*Story Title: "The Ice I Became*Chapter 1

The Deal she killed

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*Chapter 4: The Deal She Killed*

The boardroom was silent.

20 CEOs. 3 investors. 1 projector.

And me.

I walked in 2 minutes late. On purpose.

Black power suit. Red lips. Diamond heels.

Rayan was already sitting at the head of the table.

For Rayan Corp.

Our eyes met. For a second he looked hopeful.

Then I smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I said. "Let's begin."

My assistant put the presentation on screen.

`Queen Holdings x Rayan Corp - $200 Million Merger`

Rayan straightened. This was his deal. His comeback.

I clicked the next slide.

`STATUS: TERMINATED`

The room gasped.

"What?" Rayan stood up. "Alia, we signed the MOU last week."

I didn't look at him.

"That was Alia from 2 years ago," I said calmly.

"I don't sign deals with companies who break loyalty."

I paused. Looked at every single person in the room.

"And I don't do business with ex-options."

Rayan's face went red. "You're doing this because of us."

"I'm doing this because of numbers," I lied smoothly.

"Queen Holdings deserves better partners."

I closed my laptop.

"Meeting adjourned."

As I walked out, I heard one of the investors whisper,

"She's ruthless."

Another one replied, "She's a Queen."

My phone buzzed as I reached the elevator.

Unknown number.

`You just cost me $200M. Was it worth it? - R`

I typed back. One line.

`Yes.`

And hit send.

For the first time in 2 years... I felt free.

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*End of Chapter 4*