The air was thick with the scent of aged whiskey and leather-bound w books as Eleanor Grant stood stiffly before Richard Bckwood, the firm’s managing director. His polished oak desk gleamed under the dim light, a crystal tumbler of bourbon half-finished beside him.

  "Eleanor," he began, his voice smooth with false warmth, "I just finished reviewing Sophie’s test deal. Aqua farms—

  5,000,000 acquisition, another 500,000 in fees. Remarkable work, don’t you think?"

  Eleanor’s jaw tightened. "She’s certainly… resourceful."

  Bckwood chuckled, swirling his drink. "Resourceful? The girl’s bringing in clients who pay cash for multimillion-dolr assets and don’t blink at half a mil in legal fees." He leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "Clients you couldn’t secure in twenty years here."

  The unspoken words hung between them:

  Sophie is the future. You are the past.

  Eleanor’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. "With all due respect, Richard, do we even know where this money is coming from? The due diligence—"

  "Is done," Bckwood cut in, his tone final. "And it’s impeccable. Because Sophie’s clients aren’t just wealthy—they’re untouchable."

  He took a slow sip, watching her over the rim of his gss. "Which is why, effective immediately, Sophie will be leading the new corporate restructuring division. Reporting directly to me."

  Eleanor’s breath left her in a rush. A direct line to the top. A division built just for her.

  Bckwood’s smile was thin. "I trust you’ll… support her transition?"

  "Oh, Hez.." Maya moaned.

  In his suite, Hez, while fondling the breasts of naked Maya on his bed, watched the numbers flicker on his screen:

  >>11,000,000 refunded.

  Current Money:

  29,630,000→35,630,000

  Hez then lift the naked girl and pounded her from behind. His long dick penetrated deep into her vagina and was moving at changing pace, making Maya moaning uncontrolbly. The floor has no one except the nurses under his control.

  ***

  The evening sun cast long shadows across Elise’s penthouse, the city’s skyline glittering beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. A half-empty gss of wine sat on the marble coffee table as she studied Li Vane, who lounged comfortably in a 12,000 Tom Ford suit, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her champagne flute.

  Li had just finished recounting Hezri’s test "mad investments"—the aqua farms, the Ferraris, the apartments—yet her tone was almost casual, as if discussing the weather rather than a financial empire built on incomprehensible whims.

  Elise’s smile was razor-thin.

  "So," she said, swirling her wine, "Hezri drops millions on you, buys you a Ferrari, an apartment in The Celestia… and still hasn’t asked for a single thing in return?"

  Li shrugged, her expression guileless. "Not yet, no."

  A beat of silence.

  Elise’s nails tapped against the gss.

  (Internally, Elise dissected every word, every flicker of Li’s gaze.)

  "Innocent?" No. Not anymore.

  The girl sitting across from her was still young, still idealistic in some ways—but the luxury had changed her. Not in the obvious ways, not in the desperate, cwing manner of a gold digger.

  Li wore wealth like it had always been hers.

  The way she sat, rexed but poised, as if the Ferrari keys in her purse were just another accessory.

  The way she spoke of Hezri’s spending—not with awe, but with a quiet confidence, as if she expected it.

  The way she met Elise’s gaze, unflinching, despite knowing full well Elise had once been the one pulling her strings.

  That was the most dangerous part.

  Hezri hadn’t just bought Li’s loyalty.

  He’d rewired her sense of worth.

  And now, Elise realized with a sinking feeling, Li no longer needed her.

  Elise leaned forward, her voice dropping to a murmur.

  "You know why he’s doing this, don’t you?"

  Li tilted her head. "Why does Hezri do anything? Because he can."

  A deflection. But not a denial.

  Elise’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. "He doesn’t just throw money at people, Li. There’s always a reason."

  Li took a slow sip of champagne. "Maybe the reason is that he likes me."

  Too simple. Too naive.

  Or—was it?

  Elise’s mind raced.

  What if Hezri wasn’t pying Li at all?

  What if he was pying her?

  If Li was truly Hezri’s favored protégé now, then Elise’s entire pn—to use Li as a pawn against him—was crumbling.

  Worse, if Li knew…

  But the girl just smiled, standing to leave.

  "Don’t worry, Elise," she said, adjusting her bzer. "I haven’t forgotten who helped me get here."

  A promise?

  Or a warning?

  Elise watched her go, the penthouse door clicking shut behind her.

  Then, alone, she finally let her mask slip.

  Her winegss shattered against the wall.