Chapter 1: The Invisible King
The clock on the wall of the Thorne Enterprises boardroom struck 2:00 AM.
Leo Thorne gripped the handle of his mop, the rhythmic swish-slosh against the marble floor the only sound in the silent skyscraper. To the rest of the world, this building was a monument to power. To Leo, it was his own house—and right now, he was cleaning it.
"Hey! You! Janitor!"
Leo didn't turn around immediately. He was still getting used to being addressed like a servant.
A young man in a wrinkled suit, Marcus, the junior marketing manager, stormed into the room. He deliberately stepped right over the wet trail Leo had just mopped, leaving muddy footprints behind.
"Are you deaf? I spilled coffee in my office. Clean it up. Now," Marcus snapped, checking his gold watch—a watch Leo knew was a knockoff.
"The floor is still wet, sir," Leo said quietly, keeping his head down. "It’s a safety hazard."
Marcus laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "A hazard? The only hazard here is your paycheck. Do your job, loser. You’re lucky Thorne Enterprises even lets people like you through the front door."
Leo watched Marcus walk away, unaware that the 'loser' he was insulting had signed his promotion papers just last week.
Leo sighed, dipping his mop back into the bucket. He wasn’t doing this because he had to. He was doing this because he was tired of the fake smiles and the gold-diggers who only saw his billions. He wanted to see who people really were when they thought no one important was watching.
Suddenly, the heavy glass door pushed open again. Leo braced himself for another insult, but instead, a soft voice reached him.
"Oh! I am so sorry. I didn't see you were mopping here."
Leo looked up. It was Claire. He recognized her from the HR files—a brilliant lead analyst who had been passed over for a raise twice. She was holding a stack of files, her eyes tired but kind. She didn't step on his wet floor. Instead, she walked the long way around.
"It's alright, Miss," Leo said, surprised.
"You're working late," she said, offering a small, sympathetic smile. "Here... I have an extra bottle of water. You look like you could use it more than I do."
She placed the bottle on a nearby desk and hurried off before he could thank her. Leo looked at the water, then at the door where she disappeared.
For the first time in three years, someone had seen the man, not the suit. And for the first time in three years, Leo Thorne felt like more than just a bank account.
