The morning sun sliced through the blinds of Ansley's small Manhattan apartment.

She sat on the rug. Blueprints and algorithm charts from Aura Aerospace were scattered all around her. She rubbed her burning eyes. She hadn't slept for a single second.

She gathered the final comparison reports and shoved them into a thick manila envelope.

She stood up and walked into the bathroom. She stared at her reflection. Her skin was pale and dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes. She turned on the faucet and slapped freezing water against her cheeks until they turned pink.

She walked to her closet. She pushed past the soft, feminine dresses Emery had bought her over the years. She reached to the very back and pulled out a sharp, tailored black Armani suit.

She pulled her long hair back and twisted it into a tight, severe bun at the base of her neck. She uncapped a tube of dark, blood-red lipstick and painted it over her lips. It felt like war paint.

She slipped her feet into a pair of black stiletto heels. They were sharp enough to be weapons.

She grabbed her car keys and the envelope.

Thirty minutes later, she parked her car across the street from the Aegis Group headquarters in the Financial District.

Ansley looked up through the windshield. The massive, all-glass skyscraper pierced the clouds. It looked like a giant, impenetrable fortress.

She took a deep breath. She opened the car door and stepped out. She walked across the crosswalk, her heels clicking sharply against the asphalt.

She pushed through the heavy revolving doors and stepped into the lobby.

The ceiling was vaulted. The air conditioning was freezing. Hundreds of people in expensive suits rushed past her, their faces set in masks of corporate indifference.

Ansley kept her spine straight. She walked directly to the massive marble front desk.

Three receptionists in matching uniforms stood behind the counter. Their eyes were cold and bored.

Ansley pulled out a business card and slid it across the marble toward a blonde receptionist. "I am here representing Aura Aerospace. I need to submit a proposal to the defense systems division."

The blonde didn't even look at the card. Her fingers tapped lazily on her keyboard. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No," Ansley admitted. "But this algorithm is critical to your new defense contract."

The receptionist's lips curled into a fake, condescending smile. She pointed a manicured finger toward a waiting area in the corner. "Fill out a visitor log and take a seat over there."

Ansley looked over. The waiting area was packed with desperate startup founders. Some of them looked like they had been sleeping in those chairs for days.

It was a graveyard for rejected ideas. If she sat there, she would never see the inside of an elevator.

Ansley turned back. She placed both hands flat on the cold marble counter and leaned in. "I need you to call the project review director right now."

The receptionist frowned. Her fake smile vanished. "Ma'am, step back. Do not cause a scene in this lobby."

Two large security guards standing near the turnstiles noticed the commotion. They rested their hands on the radios clipped to their belts and started walking slowly toward Ansley.

Before Ansley could speak again, a soft ding echoed through the lobby.

The doors of the private VIP elevator slid open.

A group of men in bespoke suits walked out. The air pressure in the lobby seemed to drop as they moved.

Ansley turned her head. Her blood ran cold.

Walking right next to a senior Aegis executive was Cade Vance. He was smiling like a rat, and in his hand, he held the silver hard drive that contained Kegan's life's work.

Cade glanced toward the front desk. His eyes locked with Ansley's.

He stopped walking. A look of shock crossed his face, quickly replaced by a sick, twisted smirk.

He whispered something to the executive, then broke away from the group. He walked straight toward Ansley.

The two security guards sped up. They stopped right behind Ansley, ready to grab her.

Ansley squeezed the manila envelope in her hands. Her nails dug into the thick paper. She stared at the traitor walking toward her, her heart pounding with pure rage.

Cade stopped less than two feet away from Ansley.

He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her black suit. He let out a loud, grating laugh.

"Look at this," Cade mocked, his voice echoing in the quiet lobby. "The little greenhouse flower put on a suit to play pretend on Wall Street."

A few Aegis employees walking by stopped and turned their heads, watching the drama unfold.

Ansley didn't step back. She stared right into his eyes. "That hard drive belongs to Kegan. You stole it."

Cade's smile twitched, but he recovered quickly. He leaned in closer. "I helped write the code. I'm just cashing out my equity."

He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Besides, Kegan is going to be dead in a week anyway. That company is a sinking ship. I'm just taking the life raft."

The mention of Kegan dying sent a shockwave of despair through Ansley's chest. Her eyes filled with helpless tears.

"You can't do this, Cade," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Please."

Cade snarled, his face contorting with disgust. "Watch me." He took a step forward and shoved her hard in the chest.

Ansley stumbled backward in her high heels. Her back crashed hard against the solid marble of the front desk. The breath was knocked out of her lungs, and she let out a sharp cry of pain.

The two security guards lunged forward. They grabbed Ansley by both arms, their thick fingers digging into her biceps. They started dragging her toward the exit.

Cade straightened his tie. He looked at the receptionist. "This crazy bitch is stalking me. Throw her out."

He turned back to Ansley, a victorious sneer on his face. "I already met with the director. The contract is mine. Take your little envelope and go back to Europe, Ansley. You don't belong here."

Ansley's arms throbbed with pain as the guards dragged her backward. Pure panic set in. She was losing Kegan's only hope. In a blind, desperate frenzy, she thrashed against their iron grips.

"No! Let me go!" she cried out.

One guard slipped slightly on the polished marble. Ansley used the split second of imbalance to wrench her arm free. She didn't think; she just reacted. She lunged over the counter, her hands blindly grabbing the heavy black phone sitting on the receptionist's desk.

"Hey!" The receptionist screamed, reaching for the phone. "Grab her!"

Ansley dodged the woman's hand, her fingers trembling wildly as she punched in the four-digit extension she had memorized from a leaked corporate directory last night. It was a suicide mission, but it was all she had.

The top floor. The CEO's office.

The phone rang exactly once before a deep, icy male voice answered. "State your business."

Cade laughed out loud. "Who are you calling? God? You think crying on the phone is going to save you?"

Ansley squeezed her eyes shut as the guards grabbed her waist, ready to hurl her to the pavement. She pressed the receiver tight against her ear, a sob catching in her throat.

"My name is Ansley Holcomb," she blurted out, her voice shaking with raw terror but laced with an undeniable desperation. "Please... tell Darius Woodward that Emery Holcomb's sister is down here. Please!"

The moment those names left her mouth, the lobby froze.

The security guards stopped pulling her. Their hands hovered in the air, suddenly terrified to touch her.

The receptionist yanked her hand back from the phone like it was on fire. All the color drained from her face.

Total, dead silence fell over the room. Everyone in the building knew the weight of the Holcomb and Woodward names. They were the apex predators of New York.

On the other end of the line, the icy voice paused for three agonizing seconds.

When the man spoke again, his tone had completely changed. It was smooth and deeply respectful.

"Please wait right there, Miss Holcomb. I am coming down personally."

The phone slipped from Ansley's sweaty fingers and clattered onto the desk. She shrank back against the marble counter, her chest heaving as she looked at Cade with wide, frightened eyes.

Cade's mouth was open, but no sound came out. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

The silence in the lobby was deafening. The only sound was the hum of the massive air conditioning vents.

The two security guards took two large steps backward, putting distance between themselves and Ansley. They looked at the floor, sweating.

Cade stared at Ansley. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He let out a nervous, high-pitched laugh.

"You're lying," Cade pointed a shaking finger at her. "You're a fraud! She's just an assistant for a bankrupt startup! Throw her out!"

The receptionist swallowed hard. She didn't move a muscle.

Ansley reached up and rubbed her bruised wrist. She smoothed down the front of her black blazer. She didn't even give Cade the satisfaction of looking at him.

Before Cade could yell again, the VIP elevator at the back of the lobby chimed.

The polished metal doors slid open.

A middle-aged man stepped out. He wore a silver bespoke suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He walked with the terrifying efficiency of someone who held immense power.

Every Aegis employee in the lobby immediately looked down. No one dared to make eye contact with him.

The man walked straight past Cade and stopped directly in front of Ansley.

He bowed slightly from the waist.

"Miss Holcomb," he said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet room. "I am Mr. Woodward's executive assistant. I deeply apologize for the unacceptable behavior of our security staff."

He gestured toward the VIP elevator with an open palm. "Please, follow me."

Cade's jaw practically unhinged. His eyes bulged out of his head. He stumbled forward.

"Wait! Are you crazy?" Cade yelled at the assistant. "She's nobody! I have the algorithm! I just met with your director!"

The assistant stopped. He slowly turned his head and looked at Cade. His eyes were dead behind his gold glasses. He looked at Cade like he was a piece of trash stuck to his shoe.

The assistant looked at the head of security.

"Escort Mr. Vance out of the building and permanently revoke his visitor access," the assistant ordered coldly. "Mr. Woodward will personally review and handle any pending business matters regarding his firm."

The two security guards who had just grabbed Ansley suddenly found their courage. They lunged at Cade.

They grabbed his arms and twisted them violently behind his back.

"No! You can't do this!" Cade screamed, thrashing wildly.

The silver hard drive slipped from his fingers. It hit the marble floor.

One of the guards stepped directly onto the drive with his heavy combat boot. A loud crack echoed as the plastic and metal shattered into pieces.

Cade screamed Ansley's name as the guards dragged him backward toward the revolving doors. He sounded desperate and broken.

Ansley watched him get thrown out onto the wet pavement. The knot of anger in her chest finally loosened.

The assistant bowed again. "Right this way, Miss Holcomb."

Ansley took a deep breath. She walked past the terrified receptionist and stepped into the VIP elevator.

The doors closed, shutting out the staring eyes of the lobby.

The elevator shot upward. The speed made Ansley's stomach flip.

The assistant stood perfectly still in the corner. He didn't ask her any questions. He didn't look at her. His professionalism was terrifying.

Ansley watched the digital numbers climb higher and higher. Her heart started to pound against her ribs.

She had used Emery's name to get in the door. It was a bluff. She had no real leverage. Now, she had to face the man who actually ran this empire.

Ding.

The elevator stopped at the 98th floor. The doors slid open.

Ansley stepped out into a massive, open-concept floor. It was entirely black, white, and gray. There were no cubicles. No walls. Just an endless expanse of cold marble and glass. The emptiness was suffocating.

The assistant led her to a set of massive, double oak doors at the end of the hall.

He stopped. He didn't open them. He just gestured for her to go inside.

Ansley gripped her manila envelope. Her knuckles turned white. She took a deep breath, reached out, and pushed the heavy doors open.