes. But deep down, something still burned, a restless feeling he couldn’t shake.Because no matter how much he rose, the ghosts of his past refused to stay buried.Claire walked into the suite like she owned the place, tossing a folder onto the table. “Congratulations, boss. You just s

The storm didn’t stop.For three days, rain hammered the city like a curse, washing the streets clean but never the sins buried beneath them. Inside the towering Stanton Industries headquarters, Alex stood by the glass wall of his office, staring down at the world he was beginning to own and the enemies he couldn’t yet see.Every win felt heavier now. Every move cost something.Claire entered quietly, a folder in hand. “Hayes made his move.”Alex didn’t turn. “What did he do?”She placed the folder on his desk. “Anonymous leaks. Financial misconduct, tax fraud, insider trading, your name’s all over it. He’s feeding the media fake reports with just enough truth to make them believable.”Alex finally faced her, his jaw tight. “And the board?”“They’re panicking. A few members already reached out to Helix ‘for reassurance.’ Hayes is trying to turn your people against you.”He didn’t blink. “Then we hit back harder.”That afternoon, the Stanton boardroom was filled with tension thick enou

The video’s glow flickered against the glass walls of the penthouse, washing the room in cold blue light.Mr. Stanton’s face filled the screen, older, weary, his eyes shadowed with the kind of guilt that time couldn’t erase.“If you’re watching this,” he began, his voice calm but heavy, “then you’ve stepped into my world. I built an empire, Alex, but every brick was laid with blood and lies. And the people who helped me build it… they were never meant to let me walk away.”Alex stood motionless, jaw tight.Claire didn’t breathe. The city outside was silent, as if listening too.“I joined the Serpent because I wanted control,” Mr. Stanton continued. “Not money. Not fame. Control. The kind that could move governments, rewrite laws, bury enemies without leaving a trace. And for a while, I thought I was untouchable.”He paused, his eyes flicking down as if searching for the right words.“But power doesn’t free you. It owns you. And when I realized what I’d become, what we’d become, I trie