Lana threw the last sweater into her suitcase. Her hands were shaking—not from sadness, but from a cold, simmering rage that made her blood feel like gasoline.

She had just brewed a mug of hot tea to settle her rolling stomach when the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed through the small apartment.

The door swung open. Wayne strode in uninvited, using his spare key. He was followed closely by Eleanor and Jessica. They crowded the narrow entryway, bringing the suffocating stench of their hypocrisy right into her sanctuary.

"What are you doing here?" Lana demanded, her eyes narrowing. "This is my apartment. Get out."

Wayne ignored her, tossing a thick legal document onto the entryway console. "I’m giving you one last chance to walk away with some dignity, Lana. This is a relinquishment agreement for the patents. Sign it. Don't make me destroy you legally. You think you can steal Meridian's IP?"

Jessica peeked out from behind Wayne, her hands protectively cradling her flat stomach. She looked at Lana with wide, innocent eyes. "Lana, please don't be stubborn. Wayne is just worried about you. My family's legal team is... well, they're ruthless. I'd hate to see you go to prison for corporate theft. Just take the fifty thousand. I can even ask Wayne to add a little extra from my own pocket... consider it an apology."

Lana stared at the sickening display. "An apology? Or hush money for sleeping with my fiancé?"

"Watch your mouth, you ungrateful little bitch!" Eleanor pushed her way to the front, pointing a manicured finger at Lana's face. "Jessica is a true lady! You're nothing but a gutter rat. My son pays the rent on this dump, and this is how you repay him? By trying to extort us?"

"Wayne pays the rent?" Lana let out a short, mocking laugh. "I paid the deposit and every month's rent for the past three years. Wayne hasn't spent a dime. He’s the parasite. Now get out before I call the cops for trespassing."

Eleanor's face twisted in ugly fury. Stripped of her false superiority, she lashed out. She grabbed the mug of freshly brewed, scalding tea from the console table and hurled it directly at Lana.

"Mom, wait—" Wayne started, but it was too late.

Lana twisted away, but the boiling liquid splashed across her neck and collarbone. A searing, blistering agony erupted across her skin, soaking instantly into her sweater. She gasped, stumbling back against the wall as the sharp pain radiated through her nerves.

"Look what you made her do!" Wayne yelled at Lana, his hypocrisy reaching new heights. "Just sign the damn paper and stop acting like a psycho!"

Something inside Lana snapped. The final thread holding back her restraint turned to ash.

She reached over to the kitchen counter and grabbed the heavy glass pitcher of iced lemon water she had prepared earlier. Without a second of hesitation, she hurled the entire contents right at Eleanor.

Splash!

The freezing water and heavy ice cubes smashed into Eleanor’s face. Her expensive mascara ran instantly, turning her into a black-streaked, shrieking mess.

"Ahhh! You little—!" Wayne roared. His eyes went bloodshot as he lunged at Lana, his hand raised to strike her.

Lana didn't flinch. Her body moved on pure instinct. She grabbed a heavy, solid marble bookend from the console table. As Wayne's hand came down, she swung the marble hard, smashing it directly into his knuckles.

CRACK.

The sickening sound of bone meeting stone echoed in the room.

"Argh!" Wayne recoiled, clutching his hand in agony. He stared at Lana with wide, shocked eyes. In three years, she had always been accommodating, always yielding. He had never seen this ruthless side of her.

Before he could process the shock, Lana stepped forward and slapped him.

SMACK!

Her palm connected with his cheek with the force of a pistol shot. Wayne’s head snapped to the side, a bright red handprint blooming on his skin.

"You're crazy!" Jessica screamed, her fake gentle facade completely shattering. She tried to step around Wayne to push Lana.

Lana whipped her head toward Jessica, her dead, piercing eyes locking onto the pregnant woman. "Take one more step, Jessica. I dare you. Keep pushing me, and I'll make sure your precious baby inherits nothing but millions in debt."

Jessica froze, terrified by the murderous aura radiating from Lana. She stumbled backward, tripping over the edge of the rug, and collapsed heavily onto the sofa, clutching her stomach in panic.

Lana kicked her suitcase toward the door, pointing a shaking, furious finger at the hallway. "Get out! Now!"

"You'll pay for this!" Eleanor screeched, clutching her wet face as Wayne dragged her toward the door. "I'll ruin you! You'll be begging on the streets by tomorrow!"

"Get out!" Lana roared, slamming the heavy door shut behind them.

The frame rattled.

Lana leaned against the wood, sliding down until she hit the floor. Her chest heaved. Her neck and shoulder burned with angry red blisters, and her hand throbbed from the slap. But her mind was clearer than ever.

Her phone buzzed on the floor next to her.

It was from Greg, the Vice President of Delta Lab. [Orders executed, Miss Day. Meridian's supply chain is completely frozen. The contract termination notice is drafted. When should we release it?]

Lana stared at the screen. The pain in her shoulder faded into the background, replaced by a chilling, absolute resolve. Her fingers tapped the screen.

[Hold it. I have a few personal items to pick up at their office tomorrow morning. I want to look Wayne in the eye when I pull the plug. Wait for my signal.]

The first rays of morning sunlight cut through the glass walls as Lana walked into the bustling lobby of Meridian Pharmaceuticals. Her footsteps echoed sharply on the polished marble floor, a cardboard box of her personal belongings in her arms.

"Hold it right there!"

A sharp, arrogant voice rang out. Whitney Sterling, Wayne’s younger sister, marched over from the reception desk, flanked by two uncomfortable-looking security guards. She crossed her arms, blocking Lana’s path to the revolving doors.

"Look everyone," Whitney announced loudly, drawing the attention of the arriving employees. "The fired thief is trying to sneak out."

Lana stopped, her expression as cold as ice. "These are my personal effects, Whitney. Get out of my way."

"Company policy," Whitney smirked, stepping uncomfortably close. "We can't have a bitter ex-employee stealing Meridian's confidential data, can we? Search her box."

Before the guards could move, the VIP elevator chimed. Wayne stepped out, looking immaculate in his tailored suit. Clinging tightly to his arm was Jessica, wearing a soft, oversized cashmere sweater that subtly highlighted her supposedly fragile state.

"What's going on here?" Wayne demanded, his voice laced with unquestionable authority.

"Wayne!" Jessica immediately put on her sickeningly sweet, worried face. She tugged at his sleeve. "Please, let Lana go. Even if she took some office supplies, it's fine. She lost her job and her fiancé... she's just acting out of grief. We shouldn't humiliate her in front of everyone."

Wayne looked down at Lana from the top of the marble steps, his eyes full of condescending pity. "Jessica is too kind for her own good. But Meridian is a professional company. Whitney, check the box. If she didn't steal anything, she has nothing to hide."

"Gladly!" Whitney didn't even wait for the guards. She violently swatted the cardboard box out of Lana’s hands.

Crash!

The box hit the floor. Pens, notebooks, and a framed photo of Wayne and Lana scattered across the marble. The glass frame shattered into pieces.

Whitney deliberately stepped on the photo, grinding her designer heel right into Lana's printed face. "Oops. Trash belongs in the trash."

Lana just stood there, her spine perfectly straight, watching this family of parasites perform their circus act.

Then, Whitney’s eyes caught a thick, blue folder lying among the mess. She snatched it up with a triumphant gasp. "Aha! I knew it! What's this, Lana? Stealing our core formulas to sell to a competitor?"

Wayne frowned, taking a step forward. "Lana, you're crossing the line. Give that back, and I won't press charges."

Lana looked at the blue folder in Whitney’s hands. A slow, chilling smile spread across her lips. It was a smile so devoid of warmth that it made Wayne’s stomach inexplicably drop.

"You really want that folder, Whitney?" Lana asked softly. "Be my guest."

"Don't play mind games with me!" Whitney sneered. To prove her absolute dominance, she gripped the thick folder and violently ripped it in half. The sound of tearing paper was deafening in the suddenly quiet lobby.

Not satisfied, Whitney tore the halves again, throwing the shredded paper into the air like confetti. "You take nothing from my brother's company, you leech!"

Jessica sighed softly, leaning her head on Wayne’s shoulder. "Lana, you brought this on yourself..."

Lana let out a low, genuinely amused laugh. She looked at Wayne, her piercing gaze locking onto his.

"Wayne," Lana said, her voice echoing clearly through the lobby. "Do you know what your brilliant sister just destroyed?"

Wayne’s confident facade wavered. "What was it?"

"That was the single-copy, original annex to the Delta Lab licensing agreement," Lana said smoothly, every word dropping like an anvil. "It contained the proprietary synthesis formula for Meridian's flagship drug. The one registered under my name. The one that legally validates your entire production line."

The lobby went dead silent. Even the receptionist stopped typing. Everyone knew Delta Lab was the only reason Meridian had any value.

Whitney blinked, her arrogant smirk freezing. "You... you're lying!"

Lana ignored her. She pulled her phone from her designer purse, dialed a number, and put it on speaker.

"Greg," Lana commanded, her voice radiating absolute, untouchable authority.

"Standing by, Miss Day," the Vice President of Delta Lab answered instantly, his respectful tone echoing through the phone's speaker.

"The original annex has been destroyed by Meridian's management," Lana said, her eyes fixed on Wayne’s rapidly paling face. "The contract is officially void. Release the termination notice to the press. Notify all of Meridian's venture capital investors. I want their stock dead in the water before the market opens."

"Understood, Miss Day. Releasing the legal notice now."

Lana hung up.

The color completely drained from Wayne’s face. His arrogance, his superiority, his disgust—all of it shattered into absolute, raw panic.

"Lana... Lana, wait!" Wayne shoved Jessica aside, ignoring her startled yelp, and stumbled down the marble steps. "Who did you call? Miss Day?! What the hell is going on?!"

Lana put on her sunglasses, shielding her eyes from the morning sun. "You fired a 'cold machine', Wayne. But you forgot that this machine built your entire empire. Consider this my severance package."

"No, no, no!" Wayne dropped to his knees on the marble floor. His hands shook violently as he frantically clawed at the shredded pieces of the blue folder, desperately trying to piece them back together. "Whitney, you idiot! What did you do?!"

Whitney stood frozen, trembling in terror as she realized she had just single-handedly bankrupted her brother’s company.

Lana didn't spare them another glance. She stepped over the shattered glass and walked out through the revolving doors.

As she stepped into the bright morning light, her phone buzzed.

Greg: [It's done. Check the news.]