Chloe sat at her desk, morning light slanting through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The signed contract lay quietly on the scanner. With a faint buzzing sound, a digital copy was generated. She added it as an attachment, wrote a new email, and sent it to the private account of an external auditor she had long employed. The main line was concise and clear: "Carry out as agreed." "Click to send.
She took a sip of black coffee—hot and bitter, bringing a touch of comfort. Just then, a commotion came from the hallway—laughter, Brad's familiar, deep baritone echoing across the concrete floor.
She put down her mug, and the office door was pushed open without knocking.
Brad stood at the doorway, hands casually tucked into the pockets of his custom trousers, carrying the posture of a monarch inspecting the territory. Sienna linked arms with his, a smug smile playing on her lips.
"Chloe." Brad's tone was a condescending slowness. "I made some personnel changes. To familiarize Sienna with the family business, she will join your team—as your direct assistant. ”
He spoke as if he were giving her a grand gift—a punishment disguised as a promotion.
Sienna wore a Chanel tweed suit that seemed out of place in the office. She stepped forward, stretched out her perfectly trimmed hand, her voice filled with false sweetness: "I'm especially looking forward to learning from you, Chloe." ”
Chloe leaned back in the leather chair, not reaching for that hand. Her gaze slowly and cautiously swept over Siena's clothing—from the overly short hem to the suffocatingly intense jasmine scent of jasmine, which was recklessly invading her office.
Brad's smile froze. "Chloe, be generous. This is for the good of the company. "He tried to exercise his authority as a fiancé—even though just yesterday, the role was disfigured by his own hands.
Chloe slowly stood up; the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor was the only sound in the room. She circled around the desk, moving smoothly and naturally. She stopped directly in front of Siena—at 1.75 meters tall, plus high heels, she had a clear height advantage. The air suddenly tensed.
"Miss Pennington, let's set a few rules first." Chloe's voice was low, carrying a dangerous calm. "First, your skirt. It's two inches shorter than the workplace norms on Wall Street. Second, your perfume. It violates our fragrance-free workplace rules—I can smell you at my desk. ”
Siena's face flushed with a mottled red. She looked to Brad for help, her eyes immediately brimming with tears—a skillful yet tragic performance.
"Alright, Chloe, don't ......," Brad stepped forward, ready to defend his mistress.
Chloe didn't interrupt him with words, but with actions. She turned and picked up the 500-page binder—a due diligence report on a new acquisition project—from her desk, then turned back.
She stuffed the binder into Sienna's arms. That thing is much heavier than it looks. Sienna staggered backward, her designer high heels struggling to find balance on the ground.
"Your first mission." Chloe's voice was as cold as ice. "Cross-check every financial record in this report with the records on our secure servers. Before work ends today, I want a complete variance analysis report. ”
Siena's eyes widened as she stared in terror at the pile of documents in her arms, her eyes full of panic. "I...... I won't use that system. ”
A faint, cruel smile appeared at the corner of Chloe's mouth. "Then consider this your first lesson. Welcome to join the team. ”
Brad's expression darkened. He stepped closer, his voice lowered into a stern whisper: "Enough." Don't take it out on her. ”
Chloe met his gaze without flinching, her eyes cold and resolute. "Mr. West, are you interfering with the operations and management of my department? I think the board would be interested in a senior partner being rejected from standard workflows. ”
He was blocked. In front of an open office, he couldn't undermine her authority, or else it would seem biased and disrupt key projects. His carefully crafted image of a fair and just leader is now on the brink of collapse.
He gritted his teeth. "Alright."
Chloe gave a brief gesture toward the door. "Miss Pennington, your workstation is in the outer cubicle. You can get started. ”
Sienna bit her lip, held back her tears, and awkwardly retreated, clutching the heavy binder. The entire department followed her gaze—watching her struggle toward that small, irpersonal assistant desk.
Brad watched her leave, then turned to look at Chloe, his eyes full of vicious threat. "You will pay the price for this jealousy, Chloe. I promise. ”
"This isn't jealousy, Brad." Her voice was flat. "It's efficiency. Now, if you don't mind, I still have work to do. ”
He snorted angrily, rushed out, and slammed the door shut.
Chloe walked over to the glass wall. She watched as Sienna clumsily tried to put the loose-leaf folder on the small table, her movements stiff and unresponsive.
She picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the Information Technology Department. "Hello, I'm Chloe Miller. I need to set temporary restrictions on my new assistant Sienna Pennington's terminal—banning all external network access, turning off social media and personal email, and only allowing connections to internal servers. Thank you. ”
She hung up, turned to the window, and overlooked the endless stream of yellow taxis down Manhattan's streets. The phone vibrated — a text message from an unknown number, a bunch of random letters and symbols garbled. She frowned and casually deleted it. Probably spam.
She walked back to her desk and opened a locked drawer. Inside, on a black velvet padding lies an ancient St. Christopher's Medal, hanging from a silver chain. Time had worn it smooth and rounded—that was the only past she had, and the only clue left by her parents, whom she had never met.
She picked it up, the cold metal in her hand felt a familiar weight. She gripped it tightly, drawing strength from this solid and silent object.
The battle was just beginning.
As the clock ticked past six, Chloe shut down her computer. She slid a few key asset files into her leather tote bag, a habit born from years of not trusting anyone but herself.
Stepping out of her office, she glanced at Sienna's cubicle. It was a disaster zone. The binder lay open, pages spilling onto the floor. A half-eaten salad wilted in its plastic container. Sienna herself was long gone, having fled the battlefield hours ago.
A humorless smile touched Chloe's lips. She pressed the button for the elevator, the smooth descent to the underground garage a moment of quiet solitude.
The moment she settled into the driver's seat of her car, her phone began to vibrate relentlessly. A barrage of texts from her best friend, Stella.
Chloe, have you seen this?
That manipulative little witch!
CALL ME NOW!
Chloe's finger hovered over the link before she finally tapped it. It took her to Instagram. To Sienna's profile.
The latest post was a carefully staged photo. Sienna, sitting in what was clearly a luxury car, her eyes red-rimmed and glistening with unshed tears. The caption was a masterpiece of passive aggression: "A tough first day in the corporate world. It's hard when people judge you for your background instead of your willingness to learn. Sending love to anyone who's ever been made to feel small."
The comments section was a cesspool. A flood of messages from New York's socialite circle, all variations of the same theme.
That foster kid is pure trash.
Brad needs to get rid of her.
Some people just don't belong in our world.
Chloe's face remained a mask of calm. She locked her phone, the engine roaring to life with a turn of the key. She navigated the labyrinth of the parking garage and merged into the evening traffic, her expression unreadable.
She handed her keys to the valet at a chic lounge in Chelsea and pushed through the heavy velvet doors. The interior was dark and intimate, a sanctuary of soft jazz and clinking glasses. Stella was waiting in a corner booth, her face a thundercloud.
"I want to key her car," Stella seethed, slamming her hand on the table. "I want to post every ugly photo I have of her from high school. That two-faced, social-climbing snake!"
Chloe ordered a dry martini, the sharp scent of gin a welcome jolt to her senses. "I'm selling the jewelry," she said, her voice quiet but firm.
Stella's rant came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes widened. "All of it? The Cartier bracelet? The diamond earrings Brad gave you last year? Chloe, are you serious?"
"I need cash," Chloe said, taking a small sip of her drink. The cold liquid slid down her throat. "This is going to be a long, expensive fight. I'm not going into it dependent on his money."
Just then, a large, looming figure detached itself from the bar and staggered toward their booth. The man was heavyset, his expensive suit strained at the seams. The reek of whiskey and stale cigar smoke preceded him.
He collapsed into the seat next to Chloe, his bulk crowding her uncomfortably. He grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow by nicotine, and brazenly picked up her martini.
Chloe recoiled, a wave of disgust washing over her. She recognized him. It was Doug Hicks. Sienna's uncle. A man known for his shady real estate deals and even shadier reputation.
"Well, well, look what we have here," Doug slurred, his piggy eyes raking over Chloe's body. "The little orphan who's making waves on the internet. Heard you're a real bitch to work with."
Stella shot to her feet. "Get lost, Doug. Now. Before I call security."
Doug let out a booming, obnoxious laugh. "Security? Honey, I play poker with the owner of this joint. And Brad West is a very, very good friend of mine. They wouldn't dare touch me."
His demeanor shifted, the boozy good humor vanishing. He lunged forward, his thick, sausage-like fingers clamping around Chloe's wrist where it rested on the table. His grip was like a vise.
"You need to learn some respect," he growled, his face uncomfortably close to hers. The stench of his breath was nauseating. "My niece is a delicate flower. You keep messing with her, and I'll make sure you can't get a job waiting tables in this city."
Chloe's blood ran cold. She tried to pull her hand back, but his grip was brutally strong. The casual violence in his eyes was terrifying.
Her free hand, hidden beneath the table, crept toward the heavy glass ashtray. Its weight felt solid, promising.
Stella saw the movement. She grabbed her own heavy clutch, preparing to swing it at his head.
Doug noticed Stella's intent and reacted with surprising speed. He shoved her hard with his free arm. Stella cried out as she tumbled backward onto the plush sofa.
Seeing her friend assaulted shattered the last of Chloe's restraint. The fear vanished, replaced by a white-hot, primal rage.
She tightened her grip on the ashtray, her knuckles turning white. She was about to bring it down on his head, consequences be damned.
At that exact moment, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the lounge. Two large men in dark suits, Brad's personal bodyguards, were parting the crowd like the Red Sea. Their faces were grim, their eyes scanning the room. They were looking for someone.
