I Built Her Empire — Then I Buried It

08. Shaken foundation

The calls didn't stop.

Every week, a new media house wanted an interview. Reporters wanted to know who was behind the company that had come out of nowhere and was now beating out firms that had been around for decades. Mikael's assistant had a folder full of requests he never answered.

"You could say yes to just one," Aurora said one evening, going through the list with him. "It would be good for the company. People want to know your face."

"Not yet," Mikael said.

"Why not? We're doing well. People would love your story."

"It's not time," he said again, and this time his voice left no room for more questions. Aurora studied him for a moment, then let it go. She'd learned by now that when Mikael said something wasn't time yet, he had a reason, even if he didn't share it.

-

Across town, in a house far bigger than anything Mikael had lived in for the past five years, a very different conversation was taking place.

Derek stood in his father's study, head down, saying nothing. He didn't need to. His father was already saying enough for both of them.

"Do you have any idea how much this cost us?" His father's voice was low, but it shook the room more than shouting would have. "Millions. Gone. Because you didn't read the contract properly. Because you were too busy at parties to check the numbers before you signed."

"It was a mistake, Father," Derek mumbled. "I'll fix it."

"You said that last time too."

His mother stepped forward, her hands clasped tight. "Please, honey," she said softly. "Just give him one more chance. He's still learning."

"Learning?" His father turned to her sharply. "He's been learning for years. How many more chances does he need before he actually learns something?"

"It was just a mistake," she said again. "He'll fix it, I promise."

Hearing her say it so calmly, like it was nothing, made something in him snap. He slammed his hand down on the desk.

"I have two failures for sons," he said. "Two."

His wife's face went pale, then hard. "Derek is nothing like that useless boy," she shot back. "Have you forgotten what he did? What he almost cost this family?"

"It's been over four years," his father said. "Four years. The world has moved on. Nobody even remembers what happened back then. But you know what people are starting to remember? That your son is a failure and can't even run his own company properly."

The room went quiet.

"I'm giving you two options," he said, his voice cold now, final. "Find Mikael and bring him home. Now. Or your son can join him in exile, and we'll see how well he manages on his own for a while."

His wife stared at him, stunned into silence for the first time in years.

-

Lucas found her in the living room, phone in hand, scrolling through emails with the kind of tense, jaw-tight focus that had become her default expression lately.

"Babe," he said carefully, "have you heard back from Amora Group?"

"If I had heard back," she snapped, not looking up, "do you think I'd still be sitting here checking my phone every five minutes?"

He took a step back, hands raised slightly, and said nothing. There wasn't a version of that answer that would have gone well, and he'd learned that much over the past few months, at least.

It hadn't always been like this. Somewhere in the last three months, the woman he was dating, outgoing and always the life of the party, had started disappearing into someone else. Someone who snapped first and thought later. Someone who only reached for him when it suited her, and pulled away the second it didn't. Lucas was bored of it.

He did his best to swallow the irritation building in his own chest and forced a smile instead. "Give it time," he offered. "These things take a while. You know that better than anyone."

Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "That's it? That's all you've got? Give it time?" Her voice climbed, sharp and furious. "Do you ever have anything useful to say, Lucas? Anything at all? At least Mikael was—"

She stopped herself mid-sentence, but it was already too late the moment his name came out of her mouth.

The word hung in the air between them, impossible to take back. Lucas stared at her, and for a moment, neither of them said anything at all — the silence doing far more damage than either of their voices could have.

Then his face went cold, all the softness gone from it in an instant.

"Fuck you," he said quietly.

He didn't wait for her to respond. He grabbed his keys off the counter and walked out, the door slamming hard enough to rattle the frame, leaving Vivienne alone in an apartment that suddenly felt a lot bigger than it had five minutes ago.