Speak of the devil 😈😇

This is where everything changes

The morning started like a storm waiting to happen.

Kaelion Vale stood in front of the wide glass window of his penthouse office in Skybase Company, the tallest tower in the city. Fog kissed the edges of the skyline like whispered threats. His jaw was tense, his hands tucked deep into his pockets, coat perfectly pressed, shoes gleaming like authority itself.

There was an email on his screen. An anonymous tip.

A leak.

Classified files—internal strategy notes, acquisition plans, and sensitive data—had been forwarded to one of his competitors. He had proof now. The evidence was as neat and damning as a signature in blood.

His secretary had done it.

It wasn’t even subtle. Her prints were all over the document logs. She’d tried to be slick, to cover her tracks—but no one outplayed Kaelion Vale.

“Get in here,” he said, voice low but sharp, like the crack of black ice.

The door swung open.

She strutted in, lashes curled, lips glossed. “You called, Mr. Vale?”

He didn’t turn around.

“You leaked my files.”

Her breath caught, just slightly.

“I— I don’t know what you mean—”

He turned.

His stare was death. Cold, hard, and unreadable.

“You leaked my files,” he said again. Each word deliberate. Icy. “To Vaughn & Co. Thinking I wouldn’t find out?”

“I swear, I didn’t—”

“You think they could touch my acquisition deal without someone feeding them from the inside?”

She backed up.

“I didn’t—”

He stepped closer. One pace. Two. His presence felt like the pressure of a collapsing ceiling.

“Pathetic,” he said, gaze drilling through her like steel through glass. “You thought you were clever. You thought you could deceive me.”

Her voice trembled. “Please... it was a mistake, I didn’t mean—”

He reached his desk, opened a folder, and tossed a stack of printed emails and access logs onto the floor between them.

“You signed your betrayal in time stamps. Every click. Every login.”

Her legs weakened. “Please, I need this job—”

He bent down slightly, his face inches from hers, eyes fixed, sharp and unblinking.

“I don’t give second chances,” he said, voice so low it felt like a threat. “You betrayed Skybase. You betrayed me.”

She stood frozen, lips parted, breath shallow.

“You’re fired,” he said quietly.

“No—please, Mr. Vale—”

“You’ll be blacklisted,” he added, now circling her like a predator. “Every major firm will know your name. You’ll never touch corporate strategy again. I’ll personally see to it that your career ends before it even began.”

Her mouth trembled.

“You’ll be hearing from legal,” he finished. “Now get out—before I make this permanent.”

"Thank you stars that the file you sent was the wrong files otherwise -" he cut short give her a piercing gaze that made her whole body tremble

"Thank you sir, thank y-"She turned and fled, stumbling in her heels, shoulders quivering from the silent sobs she tried to hold back.

Kaelion didn’t blink.

He turned back to his screen, pressed the intercom.

“Get Julia in here. Now.”

Moments later, his manager rushed in, heels tapping in nervous rhythm. “Yes, sir?”

“I need a new secretary.”

“Understood. I’ll start interviewing again—”

“No.” He cut her off. “Now. You either bring someone to that desk in twenty minutes, or clear your own.”

Julia’s face drained of color. “Right away, sir.”

---

Across the City

Lana Everlyn was tangled in sheets, dreaming something soft, something distant—until her phone buzzed violently.

She blinked, groaned, reached for it blindly.

Unknown number.

She answered with a croaky “Hello?”

“Miss Everlyn?”

“Yes?”

“This is Julia from Skybase Company. You interviewed with us two weeks ago.”

Lana sat up. “Right, yeah—”

“You’re hired. Effective immediately.”

Her heart tripped. “Wait. Hired?”

“You’ll be assisting our CEO directly. Be here in forty minutes. Dress accordingly.”

The call ended.

Lana stared at her screen. “What the hell just happened?”

She jumped out of bed like she’d been electrocuted, yanked open her closet, and scrambled into her best outfit—a sleek cream blouse tucked into a high-waisted black skirt, paired with pointed heels. Her hair was brushed, twisted into a soft bun with elegant strands left loose around her face.

She darted into the kitchen, kissed her mother’s cheek quickly. “I got the job! I got it!”

Her mother’s eyes lit up. “That fancy place?”

“Yes! The Skybase Company. I have to go now, I’m already late.”

She reached down and ruffled Jace’s hair. “Be good today, okay?”

He blinked at her with wide brown eyes. “You look pretty.”

“I know,” she winked, then bolted out the door.

Outside, the morning air felt fresh and unreal. She waved down a cab and hopped in, fingers flying across her phone.

“Joey, pick up... pick up...”

A sleepy voice finally answered. “Lanora? Why’re you calling so—”

“I GOT THE JOB!” Lana screamed, laughing breathlessly. “Joey, I got it! Julia from Skybase just called me—out of nowhere. She said I’m hired. Not for some assistant role—straight to working under Kaelion Vale.”

There was silence for a beat. Then an explosion of squeals.

“YOU GOT THE JOB? Are you serious?! Lana, are you freaking serious? Under Kaelion Vale?”

Lana couldn’t stop smiling. “Yes. Effective immediately. I’m on my way now.”

“You sound like you just won the lottery.”

“I think I did.”

Joey squealed again. “Girl, you’re going to own that office. Strut like you invented heels. You look amazing, right?”

“I’m in my best outfit,” Lana said with a proud grin. “Cream blouse. That black skirt with the slit. My hair’s in a bun.”

“You look like power. You look like revenge.”

They laughed together. It felt good. It felt real.

Then Joey’s voice softened. “You deserve this. After everything? You deserve this.”

Lana swallowed the emotion tightening in her throat. “I really hope it works out. I just... I want something steady, Joey. Just something that makes sense.”

“You’ll make it work. That man won’t know what hit him.”

“Thanks,” Lana whispered.

“Now go kick some ass. And text me everything.”

“I will.”

The call ended.

Lana let the phone drop into her lap.

She turned her head, resting her temple gently against the cool glass of the cab’s window. Outside, the city moved fast—but inside the car, there was peace. Her heart, still fluttering, slowed just a little.

A part of her—the quiet, anxious part—was still trying to catch up to the reality of what was happening. But right now, in this moment, she felt the closest to calm she’d been in weeks.

She closed her eyes, exhaled slowly, and thought:

“Maybe... just maybe... this is where everything changes.”