It started like any other Monday, with the hum of the office buzzing around me. But today felt different. Maybe it was the restless energy in the air, or maybe it was just me trying to shake off the heaviness of everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Max, Kiera, Olivia—all of it still sat in the back of my mind, a constant reminder that things weren't what they seemed.
But none of that mattered. I was here to work. I had a job to do, and nothing was going to stop me from doing it. Or so I thought.
The morning passed slowly. I glanced at my watch; it was almost noon. I was in the middle of reviewing financial statements when one of my junior analysts came over, her face pale, her steps quick. I didn't like the look in her eyes.
"Lila," she said, voice tight. "There's something wrong. Olivia's pulled a deal from under us."
I froze, my heart sinking into my stomach. Olivia? Pulling a deal? This wasn't like her. Olivia wasn't reckless. She played the game, yes, but she didn't make these kinds of moves without careful calculation.
"What do you mean, 'pulled a deal'?" I asked, trying to steady my voice.
The junior analyst handed me a file, and as I skimmed through the numbers, it hit me—this wasn't just a bad deal. This was sabotage. The projections had been doctored. Revenue numbers, which had been expected to come in at a high margin, were now slashed by half. There were errors everywhere—missing information, altered figures, and inconsistencies that could not be chalked up to a simple mistake. This was deliberate.
I sat back, staring at the pages in front of me. My mind raced. Why would Olivia do this? What was she trying to achieve? I couldn't ignore the unease building in my chest. Something bigger was at play here.
"Get me Victor," I said, my voice firm despite the storm brewing inside of me. I couldn't afford to lose control now. This was my company, my responsibility.
The junior analyst nodded and hurried off, leaving me alone with the mess Olivia had created. I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples, trying to clear my thoughts. I needed to focus.
Victor arrived quickly, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a sharp edge. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw tense as he scanned the documents I had spread out before me. He didn't say anything at first. Instead, he just stood there, processing what he was seeing.
"Lila, this is bad," he finally said, breaking the silence. "Very bad."
"I know," I replied, my voice low. "But why would Olivia do this? She knows the board won't tolerate this kind of mistake."
Victor looked up at me, his expression grim. "This isn't just a mistake. This is a move—a calculated one. She's making a play."
I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. I'd known Olivia was ambitious, but this? This was more than just a power grab. This was personal.
"She's trying to take control," Victor continued, pacing back and forth. "She's been working behind the scenes, manipulating the numbers, feeding misinformation to the board. And now, with this deal, she's positioning herself as the only one capable of leading the company."
My blood ran cold. "What do you mean, positioning herself? You think she's trying to push me out?"
Victor nodded, his eyes locked on mine. "Yes. She's using this crisis to make you look incompetent. And if we don't act fast, she'll have the leverage to take over."
I shook my head, unable to comprehend it. Olivia had always been competitive, sure, but this? This was a whole new level. She was undermining the entire company, risking everything, just to get ahead. I thought I knew her better than this.
"We need to stop her," I said, my voice stronger now. I couldn't let this happen. Not to me, and certainly not to the company I'd worked so hard to build.
"I'm already working on it," Victor replied. "But we need to know exactly who's backing her. If she has people on the inside, this will be harder than we think."
I nodded. The feeling of betrayal lingered in the air, thick and heavy. How had I missed all of this? How had I not seen Olivia's ambition turning into something darker?
"Do whatever it takes," I said, my tone resolute. "We can't let her get away with this."
Victor left the room to start gathering information. I knew I needed to take action too, but for a moment, I just sat there, staring at the mess Olivia had made. It wasn't just a corporate blunder; this was a direct attack on everything I had worked for.
The hours passed in a blur as I made calls, sorted through reports, and tried to formulate a response. I had to act fast, but every move I made felt like it was just barely keeping up with Olivia's schemes. I couldn't let her think she could get away with this.
Then, just when I thought I might catch my breath, the door to my office creaked open. I looked up, expecting Victor, but instead, it was Sebastian.
He didn't need to ask what was going on. His sharp gaze immediately settled on the papers in front of me, and he knew.
"You look like you're about to explode," he said, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed.
I didn't have time for small talk. "Olivia's trying to take control," I said, my voice taut with frustration. "She's been messing with the numbers, sabotaging the deals, trying to push me out."
Sebastian studied me for a moment, his eyes calculating. "She's playing a dangerous game. And if she's willing to go this far, it means she has something to gain."
I nodded, feeling the weight of his words. "She's not just after a promotion. She wants the entire company."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Then you need to be ready for whatever comes next."
I could hear the confidence in his voice, the reassurance that he was on my side. It was strange how easily I trusted him. Sebastian was calm in a way that made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I wasn't alone in this.
"I don't know what she's planning next," I said, my hands tightening into fists. "But I'm not going down without a fight."
"I never expected you to," Sebastian replied, his gaze unwavering. "But you need to move fast. Olivia isn't the only threat here. You need to think bigger. There's more to this than just her."
That stopped me in my tracks. "What do you mean?"
Sebastian didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to my desk and looked at the papers in front of me. "There's someone else pulling the strings," he said softly. "Someone who's behind all of this."
My heart skipped a beat. "Who?"
Sebastian's eyes locked onto mine. "Victor Dalton."
His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. Victor? My business partner? The man I'd trusted with everything?
"Are you saying…?" I started, but I couldn't finish the sentence. The idea was too much to bear.
"I'm saying you need to look deeper," Sebastian said, his voice low and steady. "Victor has his own agenda. And if Olivia's involved, it's because he wants her to be."
My mind reeled. This was bigger than I had thought. Much bigger. The people I'd trusted were now the very ones threatening everything I'd worked for.
I had no choice now but to confront it head-on. But with every piece of the puzzle falling into place, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was only scratching the surface of a much darker game.