Three Years Ago."Another champagne, Mr. Williams?"Carl shook his head at the waiter, watching the crowd of New York's elite mill about the ballroom. The annual Metropolis Charity Gala was the same every year—expensive dresses, fake smiles, and people writing checks they would use as tax deductions."You look like you would rather be anywhere else," Daniel said, appearing at his elbow with two glasses of whiskey."Perceptive as always." Carl accepted one. "Remind me why I'm here?""Because Williams Global Holdings just donated five million dollars to childhood literacy programs, and you need to smile for the cameras." Daniel clinked their glasses together. "Think of it as the price of being obscenely wealthy."Carl scanned the room, recognizing faces he had known since prep school. Senators' daughters, hedge fund heirs, tech moguls' sons, all playing the same social games their parents had played. None of them saw him as Carl. They saw his last name, his company, his net worth."I'm

"You need to see this."Emily's assistant, Rachel, burst into her office without knocking, tablet in hand. It was seven AM, and Emily had not slept. She had spent the entire night reading about Carl Williams—the real Carl Williams."What now?" "Barnes Corporation stock dropped three points overnight." Rachel set the tablet on the desk. "Investors are nervous about the Q3 audit next week."Emily's stomach clenched. The contracts. The irregularities Carl had warned her about. She had spent hours trying to unravel them, but the more she dug, the worse it looked."How bad is it?""Bad enough that the board wants an emergency meeting this afternoon." Rachel hesitated. "Emily, what's going on? These vendor contracts, they're a mess. Some of these companies don't even seem to exist.""I know." Emily rubbed her temples. "I'm handling it.""Are you? Because it looks like someone's been embezzling from the company, and if that comes out during the audit—""I said I'm handling it!" Emily yelled

"You have exactly five minutes."Carl led Emily onto the Plaza's terrace, away from the gala's prying eyes. The night air was cold, but Emily barely felt it. Nate had tried to follow, but one look from Carl's security had stopped him at the door."How long have you known?" Emily's voice shook."Known what?" Carl leaned against the railing, his posture relaxed but his eyes cold."Don't play games with me. How long have you been Carl Williams, billionaire CEO? The entire time we were together?""Yes." No hesitation or apology.Emily felt the ground shift beneath her feet. "You lied to me for three years.""I never lied. You assumed I was struggling, and I let you believe it." Carl checked his watch. "Four minutes.""Why?" The word came out as a broken whisper. "Why would you do that?""Because I wanted to know if someone could love me for who I am, not what I'm worth." Carl's expression was unreadable. "Turns out, the answer was no.""That's not fair—""Isn't it? I gave you three years,