LOST TO HIS GREATEST ENEMY

"Sign them, Sera. I’m done carrying the heavy burdenn." The white folder slammed onto the table as it gave a thud sound. Serafina didn't flinch as a drop of liquor landed near her thumb. Her knuckles remained steady around the stem of her wine glass, watching the floor lost mindedly. "Three years, Cassius," she said, her voice dropping low. "Nah…three years of you playing corporate royalty while the floor rotted under your feet," Cassius snapped, smoothing the lapel of his tuxedo. He stepped closer, his jaw tense, his eyes fixed sharply on her. “The board is cutting off our funding tonight. The stock price already dropped fourteen points before the market even opened, and every leak seems to be coming from files in your office. When the SEC starts investigating, you’re going to become a liability I can’t afford.” From behind the armchair near the bar, Vivienne stepped into the light, wearing a custom scarlet silk, the backless cut Sera had helped design four months ago. She rested her manicured fingers against Cassius's shoulder. Around her throat, the old emerald pendant Sera’s mother had left her rested against her collarbone. Vivienne’s eyes remained fixed on Sera’s hands. “Don’t make this into a big deal, Sera. The firm needs to cut ties and move on. Cassius is doing everything he can to protect the family’s reputation. And honestly, you were always better off working quietly behind a desk than trying to be the face of the company.” Sera’s eyes moved from the stolen emerald to the thick stack of papers in front of her. The terms were ridiculous. She would give up everything they owned together, sign an agreement preventing her from talking about the company, and even take responsibility for the debts uncovered during the firm’s financial investigation. He was handing her the company’s financial mess and trying to pass it off as a divorce settlement. Cassius leaned down, planting both hands on the desk, invading her space with the sharp scent of his cologne. “You signed a prenup, Sera. If you leave tonight, you get nothing but your clothes and your car. Sign these papers, or I’ll tell the press who approved the offshore transfers that emptied the company’s accounts this morning.” Outside, thunder rolled across the Hudson as the rain started falling, vibrating the panels. Sera picked up the pen resting beside the folder. Her signature flowed across the final line in swift, dark strokes. She capped the pen with a distinct click, laying it neatly in the crease of the paper. "There," she said. Cassius smirked, reaching out to drag the folder back. "Smart girl. I knew you'd see reason once—" The stem of the wine glass snapped between Sera’s fingers. The heavy base struck the edge of the glass desk, shattering into three jagged shards. In one fluid movement, before Cassius could pull his hands back, Sera slammed the broken edge down into the leather toe of his loafers. The thick fabric tore, the crystal embedding deep into the designer leather, inches from his foot. Cassius stumbled back with a strangled yell, tripping against the edge of the sofa. Vivienne shrieked, clutching the stolen emerald. Sera stood up, pulling a white linen napkin from the tray beside her. She wiped a small streak of red from her palm where the glass had grazed her skin, her expression utterly blank. She stepped around the desk, stopping inches from Cassius as he struggled to regain his balance. "You think you're throwing me out of your burning house, Cassius," she whispered with a very soft tonee. “I built this company from the ground up. When it falls apart, remember…I know exactly where to hit it.” She dropped the blood-stained napkin onto his chest and walked out. Sera navigated the crowd without looking at a single face, ignoring the sudden lull in conversations as guests caught sight of her bare neck, the stain on her cuff, and the rigid angle of her jaw. She slipped into the service corridor toward the eastern wing, pulling her personal tablet out from the hidden inner pocket of her blazer. Her thumb scanned the biometric lock. The screen flickered, displaying an automated system alert showing that a ghost wipe sequence was pushed to her cloud two minutes before Cassius threw the papers. Someone was actively shredding the internal ledgers for Sterling’s secondary holdings on floor sixty-eight. Her fingers flew over the glass, typing in a manual override command her father had taught her years ago. The screen lagged, red text scrolling down the dark display: ACCESS DENIED. DIRECTIVE EXECUTED BY ROOT USER. Sera stopped in the dimly lit stairwell, the door closing behind her with a thud. She tapped into the network log, tracing the IP address of the terminal that had authorized the wipe. It hadn't come from Cassius’s desk or the CFO's office. The wipe command carried a localized, low-level security clearance key meant to bypass primary security monitoring entirely. She dragged the raw code into her decryption tool. Five seconds later, the hidden system user ID unmasked itself on the screen. USER: V_VANCE_SEC_09 Sera stared at the glowing green letters. Valerius Vance. The quiet, unremarked assistant who had help Cassius for the last five years. The man who wore cheap suits, spoke only when asked a direct question, and never looked anyone in the eye. A new notification flashed at the bottom of her tablet. It was a single encrypted message from an unregistered satellite number. ‘The black car at the side exit is unlocked, Mrs. Sterling. It’s time to leave the gallery.’