CHAPTER 1

The Woman He Refused to Defend

Elara

“You’re shaking.”

I said nothing, but forced a smile at the woman beside me. “It’s the champagne that I took. I barely drink, that's why it's reacting this way.”

She laughed politely at my response, the kind of laugh people used at events like this, very soft, too rehearsed,and also forgettable within seconds. Her eyes drifted past me almost immediately, toward the stage, and it landed where the Kingsley Group logo was shining behind a wall of lights.

Tonight was supposed to be perfect as had planned. Tonight was supposed to be mine, for me alone.

“Elara,” Sebastian had called all of a sudden, leaning closer to me. “Are you okay?”

I turned to face him instantly, because that was what I always did all this years, placing him first. I looked for him first when we go out. Always did that even when I was in discomfort. My fiance, my partner was my everything. The man I had devoted my time, and loved quietly for four years, long before the press got the slightest idea that he existed, before they learned how to spell his name.

“I’m fine,” I whispered back. “Just overwhelmed with everything.”

He smiled back at me, the calm, billionaire kind of smile that reassured investors and boards and nations that they were in good hands. Then he slwent ahead to squeeze my hand, just like he had always done.

“You’ve done so well, and earned this night,” he said. “We both have, standing beside each other.”

The applause that followed was deafening as the host returned to the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the man began all smiles, “tonight we are here to celebrate not just the success of Kingsley Group, but also, the beautiful union of two brilliant minds...our CEO, Sebastian Kingsley, and his fiancee, the beautiful Elara Monroe.”

As the words left his mouth, cameras flashed from different angles just to capture the beautiful moment.

I straightened instinctively, proud of who we had become in four years.

This was it. The very moment I had laid quietly and imagined during sleepless nights, during endless hours of meetings, during the years I labored like a slave behind the scenes while others took credit.l, remaining invisible when I was the brain box behind the success of the company.

“Smile,” Sebastian murmured beside me.

I did as he said, though my mind was still reflecting on our journey together.

Then I heard it, the one that broke me.

“She sold company secrets to rival companies.”

The words were loud enough that it was sharper than the music, and poisonous.

I stiffened on hearing that, not even sure I heard right.

“What?” I whispered back.

Sebastian didn’t hear me, not even my change in facial expression. He was busy nodding at whatever some of the board members were saying, listening to investors, at men who never knew i existed even though I had written half the strategies, that gave them the millions they have.

“She’s not even family to start with,” a woman said behind me, not hiding her disgust. “Where did she come from exactly?”

“I heard she was behind the leakage of the Singapore acquisition,” another voice replied smoothly. “To just just any company, but a competitor.”

I turned slowly to face them.

The fake smiles around me hadn’t changed, not even a bit. Glasses still clinked endlessly. The musin was still played. But the air… the air surrounding me had just shifted.

“Sebastian,” I called quietly, trying to draw his attention. “Do you hear that?”

He frowned at me. “Hear what exactly?”

Before I could respond, a phone vibrated very close oon the table beside us. Then another from a different corner. Then another.

A man standing at the front cursed endlessly under his breath. “What the hell is going...”

Before he could finish what he was saying, the giant screen behind the stage went on all of a sudden.

The Kingsley logo disappeared which has always been there, disappeared immediately, and a new headline replaced it.

BREAKING NEWS: KINGSLEY GROUP HIT BY INTERNAL ESPIONAGE SCANDAL

Gasps filled through the hall, as everyone anticipated the details.

“What is this?” someone shouted in confusion.

The host froze on the realization that things had gone out of control. “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm as we sort out...”

The screen changed again before he could finish his statement, and my face appeared.

A photo I didn’t recognize at face, that I didn't recall taking. My name was beneath it in bold letters.

PRIMARY CRIME SUSPECT: ELARA MONROE

“No,” I whispered as I tried holding myself together. “No, no, no...”

Sebastian turned sharply to face the crowd. “What is going on?”

One of the board member, Mr. Halstrom...stood abruptly and made his way to control the narrative. “Security,” he barked. “Cut the feed right now!”

But it was too late for such orders. The more they tried, the more different documents flooded the screen, different contracts and emails.

They were all fake, aimed at destroying me.

“I’ve never seen those in my life,” I said, my voice breaking to the point I couldn't recognize it. “Sebastian, I swear, I'm...”

“What exactly are you saying now?” he asked, his grip immediately loosening on my hand.

“I didn’t do this, you have to believe me,” I said quickly. “You know me, you know what I can do. You know me.”

Murmurs rose too quickly, very ugly and fast, filling the hall.

“Is that the reasons she was always in meetings, never missing even for a day?”

“Typical of a criminally minded person.”

“So that explains how she was to climb so fast, within a few years to the top.”

Vivian Clarke, Sebastian’s entitled ex...stepped forward like she had just been given a blank cheque to torment me, and on her face, she wore concern like a make over. Anything to get me humiliated.

“This is really terrible,” she said softy the moment she got to where I stood. “Sebastian, maybe the best thing to do is for us to suspend her access until this is cleared, and she's found not guilty.”

Suspend, how?

She said it in a manner like I was a malfunctioning account.

“Clear?” I laughed breathlessly, still trying to hold myself together. “There’s nothing to clear because I didn’t do anything I'm being accused of!”

Halstrom turned slowly to Sebastian. “We need at least a statement. Right now.”

Sebastian looked at the screen like his life depends on it. Then at the board like they holds his essence. Then at the crowd waiting to hear from him. But he didn’t look at me. Not even to spare me a glance.

My heart slammed against my ribs, already anticipating the worse.

“Sebastian,” I said again, louder this time. “Say something at least.”

A reporter had already fought tooth and nail, pushed past security to get to us. “Mr. Kingsley! Were you aware of your fiancée’s involvement in all of the accusation against her?”

“Involvement?” I repeated, as I tried to figure out how we got to that point. “Sebastian, this is completely insane!”

He raised a hand, a gesture to silence the room, to draw attention for him to speak, and everyone obeyed.

“I need facts to operate effectively,” he said carefully. “Not emotions.”

“Facts?” My voice broke as I never expected such from him. “I built half this company with you. I slept on office crouches, leaving my comfort zone. I gave up everything just...”

“Miss Monroe,” Halstrom interrupted me already losing it, “please control yourself, your case is strong.”

I stared at Sebastian, waiting for him to defend me.

“Tell them,” I said calmly. “Tell them I would never betray you no matter what.”

His jaw tightened, and I knew he was finding it difficult to defend me, but I still waited patiently.

The seconds stretched on, still no sign of him backing me up. I watched his eyes harden...but it wasn't with anger, but with distance. He was ready to keep his distance.

Then he spoke, he finally decided to speak.

“I don’t know this woman well enough to stand here and defend her.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the world stopped moving.

“What…?” I breathed, catching my breath, and that gave the cameras the permission to to explode as they wanted.

“I don’t know this woman well enough as speculated,” he repeated, louder, steadier, “to risk the integrity of Kingsley Group in defending her.”

I felt something raw tear inside my chest, as I was almost gone.

“You’re lying,” I whispered, bare audible. “You’re pretending just for what exactly?”

Sebastian didn’t answer me, he had no intentions of doing so.

The host cleared his throat awkwardly, as he was already exhausted from trying to calm down the crowd. “Given the circumstances, the engagement will be...”

“I dissolve it,” Sebastian said, not waiting for him to finish.

Just like that, he didn't think twice, no hesitation. He didn't fight for us.

The ring at that point felt heavier than my entire body as I slowly slid it off my finger.

I calmly placed the ring on the table between us.

“For the record,” I said, my voice strangely calm, “everything you have acquired these few years, every deal, every strategy you used, you touched all because of me.”

That seemed to get his attention, as he finally looked at me then.

And for a second, well, not long enough, just a second...I saw regret.

But it wasn’t enough. Then, security moved closer to me, with no hindrance anymore.

“Elara Monroe,” a reporter shouted with no respect, “did you sell company secrets for your secret agenda?”

“Were you paid for them?”

“Are you pregnant?”

I laughed as I heard them talk. I actually laughed out loud.

Then I turned and walked, but voices still chased after me.

“Miss Monroe!”

“Elara!”

“Do you deny the allegations drafted out against you?”

I didn’t answer any of them, and that's because the man who mattered most already had.

I looked back once at the gathering, at the lights, the empire, the man who chose it over me.

Then I kept walking, all alone.

CHAPTER 2

Scandal, Silence, and Abandonment

Elara

“Miss Monroe, I’m so sorry to say this, but… we can’t associate with you anymore, not after everything.”

I stared weirdly at the phone before me, like it had just slapped me without respect.

“Associate, how?” I repeated in confusion “You’ve known me for more than six years.”

There was a pause, a terrifying silence. Then an uncomfortable sigh which concluded everything.

“Elara, this situation is… too volatile for us to handle. Our sponsors are nervous, they all have concerns.”

“So am I, I was nervous too.” I said. “That didn’t stop me from assisting in my best way, standing by you when your numbers tanked last year, to the point you almost gave up.”

“I wish you well from now onwards,” she replied quickly. “Please, do respect boundaries and don’t contact us again.”

The line went dead without waiting for my response.

I laughed. Yes, I actually laughed out loud, and it actually came out sharp, ugly,and unrecognizable.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered to myself, dropping the phone onto the bed, as I reflected on how things had changed overnight.

The hotel room that I lodged that night still smelled like champagne and lilies, and the same dress which I had single handedly picked for the engagement, laying on the chair nearby.

As I walked out of the room, my mind a complete mess, my heart bleeding without mercy, my phone vibrated. It was another call, a different voice, and maybe, another goodbye.

“Elara, the board has come to the conclusion of freezing your accounts pending investigation.”

“Freeze, account?” I snapped in anger. “Those are personal funds, they have nothing to do with the company.”

“They’re in a way connected to Kingsley Group,” the man replied stiffly with no remorse. “We advise you to cooperate for easier investigation”

Click. I didn’t scream as expected, I didn’t even cry. I sat there like a dummy, listening to the silence trying everything possible to swallow me whole.

Then my little moment of peace, my phone lit up again, but this time, a text appeared from an unknown number. This is exactly what happens when you forget your place, doing rather too much just to be seen. My fingers shook greatly as I typed back

Who is this? But there was no response. Such a coward, why not face me. Then, I stood abruptly, grabbing my coat.

“No,” I said aloud more than I intended. “No more calls from anyone. No more whispers will be tolerated.”

I was done being talked about like I was a virus. I needed to talk to him to clarify things. With that, I made my way to the Kingsley Group.

*******************

The Kingsley Group lobby was still a chaos as i pictured it to be. Thete were different reportets, cameras everywhere, even security guards were unable to control the crowd, but I was able to push through anyway.

“Miss, you can’t go in...”

“I can,” I said sharply before he could finish. “And I will without your permission.”

“Elara Monroe?” a journalist gasped on sighting me. “Do you deny the allegations leveled against you?”

“Yes,” I snapped in fury. “Move out of my way.”

“Did Sebastian Kingsley know about all of this?”

I stopped on my track. That question hit harder than all the others they have been throwing around. I turned slowly to face the reporter. “Ask him yourself.”

With that, the doors slid shut behind me. The elevator ride somehow felt endless as I was curious to find out many things for myself.

When the doors finally opened to the executive floor, I heard a familiar voice stop me, very cold and distant.

“Well… this is very awkward.”

That was Vivian Clarke, as she leaned against Sebastian’s office door, her arms crossed, mocking sympathy all over her face like poison.

“Enjoying the attention you are getting now, huh?” she asked sweetly.

I stared at her for some seconds. “Move out of my way.”

She smiled wider this time. “You really should’ve taken my advice and left quietly. Dragging this out as you did now, only makes you look guilty as alleged.”

“That's very funny,” I said. “You’ve always had an upper hand at pretending innocence, do I'm not surprised.”

Her eyes darkened as I said that for half a second. “Be very careful, Elara. You’re no more in any position to threaten anyone.”

I leaned closer to her, not given in to her bully. “Neither are you, my darling.”

She stepped aside slowly on noticing that I didn't come to play. “He’s very busy right now.”

“I don’t care about that.” I opened the door without permission.

Sebastian stood by the window, yheni saw his phone pressed to his ear.

“Yes,” he was saying, “the board has my full cooperation to do whatever they desire.”

He turned slowly to face me the moment he noticed my presence.

His expression changed.

“Get out,” he said into the phone, but calmly. “I’ll call you back later.”

The door shut behind me like I had just entered a lion's den.

The room felt colder than the night outside.

“You shouldn’t be here for any reason, not after everything,” he said.

I laughed softly, not believing he was the one talking to me in that manner. “That’s funny. This office used to feel like home, for both of us.”

“That was before and...”

“Before you abandoned me to the world, right?” I cut in. “Or before you decided I was disposable, no more needed?”

“Elara...”

“Don’t try with me,” I snapped in anger. “Don’t say my name like that anymore. Don't say it like you still have the right.”

He exhaled slowly, like he was tbd victim. “You’re making this worse than it should be.”

“Worse you said?” My voice rising than intended. “Sebastian, I have nothing left to lose anymore!”

“That’s not entirely true.”

I stepped closer to him. “My accounts are frozen like I was a criminal. My sponsors dropped me, without investigation. People I trusted won’t answer my calls, not even for a second. And you...” My voice started cracking. “You won’t even let me see you, to hear from me.”

He looked away like I disgust him. To be honest, that hurt more than anything.

“Did you read the documents they provided?” I asked quietly. “Did you really look at them t see the content?”

“Yes.”

“And?” I pressed. “Do they sound like me, like what I can do?”

But there was only silence.

“I need you to answer me,” I whispered almost in tears. “Not as a CEO. As the man who said he loved me, who worshipped the ground that I walked on.”

He swallowed hard, like he was finding it difficult to make the decision.

“The company comes first,” he said finally without remorse.

There it was again, the same sentence that destroyed me.

“So I don’t, is that what you are telling me?” I asked.

He didn’t answer, and of course, he had no intentions of answering.

I nodded slowly already understanding him. “Okay.”

“Elara...”

“No,” I said firmly with the remaining strength in me. “You’ve already chosen, not once but twice.”

I quietly reached into my hand bag and pulled out a slim folder which contained almost all our transactions, tossing it onto his desk.

“What’s this?” he asked cluelessly.

“Every strategy I ever built for Kingsley Group while I was still valued,” I said calmly. “Every idea you presented as yours when it actually came from me.”

His eyes widened in shock.

“I’m walking away from everything,” I continued. “I won’t expose you as you are expecting. I won’t fight you because that would all prove you right. I won’t beg to be tolerated.”

“Elara, wait..”

“I’m not finished.”

I straightened my shoulders, cutting him off.

“You took my silence last night as guilt, when you knew the truth,” I said. “This time, you’ll hear me clearly without interrupting”

He met my gaze, and saw the fire in them.

“I loved you with my whole heart,” I said. “And you knew it deep in you.”

His voice dropped into a whisper. “I still...”

“Stop right there,” I whispered in fury. “Don’t insult me now.”

Then I continued.

“I hope the company is worth it, worth the betrayal,” I said softly. “Because it cost you everything that mattered most just for what exactly.”

“Elara...”

I turned and made my way toward the door. He followed me halfway, pretending to stop me. “What will you do now without us?”

I paused, rage building up in my chest, but I held myself, my hand already on the handle.

“I’ll survive without anyone,” I said. “I always do.”

Then, I glanced back just to see his face one last time.

“For the record,” I added calmly, “if the truth ever comes out any day… don’t say you tried to save me because you made no effort.”

Then I slammed the door closed behind me.

Outside the company, the world never ceased moving. People went about their businesses, life continued like I hadn’t just been erased from the people that mattered most to me.

Then, as I was still reflecting, I got a new notification on my phone.

KINGSLEY GROUP ISSUES STATEMENT:

‘We sever all ties with Elara Monroe.’

I stared at the screen weirdly, not knowing whether to cry or laugh, until the words blurred.

Then I turned it off, and headed to the airport. At the airport, the clerk in shock glanced at my passport, not knowing the reason for my decision.

“One-way ticket?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Destination?”

I hesitated not knowing what to answer.

Then I smiled to myself.

“Anywhere far enough,” I replied like a lunatic.

But before boarding, I sent Sabastin on lady message: From today, I owe you nothing.

And with that, I powered off my phone, and disappeared.

CHAPTER 3

The Queen Returns

Elara

“Ms. Monroe, the board is ready and waiting for your arrival.”

I didn’t look up immediately, not even once. “Let them wait,” I said calmly, having no intentions to getting up soon.

“Yes, ma’am,” my assistant replied calmly, knowing better than to argue.

Just five years ago, I still remember how I stood at an airport counter with a one-way ticket and nothing else with me. There was no name, no money left from the one they froze, not future that didn't terrify me.

I calmly picked up my tablet, then rose from my seat, carefully adjusting my cufflinks which was black diamond.

“Remind them again,” I added, “that Aurelia Holdings does not wait for anyone like others do.”

“Yes, Ms. Monroe.”

****************""

The doors to the boardroom opened exactly when I was ready to attend to me them. Everywhere became quiet on my arrival. I stepped in without a smile, not again will I make such mistake.

“Good morning,” I said, my voice even. “Let’s begin immediately.”

Twenty honorable men and women sat straighter in their chairs to listen to me. Some were so scared that they avoided my eyes. Some tried not to land on my bad record.

I took my seat at the head of the table as had been reserved for me alone.

“Attendance?” I asked.

“All present,” the secretary replied quickly before I finished. “Including our overseas partners, they are all here.”

“Excellent,” I said. “You’re late.”

A man across from me cleared his throat to reply. “Apologies, Ms. Monroe. There was a little...”

“A delay?” I finished for him. “No. There was a lack of discipline which won't be tolerated”

The room stiffened, nobody wants to be used to set example.

“I don’t pay for excuses here,” I continued. “I pay for results, excellent results”

No one spoke again. I calmly tapped my tablet once, and immediately, the screen behind me lit up.

AURELIA HOLDINGS – QUARTERLY DOMINANCE REPORT

“Revenue up thirty-seven percent achieved,” I said. “Acquisitions now finalized in Singapore, followed by Zurich, and then São Paulo. Legal resistance reportedly crushed in under forty-eight hours.”

A woman sitting near the end of the table, whom I have been observing suddenly raised her hand cautiously. “Ms. Monroe, the Zurich acquisition, I noticed there were recent concerns about...”

“...Ethics?” I cut in.

She nodded, shock all over her face that I knew her questions before she asked.

I leaned back slightly to clarify her doubt. “We didn’t break the law as it seems to be.”

“But...”

“We rewrote them ourselves,” I said. “Next concern if any.”

She lowered her hand, obviously satisfied. Well, I liked efficient fear, and that's what makes one to strive well.

My assistant calmly slid a glass of water toward me without being asked to do so.

“Thank you, Ivy.”

“Yes, Ms. Monroe.”

I didn't fail to notice the way sone of the board watched her, how they noted that she never spoke or made any comment unless spoken to, that she moved like a shadow, that her loyalty was absolute and efficient.

Once, I had been the one standing behind someone else with everything in me.

Never again will I find myself in such shoes, but I won't take the one standing behind me for granted.

“Now,” I said, steepling my fingers playfully, “let's move over to onto why you’re really here.”

The atmosphere changed immediately. I saw it all, the curiosity on everyone's face, the anticipation, the hunger to hear from me.

“We’ve spent exactly five years without noise consolidating power the way we wanted it,” I continued. “We did that quietly, methodically.”

A man seating across from me smiled nervously, but earger to chip in his input. “As you instructed.”

“And right now,” I said, “we expand to the rest of the world, to be seen.”

Then the screen listed up, and along list of companies appeared, earning gasps.

“Ms. Monroe,” someone whispered all of a sudden, interrupting me, “those are likely...”

“...giants,” I finished up. “Yes, they are.”

Another board member leaned forward to support what was just said. “A hostile takeover at this scale will definitely attract… much attention from different angles.”

I smiled at their fear, then continued in a deliberate, unfriendly manner.

“Good.” They exchanged uneasy looks the moment I said that.

“Are we really prepared for this retaliation at all?” someone asked.

“I am,” I replied without wasting time. There was silence everywhere as I said that. They had already learned in a hard way never to question me without cause. I rose quickly from my seat and walked slowly around the table, circling everyone.

“You all know my policy very well,” I said. “If I aim at something, it’s already fallen and no going back. You just haven’t heard the sound yet, but would definitely do so.”

A few swallowed whatever crap they had to contribute. But one man cleared his throat after a few seconds. “Ms. Monroe… may I ask again to be enlightened on what motivated this particular move?”

I stopped behind him that minute. I leaned down just enough for him to hear me.

“Personal reasons if you must know,” I said softly to his hearing alone. He nodded quickly, knowing too well never to argue.

I returned to my seat instead, all posed, ready for action. “Begin Phase One,” I ordered without looking up.

“Yes, Ms. Monroe.”

“Ensure to leak nothing,” I added. “Do well to control the media narrative before they realize they’re bleeding profusely.”

“Understood.” The meeting ended exactly twenty minutes later. There was no room for arguments, no objections.

As they filed out one after the other, I caught a glimpse of their fragile whispers.

“She’s ruthless.”

“Did you see her eyes?”

“They rumored she built this empire from nothing, from scratch.”

*************************

I stood all alone once the doors were closed. Ivy approached me cautiously as she always did. “Your car is waiting outside for you.”

“Cancel it,” I said. “Walk with me instead.” Her brows raised slightly in shock. “Of course.”

We moved quietly down the hallway, like best friends.

“Any news that might interest me?” I asked.

She hesitated for some time. “Kingsley Group stocks was rumored to have dipped again this morning.”

I stopped abruptly.

“Why that?” I asked.

“Well, speculation,” she said carefully. “Internal restructuring, then leadership strain.”

I nodded once, already doing the calculations in my head.

“Sebastian Kingsley is still the CEO,” she added without me asking.

I resumed walking again, my mind filled with many things.

“Is he married now?” I asked out of the blues.

“No.”

“Engaged to anyone?”

“None that the public know of.”

I felt nothing on hearing that, or so I told myself.

“There were just rumors,” Ivy continued after a few seconds, “but nothing confirmed.”

“Good then,” I said. “It would of course be inconvenient otherwise.”

She carefully studied my profile. “Do you want me to at least...”

“No,” I cut in. “I don’t want any updates on him from now on unless I ask.”

“Yes, Ms. Monroe.”

Exactly five years ago, I had fled the company, arrived in this city with a suitcase and a borrowed name, begging only for survival. I remembered the first night I set my feet here. The hunger, the fear that followed, even the vow I made in the dark, to never beg to be accepted again.

“Ivy,” I called quietly all of a sudden.

“Yes, Ms. Monroe?”

“Schedule the announcement with immediate effect.”

“For which acquisition exactly?”

I glanced back at the skyline, at the empire that once threw me away without looking back, not considering my tears of labor.

My lips curved perfectly, but not in joy, but in promise to return their favor in thousand folds.

“The first one,” I replied coolly.

She nodded, but still, her eyes shoes she had more questions to ask. “What is their name, ma’am?”

That made me to meet my own reflection without mercy, as the flashback became fresh.

And then, I spoke the words that I had waited patiently for five years to be said.

“Target company: Kingsley Group.”