Chris entered Kate's building at 7:00am and knocked at her apartment at about 7:02am.

She was barefoot with a silk robe and a coffee she planned to take .

She didn't look surprised as she opened her door and let him in.

"You broke into my building", she said calmly.

"I bought your building", he corrected sharply.

Kate picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip.

"That's dramatic", she said.

"I don't do dramatic things", he said calmly.

"You just purchased real estate before breakfast and you think that isn't dramatic".

He looked through the room and realized how clean her room  was . No personal pictures hanging .

"You live like you are about to move out", he observed.

"I am",

He fixed his eyes now on her . "Not anymore".

She walked past him deliberately, the fabric of her robe brushing his arm. "You're early".

"I don't like waiting", he said softly.

"I like keeping men waiting cause it makes them nervous", she replied with a soft smile.

"I'm not part of your men".

"No", she agreed softly. "You're worse".

Chris placed a file on her glass counter. The file contains details of the contract;

"Exclusive contract, duration of six months and you have to represent only the Cena Empire".

"And what do I get?" Kate asked curiously.

"You get access".

"But I already have access".

"You don't have it in my world though". He clarified.

She opened the file and saw the amount and it looked really generous.

"You're overpaying", she said softly.

"I don't negotiate for things I want, I just go for it", he said arrogantly.

"There it is again", she said curving her lips.

"What?".

"The fact that you want to own me". She said .

He became uptight . "I am offering you protection".

"Protection from who?", she asked.

"From everyone".

She closed the file slowly while smacking her lips.

"And if I refuse?".

His voice dropped. "You won't".

Kate stepped closer. "You like control because you are afraid of losing it".

"Sign it", he said  quietly while trying to ignore her eye contact.

She moved his face towards her. "Kiss me first".

His breathing slowed.

"Are you trying to manipulate me?" He said,

"But buying my building isn't manipulation?" Kate replied to him slowly but softly.

He stepped forward until her back touched the glass counter.

"You think this is a game?", he murmured.

"I think you don't know how to separate business from desire". She replied.

His voice became almost gentle . "I beg your pardon, I separate everything".

"Well, that's your problem,"she replied sharply.  

He leaned closer, stopping inches away from her lips.

She felt his control like heat against her skin.

"You want me to choose you", she whispered.

"Yes, cause I am the right person for you", he said.

"Give me a reason beyond money".

His fingers finally brushed her waist firmly but possessive.

"I don't share", he said affirmatively.

Her pulse jumped a bit.

"And if I refuse to be kept?".

His eyes went dark and cold . "You won't".

She almost believed him for a second and then her phone buzzed.

A message notification from an unknown number flashed on her screen.

Ask Chris how his father really died

Kate went numb.

Chris noticed immediately.

"Who is it?".

"Wrong message", she said smoothly with a smile.

But her mind was racing. She looked at him carefully.

"Tell me something I don't know".

"What?".

"How did your father die?" She asked.

His hand left her waist immediately.

"He died from heart failure".

"How convenient ", she interrupted sharply.

His eyes hardened . "You should be careful with the things you say".

"Why should I be?". "Did someone push him toward having a heart failure?".

Silence engulfed the room.

His voice increased but was uneasy. "My father was under pressure".

"From who?".

He stepped back completely from her now. "You're crossing lines".

Kate picked up the file, opened and closed it gently. "So are you". She replied.

Elisabeth Cena watched the security update on her tablet.

Chris had been inside Kate's apartment for fourty minutes.

Her assistant stood across from her desk. "We've begun background checks", he said.

"What did you find?".

"We didn't find anything illegal. She's very careful", he replied with assurance.

Elisabeth smacked her lips. "Everyone has a price or a weakness".

"But we actually found something", her assistant said sharply.

Elisabeth looked up immediately.

"Kate's father once attempted to sue Cena Empire thirteen years ago for wrongful termination, but the case was dismissed".

Elisabeth went mute.

"What's his name ?".

He handed her the file that contained the document.

She read it once and in her mind she said "interesting " with a wicked smile on her face.

"Does Chris know about this?" the assistant asked.

"No, he doesn't know". Elisabeth replied with a slow smile.

"I want him to fall deeper with her first".

Back in the apartment , Chris adjusted his suit amidst the tension between both of them.

"You're signing the contract", he said flatly.

Kate moved her head a bit. "Why are you really threatened by other men?".

"I'm not threatened."

She stepped around him slowly, circling him like a strategist studying a syndicate .

"You don't fear other men touching me," she said quietly. "You fear your mother seeing you choose me".

His eyes caught hers .

"That's not true. Where did you get that notion from?".

"She controls your image, your decisions, your board and maybe your entire existence".

"You know nothing about my mother", he said grudgingly.

"I know she hates me without meeting me".

He didn't reply to her .

Kate softened her tone slightly. "Why does your mother hate me?".

Chris looked away from her .

"She believes women distract men from gaining power," he said quietly.

"And what do you believe?".

"I believe distractions should be eliminated".

She licked her lips. "And am I a distraction to you?".

"Yes, you are".

She was surprised he replied to her honestly.

"And yet you are here".

He lowered his voice. "I can control my distractions".

She stepped closer to him again.

"Control me then", she said in a seductive way.  

He grabbed her waist suddenly, not harshly but very firm.

"Don't test me", he warned softly.

She whispers . "Or what?".

His thumb brushed the inside of her robe touching her waist .

"You won't like the answer".

She leaned closer. "Try me".

He kissed her with dominance .

Her fingers curled into his shirt.

And for a moment, neither of them were thinking about Elisabeth or contracts or secrets.

They were just feeling the heat and possession.

He then pulled back first.

"Sign it," he repeated.

She looked at him carefully and signed it.

That night, she sat alone again when the unknown number texted her .

You're closer than you think. Elisabeth didn't inherit power. She took it.

Who is this?  Kate typed back.

An email arrived instead of a reply.

She opened it. It was a scanned document.

Old board meeting minutes from the week of Mr. Cena's death.

Emergency transfer of voting rights to Elisabeth Cena approved prior to official medical confirmation.

 The one line that was highlighted.

Kate's heart skipped a bit.

In her mind " Prior to medical confirmation?"

"Does that mean Elisabeth secured control before her husband was declared dead?".

She was snapped out of her thoughts when her phone rang .

It was Chris .

She hesitated at first but answered.

"Are you satisfied?" He asked.

"With what?"

"Your contract and your new life".

She stared at the document in her mail.

"Tell me something honestly," she said.

"What?"

"Did your father know he was losing control before he died?"

A long silence was felt.

"Where are you getting this from?" Chris asked slowly.

"But I am asking you".

"You're investigating my family?".

"I'm just protecting myself". She said sharply.

"You think my mother is dangerous?".

Kate looked at the mail again.

"I think she is strategic".

Chris' breathing changed.

"If you're playing a game, Kate ...."

"I'm not playing", she interrupted.

"Then stop digging", he shouted.

"Why?"

His voice dropped into something darker .

"Because if you find something you don't understand .... I might not be able to protect you".

"From your mother?", Kate asked coldly.

"No, from me", he said quietly.

He hung up.

Kate stared at her screen for a few seconds and walked to her window.

Elisabeth stood up from her chair.

"Hmmmn, she is curious", she murmured.

She  walked to her safe and unlocked it and brought out a small sealed envelope.

On the envelope was her late husband's handwriting.

If anything happens to me

"Curiosity ruins women like you", she whispered to the empty room while touching the envelope lightly .

She picked up her phone and dialed a strange number.

"It's time to accelerate the Brussels deal", she said softly.

Chris stood alone in his private lounge office, staring at a picture of his father.

"You shouldn't have left me with her", he muttered.

His phone beeped.

A message from a private number.

She knows about the board transfer. Ask your mother why it was signed before your father's heart stopped.

Chris looked blankly at his phone screen.

Something inside him didn't feel right.

He whispered "only his mother, the family lawyer and ...... Kate know about the time discrepancy".

At 2:17am, Chris stood in front of his mother's office door inside the High Rise but didn't knock, he just entered.

Elisabeth was sitting behind her desk reading documents religiously.

"You look like your father when you are troubled", she said without looking up.

"Why were the board's voting rights transferred to you before he was declared dead?".

Elisabeth turned a page of the document in her hand calmly. "Is that why you couldn't sleep?".

"Answer me", he said sharply.

She looked at him anxiously.

"You are CEO, you have access to records", she said.

"But I want your answer".

She looked at him carefully.

"You've been spending too much time with her".

"Mother, this isn't about Kate". He said with his voice slightly loud.

"It's always about that woman". She said calmly.

Chris stepped closer to her desk. "Why was it signed early, I ask?".

Elisabeth folded her hands. "Because your father was dying".

"But he hadn't been declared dead".

"You know medical confirmation lags behind what we know and see, right?" She countered.  

"That's not what I asked".

"You think I staged his death?" Her voice sharpened slightly.

"I think you were prepared".

Silence engulfed the room.

"I was protecting you". Board members were already circling and if we hadn't secured control, they would have taken everything before the ambulance arrived". She said quietly.

"So, you signed the transfer before his heart stopped?. He asked sharply.

Elisabeth's eyes flickered.

"Well..... How do you know that?" She asked softly.

Chris didn't answer.

"She's digging", Elisabeth said coldly .

"Leave her alone"

"You brought her into this", she said with a loud voice.

"I can handle her", Chris replied.

Elisabeth stood up slowly.

"You cannot handle a woman who survives by reading men's weaknesses ".

His voice dropped. "She's not manipulating me".

Elisabeth walked around him.

"Every woman manipulates", Christian. The question is whether you notice".

"Did my father know?" He asked.

She stopped circling him

"Yes"

When Chris heard that he shook a bit but regained composure.

"He agreed?" He asked.

"Well, he didn't fight it".

"But, why?".

"Because he was tired", Elisabeth said with a smirk.

"Tired of what?".

"Of being betrayed" her look became hardened.

"By you or....?", he asked.

A sharp slap landed across his face suddenly.

"You forget who built this company beside him. You forget who cleaned up his excesses" she said coldly.

Chris held his cheek.

"You are hiding something", he said.

"And you are becoming emotional".

"I'm becoming aware".

Elisabeth stepped back. "Be careful, because awareness destroys families".

Chris didn't respond as he left .

She exhaled slowly then picked her phone.

"Watch her more closely. If she continues digging, I want an upper hand". She instructed the unknown person on the line.

She ended the call. Her fingers trembled slightly.

Kate Milmar didn't ignore patterns  and she doesn't get scared easily.

Another message from the unknown person came in  at 7:42am.

You're asking the wrong question. Ask why the autopsy was delayed.

She murmured  "autopsy delayed?".

She had not seen that detail . She opened her laptop immediately and went to her archived press coverage, medical records and legal fillings.

She saw it.

Three day delay before final autopsy confirmation.

"Hmmmn ... .this is unusual for a high-profile CEO", she whispered.

Her mind started connecting dots together .

"Oh!! I see with the emergency transfer, immediate press conference and now delayed autopsy"

"Elisabeth had stood up strong that day, looking controlled, tearless and prepared". She continued.

Kate leaned back in her chair .

"This is bigger than inheritance", she murmured.

Her phone rang. It was Chris.

She answered on the fourth ring.

"Are you investigating autopsy reports now?" He asked without greeting.

She smiled slightly . "Are you watching me now?".

"I asked a question. "You are digging into my father's death".

"So are you", she countered.

"Who's feeding you with information?" He demanded.

"No one".

"Don't lie to me".

Kate stood and walked up to her window.

"I really don't need to be fed. Your family history is messed up".

His voice darkened. "You think this is a game?".

"No," she said softly. "I think it's survival".

"Survival for who?" he asked.

"For me".

His tone changed after a long pause. But this time lower and you could hear the danger in his voice.

"If you continue, you will put yourself in danger".

"From you?"

He didn't answer.

"Chris..... if your mother secured control before your father died, it means she expected him to die". She said coldly.

"She was protecting the company".

"Or herself you mean?" She said calmly.

His breathing quickened . "You don't know her," he said with a high tone.

"Oh! I know powerful women"

"And you think you're one of them?"

"Yes, I am".

He didn't respond. But said something that shocked her.

"Come to the Private Lounge tonight".

"That sounds like a command".

"Well, it is".

"And if I refuse".

"You won't," he smiled.

"You're very confident," she said softly.

"No, he corrected her quietly ."I'm very aware"

He hung up.

That night, Kate entered the High Rise through the private elevator.

Chris was waiting inside the Private Lounge alone.

He looked like an ordinary man waiting for his bride to come and meet him.

"You came," he said with a smile.

"I'm curious".

He poured two glasses of wine.

"You like danger", he observed.

"I only like the truth".

He handed her a glass.

"You think my mother killed him", he said bluntly.

"I just think she moved too fast".

"You don't hold back in rooms full of men, but you do that around her". Chris said.

"She hates me", Kate said calmly.

"She doesn't trust you".

"She doesn't trust anyone who she can't control".Kate said sharply.  

Chris stepped closer.

"You think I'm being controlled?"

"I think you are trying not to be".

His hand brushed her face lightly.

"You're playing with something you don't understand".

"Then explain it".

His voice dropped.

"My father was not weak.

Kate said calmly. "I didn't say he was".

"He was betrayed", Chris continued.

"By who?".

His eyes went dark.

"Someone inside the company".

Kate looked at him carefully.

"Was it your mother?".

He placed his glass down and suddenly pulled her closer.

He kissed her slowly, with intent and not with dominance or possession.

He tightened his hands around her waist.

"Stop digging," he murmured against her lips.

"Then tell me the truth", she whispered.

"You don't want the truth".

"I always want the truth".

He pulled away slightly, looking at her face.

"If I lose my mother....."he began, then stopped.

She saw something clearly now.

His greatest fear is losing his mother's love and becoming weak for a woman.

"You're not afraid of me," Kate said softly. "You're afraid of choosing me".

He didn't deny it.

Suddenly, the elevator chimed.

Both of them froze.

The Private Lounge  doors slid open slowly . Chris's security system didn't alert any guest.

It was Elisabeth Cena. She stepped out elegantly, calm but deadly.

Her eyes moved from her son's hand on Kate's waist to Kate's face with disgust.

"So, this is how my son conducts investigations," Elisabeth said smoothly.

Chris released Kate immediately.

"Mother......"

"I warned you", Elisabeth interrupted.

Kate didn't move.

"Elisabeth," she  said calmly. "I was hoping we would finally meet".

Elisabeth gave her a side smile.

"You're trespassing".

"I was invited".

Elisabeth  turned to her son

"You brought her into this house".

Chris was shocked . "It's my house".

"It's my husband's building", Elisabeth correctly said sharply.

The tension became tough.

Kate looked at Elisabeth carefully.

"You moved very quickly after his death", Kate said softly.

Chris opened his eyes widely.

Elisabeth looked at her sharply.

"You're bold", Elisabeth said.

"I'm just obversant".

Elisabeth stepped closer and stood face to face with Kate, looking straight into her eyes.

"Women like you survive by attaching themselves  to powerful men".

"While women like you survive by becoming them". Kate responded sharply.

Silence erupted between them.

Chris stepped forward. "Enough, both of you".

Elisabeth kept staring at Kate.

"You think you're clever ", Elisabeth said quietly. "But you are digging into something that will bury you".

"Then stop hiding it", Kate replied harshly.

Elisabeth's composure cracked for the first time.

"You don't know what happened in that hospital room", she said.

Kate's pulse increased.

"Then tell me".

Elisabeth looked at her son.

"Ask him who was there when his father's heart stopped?".

Chris went completely still.

Kate slowly turned towards him.

"Chris?"

He didn't say anything.

Elisabeth turned back toward the elevator.

"You want the truth?", she said softly. "Ask him why he signed the final consent form".

The elevator doors closed.

Kate's voice was shaking.

"What consent form?"

Chris looked away from her.

"It was a medical authorization", he said quietly.

"For what?"

He moved back a bit.

"To stop resuscitation".

Kate was shocked.

"You were there?", she whispered.

"Yes"

"And you signed it?"

"Yes, I did".

There was silence . Her heart pounded violently.

"Did you  want that or your mother?", she asked.

Chris finally looked at her.

His eyes were very dark.

"He didn't have a choice".

Kate stepped back slowly.

"What does that even mean?".

He didn't answer.

Kate stepped back completely while murmuring.

"Did Chris help Elisabeth to do it?".

You signed it", she repeated quietly.

"Yes".

The answer was steady . It was just too steady.  

She could hear her heart beating fast.

"Why?"

"He was already gone", he said.

"But that's not what your mother implied".

He didn't answer.

Kate stepped closer. "What did the consent form say exactly?".

He looked at her closely. "Do not resuscitate ".

Her breathing seized for a bit.

"You signed a DNR for your father?"

"Kate, he was unconscious ".

"That's not what I asked".

"His organs were failing. The doctors asked for a decision. My mother was agitated".

"But you  just said she was prepared".

No words . Now, his words are contradicting.

Kate's mind sharpened.

"You were the calm one, you made the call", she said slowly.

"I made the logical call", he corrected.

"You ended it".

His eyes became brighter.

"I ended his suffering".

Kate looked at his face trying to catch his expression.

"You're not sure", she whispered.

He set his glass down, almost breaking it.

"I don't live in doubt".

"Well, you live in control", she said calmly.

"And you?" He asked. "Oh! Well, you live in manipulation".

She didn't move.

"I beg to differ but I live in strategy".

They stood away from each other and you could feel the tension amidst them.

"You think I killed my father?" He asked quietly.

"I think you were pressured".

"By my mother?" He smiled.

"By power".

He laughed coldly. "You always think you understand this family".

"I think your mother, your mother, doesn't hate me for my profession".

"She hates me because I remind her of something".

"Of what?", he asked.

"Of a woman who once had influence over your father".

Chris' breathing slowed down dangerously but you could hear it because of how silent the room had become.

"You're reaching".

"Am I?".

She moved closer to him now .

"What if your father wasn't betrayed by a business partner? What if he was betrayed at home?" She said with a low voice.

He grabbed her waist firmly enough to stop her from speaking.

"Careful", he said.

Her heart cracked from the way his control was beginning to crack.

"Did he love someone else?", she pressed.

He tightened his grip around her waist.

"Stop".

"Don't you want to know?"

"I said stop", he said with a calm voice but it felt dangerous.

She leaned closer, whispering against his mouth.

"If your mother secured power before he died.... maybe she wasn't protecting you".

"Maybe she was only protecting herself".

He released her suddenly and stepped back.

"You're done digging", he said sharply.

"You don't control that".

"I do".

"How?" She challenged

"Because if you push further, like I already told you, I will destroy the only leverage you think you  have" he said with a darker voice.

"And what leverage is that?"

He looked straight into her eyes.

"Me".

Kate felt it and thought it was true because she had entered his world strategically.

Elisabeth stood in the old master bedroom she had once shared with her late  husband.

She hasn't slept there in years.

The unknown person stood in the shadows near the door.

"You told her about the consent form", Elisabeth said calmly.

"Yes".

"Why?"

"To  accelerate the strain".

Elisabeth walked towards the nightstand and opened the drawer.

She brought out a hospital bracelet with her husband's name printed on it .

"You think she'll turn him against me?"

"She is very intelligent and also curious". The person said.

"But curiosity is fatal".

The unknown person stepped closer but remained in the shadows.

"She's also resilient".

Elisabeth dropped the bracelet and closed the drawer slowly.

"Then let's test her".

"How?"

Elisabeth picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Release the Brussels documents early and leak the internal audit", she instructed.

She ended the call.

"If Kate wants to play strategist, let's see how she handles collateral damage", Elisabeth murmured.

Kate left the private lounge just before midnight.

Chris didn't walk her out.

In the elevator, Kate's phone vibrated again.

It was the unknown person.

You're focusing on the hospital. Focus on the will.

"The will!" She said,

She typed back instantly.

What about it?

When the elevator doors opened, she got a notification with a news alert.

Breaking; Internal Audit Investigation at Cena Empire. Possible Financial Irregularities During CEO Transition.

Kate stood still.

"Audit during transition?" she thought.

Her pulse quickened. The transition that happened days after Chris's father's death.

It wasn't a coincidence.

She stepped out of the elevator and went outside the building .

Her phone rang.

It was Chris.

She answered immediately.

"Did you see it?", he asked.

"Yes".

His voice was filled with anger but controlled.

"This leak is intentional".

"You mean your mother?"

He didn't respond immediately.

"She doesn't benefit from destabilizing the company", he said carefully.

"Unless she wants to prove that you aren't ready".

He didn't respond.

"Chris, did the will  name you as successor immediately?", she asked softly.

"Yes".

"No delays? No conditions?"

There was a pause.

"There was one clause though".

"What clause?" she asked anxiously.

"If I was deemed emotionally unfit to lead, control would revert temporarily to my mother".

Kate closed her eyes like she already knew where this was headed.

"And who determines emotional fitness?"

"The board".

"And who influenced the board after your father's death?"

The silence that came after was very loud.

"Chris, if the audit suggests mismanagement under your leadership......" she whispered.

"They can challenge my authority" he concluded.

"Yes"

Another silence that sounded like a bomb was felt.

"Come back", he said.

"Why?"

"Because if this is what I think it is....we're not being attacked separately".

"We're being cornered together", her pulse raced faster than it has ever done.

She thought "oh! He was finally saying we and trust build through conflict".

"Chris, did you ever read your father's will completely?", she asked carefully.

"Yes, I did".

"Then why would someone tell me to focus on it?".

His breathing suddenly changed.

"Unless", he said slowly, "there's a version I haven't seen".

"But that's impossible", he added quickly. "Lawyers oversee these things".

"Do you trust the family lawyer?" She asked.

He didn't answer.

Her phone buzzed again.

Another message from the unknown person.

This time, it was an image.

A scanned page flashed right in her eyes.

Title: Amendment to Last Will and Testament: Draft Copy.

Kate's heart dropped a beat.

"Draft copy, not the final?l

The amendment was dated two days before his death and it contained a single new line.

In the event of suspicious circumstances surrounding my passing, an independent review shall be conducted before full transfer of control.

"Suspicious circumstances, independent review?"

Kate's hands trembled.

"Chris, did an independent review happen?" She asked slowly.

"No".

"Then, this clause was removed".

Her phone buzzed one more time.

Ask him why he never questioned the missing amendment.

Kate lifted her eyes towards the High Rise.

Chris's voice came through the line.

"I heard your phone buzzing. What did you receive?"

"A draft of your father's will".

"And?" He demanded.

"It mentions an independent review in case of suspicious circumstances".

He froze.

"That clause doesn't exist in the final version".

"I know", she replied.

"Kate, whoever is feeding you this information is manipulating you", he said slowly but dangerously.

"Or protecting me, you mean" she replied sharply

"From what?"

She looked up at the Private Lounge windows and thought

"From you" she didn't say it out.

"Chris ... did you ever see a draft version of the will before it was finalized?"

A long pause.

"Yes"

Her heart stopped for a bit for not the first time.

"And?"

His voice was no longer composed and was now low.

"There was a clause about an independent review. "But it was gone when we signed".

"Who removed it?" She whispered.

He finally spoke after being quiet for ten seconds and his voice was full with doubt.

"I don't know".

And for the first time since she met him, Kate realized something frightening.

Chris Cena didn't control this game. Someone else did .

And that someone was close enough to rewrite a dying man's will.

Another message from the unknown person.

You are both standing on a lie.

Kate slowly lifted her eyes to the dark High Rise building.