FROM RAGS TO THE THRONE

The rain didn’t fall that afternoon it slammed, battering against the high glass windows of the penthouse like nature itself was furious. Outside, the skyline of Westbridge City was shrouded in thick grey clouds, and the traffic below looked like ants caught in a flood Inside.

Adrian Kane sat in the corner of a plush leather couch, head bent slightly forward, eyes fixed on the mahogany coffee table between him and the woman pacing in front of him.

Selena Cross-Kane, tall, beautiful, and dripping in a designer dress that cost more than most people’s monthly rent, wasn’t pacing because she was nervous. No, the clack of her heels on the marble floor was sharp, purposeful, a sound she knew could get under someone’s skin.

She dropped a manila envelope onto the table. "Sign them," she said, folding her arms.

Adrian didn’t move. His dark eyes lifted from the papers to her face, studying her the way a chess master studies the board before making a move.

"Divorce?" His voice was calm, almost bored.

Selena’s lips curled. "Don’t act surprised. You and I both know this… whatever this is… is over."

He leaned back into the couch. "Why now?"

"Why not now?" She smirked. "Let’s be honest, Adrian. You’ve been dead weight for years. A man without ambition, living off my salary, eating my food, sleeping in my bed like you’ve earned it. You’re nothing but a"

"A gold digger," Adrian finished for her, his tone as smooth as glass.

Her smile sharpened. "Glad we agree. Sign the damn papers, Adrian. I’m done clothing and feeding you."

The words hit with surgical precision. She wanted to hurt him, to strip him of pride in the same way she believed she had stripped him of financial security. She had no idea.

Adrian let the silence stretch. Rain pounded harder against the windows. Selena, impatient, pulled out a gold pen from her handbag and placed it on the table.

"You know what’s sad?" she said, tilting her head. "I actually pitied you once. I thought maybe you’d get your life together. But you’re just… ordinary."

Adrian’s gaze flickered to the pen. Not because he needed it, there was another on the table, but because the pen was a custom Montclaire, engraved with the Kane Enterprises insignia. His insignia. She hadn’t even noticed.

"Where will you go?" he asked quietly.

"With Damien," she said without hesitation, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "He’s a real man. Ambitious. Powerful. Everything you’re not."

Adrian’s jaw tightened just slightly, enough for her to notice and feel she’d won this round. "Damien Locke?" he asked, voice even.

"Yes," she said, smiling like she’d just won the lottery. "A man who can actually give me the life I deserve."

Adrian almost laughed. Damien Locke, his biggest business rival, had been bleeding millions in quiet losses over the past year, losses engineered by Adrian himself.

He reached for the pen, turning it slowly in his fingers. "You’re certain?" he asked, voice steady, eyes never leaving hers.

Selena’s smirk widened. "More than I’ve been certain of anything in my life."

Adrian signed his name in a fluid motion, the black ink cutting clean across the paper. He capped the pen, set it down, and slid the envelope back toward her. "There," he said softly. "It’s done."

Selena snatched the papers, stuffed them back into her bag, and walked toward the door, As she reached for the handle, Adrian’s voice stopped her. "Selena."

She turned, one perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. "You have no idea what you’ve just done."

She laughed, tossing her hair. "Goodbye, Adrian."

The door slammed shut, Adrian sat there for a long moment, the echo of her heels fading down the hallway. Then he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his phone.

"Vivienne," he said when the call connected. His tone had shifted entirely, no longer passive, but precise, commanding. "She’s gone?" Vivienne’s voice was rich, controlled.

"Yes," Adrian replied. "It begins tonight."

From the other end of the line, Vivienne’s low laugh sent a ripple through the quiet penthouse. "Perfect. I’ll have the boardroom ready."

Adrian hung up and stood, walking to the window. Below, the city pulsed with life, unaware of the war about to unfold in its glittering towers.

The glass reflected his face back at him, not the meek, jobless man Selena thought she knew, but the real Adrian Kane: billionaire, CEO, and man with the means to destroy.

He took a slow sip of his drink, eyes fixed on the storm outside, Somewhere in the distance, Damien Locke was celebrating. Selena was probably in his arms already.

And neither of them knew they were already standing in the middle of Adrian’s chessboard.

A text buzzed on Adrian’s phone.