"I gave you one task, just one!"
Mrs. Johnson's voice thundered through the office, sending a ripple of tension across the floor. Her eyes blazed with fury, hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The air between them crackled with pure, unfiltered rage.
"You messed it up, you idiot! Do you have any idea what you've done? You cost us billions of dollars—because of your spoiled, reckless attitude!"
Nora remained seated, entirely unaffected by the explosion before her. A slow smirk curled at the edges of her lips as she tilted her head, watching the older woman unravel.
"So what if I made you lose billions?" she said, her tone eerily calm. "I was the one who got the deal in the first place."
Mrs. Johnson slammed her hands onto the desk, the force rattling the papers strewn across it. "Do you think that gives you the right to act like some almighty genius?!"
Nora's scarlet-red eyes flickered with amusement as she leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. "You're acting like I burned the company to the ground," she mused, brushing an invisible speck of dust off her sleeve. "Though, if I'm being honest, that would've been fun."
"Is this how you talk to your seniors?"
A low, slow chuckle left Nora's lips, growing into something darker, something twisted. She laughed like a woman who had never known fear, like someone who thrived in chaos. When she finally spoke, her voice dripped with venom.
"Mrs. Johnson, you're mistaken," she whispered, her smile widening unnervingly. "You are no longer my senior."
For the first time, a flicker of hesitation passed through Mrs. Johnson's eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Nora reached into her bag, pulling out a crisp, neatly folded document. Without breaking eye contact, she tossed it onto the desk. The papers fluttered before settling right in front of the older woman.
"Take a good look," she said. "That's my resignation."
A stunned silence filled the office. Every breath, every movement in the room ceased.
Then, without another word, Nora stood up, adjusting the cuffs of her blazer. Her heels clicked against the polished floor as she turned on her heel and strode toward the exit, exuding an aura of unshakable confidence.
"Hope the company survives without me," she called over her shoulder, not bothering to look back. "Good luck. You'll need it."
The last thing Mrs. Johnson heard was the sharp echo of her heels fading into the hallway.
Outside, the crisp evening air greeted Nora as she stepped onto the pavement. She inhaled deeply, letting the cool wind brush against her face. Then, a small chuckle escaped her lips.
"A shame, really," she muttered, tucking a stray strand of silver hair behind her ear. "Leaving with such a minor loss feels almost… disappointing."
She strolled leisurely down the street, her fingers absentmindedly trailing along the fabric of her coat. The city lights flickered around her, casting long shadows on the sidewalk.
It was funny, really.
Framing the company for fraud? Done. Ruining its reputation? Child's play. Forcing employees to quit? Too easy. Publicly humiliating the CEO on national television? Now that had been satisfying.
She had single-handedly torn apart a corporation that once stood untouchable. And yet, a nagging feeling gnawed at her.
"I should've gone further," she mused. "Maybe had it banned worldwide? Now that would've been fun."
Nora Vaynerchuk was a name that sent shivers down the spine of corporate elites.
Scarlet-red eyes like a predator. Silver hair sharp as needles. Nails like a vampire's claws. And a scar running down her cheek, stretching to her neck—a reminder of a past no one dared ask about.
She was as captivating as she was dangerous, a serpent among humans.
The business world feared her, whispered her name in hushed voices.
But most knew her by another title—The Black Viper.
She had crushed billion-dollar corporations for sport. Brought CEOs to their knees with nothing but her wit and ruthlessness. If she decided a company had become inconvenient, she erased it.
No second chances. No mercy.
Her heels clacked against the pavement as she made her way home, the city's neon lights reflecting in her crimson eyes.
Then, something caught her attention.
A small bookstore, nestled between two towering buildings. It was old, almost forgotten, with a flickering sign barely holding onto life.
Curious, she stepped inside.
The scent of aging paper filled the cramped space. Shelves loomed over her, packed tightly with books of all shapes and sizes. A thick layer of dust coated some of them, as if they hadn't been touched in years.
Her gaze landed on a particular book—a small one, wrapped in dark paper, tied with a crimson ribbon.
She picked it up.
The young store clerk—a lanky man barely in his twenties—froze the moment he saw her. His face paled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"You… y-you want that book?" he stammered.
Nora leaned in slightly, her gaze sharp and piercing. "Yes. Is there a problem?"
The man visibly trembled, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
"N-no! Of course not!" he squeaked.
"Good," she said coolly. "How much?"
"F-fifteen dollars, miss."
She tossed the cash onto the counter, grabbed the book, and walked out without another word.
At home, Nora threw her office bag onto the bed and stripped off her blazer. She made her way to the bathroom, stepping into the steaming shower. The warm water cascaded down her back, washing away the remnants of the day.
But her mind kept drifting back to the book.
Why did it feel… different?
After drying her hair, she sat at her desk, fingers tracing the crimson ribbon. A strange sense of anticipation curled in her chest.
Slowly, she untied the ribbon and peeled away the dark paper.
Her scarlet eyes flickered with mild curiosity—until she read the title.
"Why My IQ is Equal to Poop."
Silence.
Nora blinked. Once. Twice.
What. The. Hell.
A vein twitched on her forehead.
The book flew across the room, smacking against the wall with a dull thud.
"...What kind of sick joke is this?" she growled, rubbing her temples.
For the first time in a long while, Nora Vaynerchuk—the woman who had destroyed corporations, the feared Black Viper—was utterly baffled.
And just like that, she had met her most unexpected challenge yet.
#Small cookies 0.1:
Nora's height is 5'7 feet