The bar’s dim lighting cast a hazy neon glow over Ariyah Griffin’s face, but it couldn’t hide the sharp glint in her eyes. Her gaze was a sheathed dagger, poised to strike at any second. Her father had raised her to be decisive and ruthless, hoping she could go toe-to-toe with men in this world. Little did he know she’d turn those very traits on her marriage.

“Milo Kelly won’t leave this marriage with a single cent—not a stock option, not a car key, nothing,” she stated, her voice calm but absolute. “The house, the car, the company shares, all the connections I helped him build—everything I’ve poured my heart into over the years—I’m taking it all back. Cleanly. Completely.”

She looked down at the amber liquid in her glass, swirling it slowly.

Joan nodded, relief easing the tension in her chest. She knew exactly how much Ariyah had poured into shaping Milo into the man he was. Giving up wasn’t an option—not when the time and effort could swallow a person whole. Ariyah had never been one to get swept away by her emotions, and Joan was grateful that, at least, hadn’t changed.

Joan had been by Ariyah’s side since graduation, more sister than assistant. She adored the Griffin family, but she’d never been able to stomach Milo. From their first meeting, something about Milo’s supposedly earnest eyes struck her as calculating. But back then, Ariyah had wanted to please her father, so she’d rushed in without a second thought.

Now Milo, thinking he was untouchable, had the nerve to bring another woman—and a child—into the picture as leverage. Joan hadn’t seen that coming. He’d waited until Mr. Griffin was away, assuming Ariyah couldn’t make any real trouble on her own.

Ariyah scrolled through her phone, stopping when a headline caught her eye: Solstice Capital had just closed another major international acquisition. The story shot straight to the top of the business news. But most people were far more interested in the ridiculously handsome photo attached to it.

It was an old photo of Solstice Capital’s founder, Pablo Williams. He was mid-handshake with some foreign dignitary, his sharp profile and perfect posture making him look like he’d walked straight out of a CEO drama.

“Wait, aren’t CEOs supposed to be bald and out of shape? How is Pablo this good-looking?”

“Look how old that photo is. It’s probably ancient—he’s got to have let himself go by now…”

Ariyah let out a soft laugh. If she hadn’t met him in person today, she might have agreed with the comments, assuming the photo was doing all the work. But thinking back to their encounter earlier that day—and those clear eyes she’d looked up into—she felt something stir. A wave of unease hit her, so she knocked back another drink, letting the warmth settle in her chest.

But why had Pablo shown up here today? Had he heard about Milo’s antics and come sniffing around for talent? In hindsight, giving Milo that kind of platform had been a mistake—it had put him on every investment bank’s radar. The thought sat heavy in her chest, and she turned off her phone.

When her phone lit up again, Milo’s name flashed on the screen.

“Has this man no shame? Why the hell is he calling?” Joan burst out the second she saw the name.

Ariyah only smiled and set the phone aside. But Milo was relentless. One missed call turned into another, then another. Eventually, a text popped up: “Heard from a friend you’re at Starry Night Bar. Wait for me.”

Ariyah frowned and handed the phone to Joan.

“That guy is just disgusting. Let’s get out of here! Why meet him? To listen to his lame excuses about how hard cheating is?” Joan fumed, already trying to tug Ariyah out of her seat.

“Maybe we should wait. Could be a good show,” Ariyah countered, shaking her head and sliding back into her seat.

A few drinks later, Milo appeared at the door. He hesitated, clearly surprised to see Ariyah sitting out in the open—he’d expected her to be avoiding him.

Ariyah held his gaze, steady and defiant, until he started to squirm.

“Ariyah, I want to talk,” he said, finding his nerve as he walked over.

“I’ve thought it over. Bringing Alyssa and the child back was thoughtless of me,” he admitted, though the apology was more about logistics than morals.

Ariyah stared at him with ice in her eyes. He was apologizing for bringing the woman back—not for betraying her in the first place. It was obvious he wasn’t really sorry; he was just buying time to make a play for the company shares. The man had no heart.

“So, have you decided? Are she and the child leaving, or are you all leaving together?” she asked, her tone lazy.

Milo’s fists clenched. “Ariyah, Alyssa is alone here. If I send her away, she’ll be stranded with the child. Just give me some time to sort this out, okay?”

His voice was smooth, but inside he was cursing Ariyah’s cold heart. The kid was only two—where were they supposed to go?

“Oh, so is it love or guilt?” Ariyah pressed.

Milo gritted his teeth. “Let’s go home and talk about this in private.”

He reached out, his cold fingers brushing her arm. Ariyah jerked back like she’d been burned, leaving him clutching nothing but her sleeve. The man before her felt like a snake now; any touch was repulsive.

Joan was already on her feet, ready to shove Milo out, when his phone rang.

After taking the call, Milo’s expression turned serious. He released her sleeve with obvious reluctance. “Ariyah, Alyssa’s fallen ill and can’t look after the child. I have to go.”

Alyssa had timed it perfectly, knowing he’d be with Ariyah. Her timing was surgical.

Ariyah almost laughed. Instead, she let a mocking tenderness settle over her face as she looked at Milo. “Stay with me, will you? I’m a little drunk. Keep me company?”

The conflict on Milo’s face only made Ariyah more amused. She had to pinch her leg to keep from laughing out loud. Who did Milo think he was, standing there paralyzed with indecision?

Milo hesitated, then shot her an apologetic look. “Ariyah, wait for me at home. We’ll talk then. I have to go see the child. She’s just a little girl…”

Ariyah tuned him out. She already knew exactly what he’d say next—and none of it meant anything.

Milo rushed to the hospital, where Alyssa was waiting in the ER downtown.

“Alyssa, what happened? Why didn’t you go to the one closer to home?” Milo asked, pressing a worried hand to her feverish forehead. There was a hospital just a short walk from home, and it was less crowded, too.

Alyssa, her eyes half-closed, murmured, “I’m new here, so I got lost. Sorry, Milo—am I bothering you?”

But she knew exactly how close the other hospital was. She’d chosen the one downtown on purpose, hoping to draw a crowd. Without the extra attention, the fever she’d brought on by standing in a cold shower for half an hour would have gone completely unnoticed.

Ariyah Griffin had tipped off several media outlets ahead of time, and they showed up hungry for a scoop. With AEI Equity's CEO under scrutiny, no one wanted to miss a front-page story. The hospital entrance, already busy, was soon crowded with reporters.

Alyssa Jenkins had been running her mouth, painting Ariyah as arrogant, dismissive, and cruel to anyone she considered beneath her. To sell the story, she even leaked a handful of carefully cherry-picked photos of Ariyah looking cold and stern. Word spread that Alyssa was Milo’s first love and the real victim, ripped away from him because of Ariyah’s interference.

“I don’t need to strong-arm an intern,” Ariyah quipped, letting out a low chuckle as she glanced at the headlines.

“Aren’t you worried?” Joan was pacing the living room, visibly on edge. “There’s gossip everywhere. How can you stay so calm?”

Alyssa had already claimed the moral high ground, backing Ariyah into a corner. Scandals involving the rich and powerful were impossible to resist, and reporters were swarming both the hospital and Ariyah’s estate.

Joan was furiously dialing every PR agency, demanding to know what they were doing about the media circus. The agencies were drowning, barely able to keep up with the onslaught.

“So, Joan, is there any truth to the claims that Ariyah bullied people?” one of them actually had the nerve to ask.

Joan’s only response was to hurl her phone across the room in a fit of frustration.

Ariyah, however, remained cool and collected. Sipping her coffee, she laid out her plan without a flicker of worry. “There’s no rush. Alyssa’s the one who should be worried. The longer I wait, the more she’ll suffocate in uncertainty. Let her stew. She’ll end up pressuring Milo to make a move.”

The gossip kept circulating, eventually reaching even Solstice Capital. Matthew Robertson burst into Pablo Williams’ office, eyes bright with excitement. “I’ve got some seriously juicy news.”

Pablo didn’t bother lifting his gaze from his paperwork. “Is this about Ariyah being accused of throwing her weight around? Anything new?”

“And there’s talk she might be a mistress!”

“Anything else?”

Matthew hesitated, still perpetually puzzled by Pablo’s unreadable expressions.

“A ton of fake stories are floating around, and yet Milo hasn’t said a word,” Pablo mused, his brow furrowed. Ariyah had stood by Milo through everything, and now he was proving to be a man who did little except leave chaos in his wake. Well, this was a lucky break. His eyes flickered as he shuffled through the merger documents in front of him.

“Any word on a divorce?” Pablo asked, throwing Matthew off balance.

“Divorce? I haven’t heard anything like that. But word is Milo’s refusing to hand back the shares and won’t give up the woman and kid he brought over. They’re at a standoff.”

“Milo’s an interesting character—looks dependable, but then he moves in silence, like snatching someone else’s territory,” Matthew noted, right up until Pablo’s glare shut him up.

That man was unpredictable—it was best not to provoke him.

After two days of recovering at home, Ariyah reappeared as if nothing had ever happened and headed straight for the office. Delays weren’t an option; the company was in chaos.

Joan, sitting next to her in the car, kept glancing at the media vans tailing them. “Ariyah, this scandal could wreck the company’s reputation, right?”

“We have several major international deals lined up. If our partners decide to back out... the losses could be severe.”

Joan had a point. Ariyah had put her personal feelings aside a long time ago, but Milo had built a name for himself under her mentorship. Pulling him off key projects without warning would only create a mess.

Milo had the nerve to negotiate with her because he knew it too. Solstice Capital was tied up in several critical international mergers set to close before the end of the year. If Milo sabotaged those deals out of spite, AEI Equity’s year-end financials would take a devastating hit.

“One step at a time,” Ariyah said. “I’ll approach Solstice’s founder and see if they’d agree to a change in project lead...”

But even as she said it, a faint trace of uncertainty slipped into her tone. It rarely worked out in situations like this. When it came to building partnerships, people put more faith in an individual than in a company.

Cutting Milo out of both the company and the group entirely would be brutal—like carving flesh from bone. It would bleed the company dry. And judging by Alyssa’s stance, there was no way she’d let Milo give up his claim on the family assets. A showdown was inevitable.

As a light rain began to fall, Joan told the driver to pull up to the company’s side entrance, managing to shake off the media. Ariyah slid on her sunglasses and stepped out—only to freeze when a voice called out from behind.

The elevator crawled upward, the silence between them thick enough to choke on. Joan didn't dare speak. She stole a glance at Ariyah Griffin. Her face was as calm as ever—smooth, unreadable, like a pond that gave away nothing beneath the surface.

The elevator chimed just as the doors slid open, and chaos spilled into view. A knot of employees crowded the entrance, blocking the path.

“What's going on?” Joan asked, catching Shyla, the receptionist, by the arm.

“Oh, thank God you're here, Joan!” Shyla whispered, voice tight with panic. “Mrs. Kelly is here... but you'll have to see it to believe it.”

The crowd parted, and Ariyah's gaze landed on a familiar figure in the middle of the reception area.

Milo Kelly’s mother sat there like she owned the place, surrounded by scattered coffee cups. Shyla hovered nearby, looking sick with worry.

She had forced her way past security by loudly invoking her son's CEO status. The guards, wary of physically removing an executive's mother in front of clients, had escorted her upstairs instead of creating a scene in the lobby.

Ariyah didn't need anyone to explain. This woman had been terrorizing her young employees for a while now.

“First the coffee's too cold, then it's scalding hot. Is this how you treat guests in this two-bit operation?” Milo's mother announced, loud enough for the whole room to hear. “This company should be handed over to my son. Following that Griffin girl will get you nowhere!”

“Young people should have some manners. How do you not know basic etiquette?”

Shyla opened her mouth to snap back, then closed it immediately, too afraid to stand up for herself. With Ariyah out of the office for days, she'd been completely overwhelmed, forced to just stand there and take the abuse.

“Hand it over to your son?” Ariyah called from the doorway. “The Kellys are really experts at freeloading, aren't they?”

Shyla spun around, eyes lighting up. Her savior had arrived, and the confidence surged back into her chest. “Exactly! Mrs. Kelly, this is AEI Equity—Ariyah's company. You coming here to nitpick about coffee? That shows who's really lacking manners!”

Her heart was still hammering, but a rush of triumph coursed through her veins.

Mrs. Kelly blinked, caught off guard, then rose to her feet, shaking with rage. “Ariyah Griffin! I didn't come here to argue today! Is this how you let your staff speak to me?”

“Apologies,” Ariyah said smoothly, stepping forward. “Shyla, you need to choose your words more carefully.”

“Discussing manners with people like this is beneath you.”

Mrs. Kelly's face flushed a deep, furious red. Her hands trembled as she snatched up a coffee cup, ready to hurl it—but her grip slipped, and the cup smashed against the edge of the table, slicing her finger.

“Ariyah Griffin! You've gone too far!” she shrieked, shaking with fury. “You've run my son ragged! He's worked himself to the bone for you, even with his health problems, and you never gave a damn! Now somebody actually loves him and takes care of him, and you're upset? Aren't you just sitting on the fence, refusing to get off?”

“You think you can just swoop in and take back the company when it's my son's hard work that got it this far? You just sit at home and enjoy the spoils!”

Ariyah listened, patient and stone-faced. “The only thing you've gotten right is that your son is a leech on my property.”

“And besides,” she raised her voice, slicing through Mrs. Kelly's protest, “I can make your son a CEO, and I can just as easily demote him to an intern. He's the one at fault—not me. You wave what little power you have around like it's a royal decree. Honestly? It's embarrassing.”

Joan let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even after all this time away from the office, Ariyah hadn't lost her sharp wit or her command. Her father had left a legacy in the business world, and his daughter was proving to be just as savvy—striking straight at the heart of her opponent.

“Where are the security guards?” Ariyah gave a calm wave of her hand. “Why hasn't anyone shown her the door?”

“Throw me out? You wouldn't dare!” Mrs. Kelly shot back, eyes wide with indignation. “This company depends on my son's mergers! Without him, you'd all be struggling just to stay afloat. As if some housewife could manage the projects that keep this team alive!”

Ariyah leaned back against the wall, watching Mrs. Kelly carry on. Clearly, the old woman had done her homework—she'd even learned how the company was structured.

“I've already spoken with Solstice Capital's receptionist. You'd better start thinking about how to save yourself, Ariyah Griffin. When they come to cancel those partnerships, your company will have no choice but to shut its doors!”

Ariyah stayed silent, which only made Mrs. Kelly bolder. Her smile sharpened into something almost mocking.

“You know, the only way out of this is to beg my son. He's generous—he might even give you some money to keep you comfortable in the future. But if you insist on walking away empty-handed, you'll have no one to blame but yourself.”

Ariyah drew in a slow breath. “Mrs. Kelly, if I were you, I wouldn't be so smug right now.”

“Your entire family lives off Milo's salary. If you lose this fight, you'll all be crammed into that tiny apartment—four adults and one child. Just thinking about it makes me worried for you.”

“You—”

Mrs. Kelly choked on her words, her face burning bright red. She prided herself on appearances, dressing impeccably every day just to keep people from looking down on her.

“Oh, what a lively scene.” A clear voice cut through the tension from the direction of the elevator doors. Everyone turned to see a young man in a sharp suit holding a stack of documents, a slight smile playing at his lips.

“Did I come at a bad time?” he asked cautiously, weaving his way through the crowd toward Ariyah.

“Apologies, things are a little chaotic around here today.” She switched to a professional tone. “I'm Ariyah Griffin. And you are... a client?”

“Oh, yes. I'm with Solstice Capital. Call me Lewis.” He handed her a business card. “My boss asked me to invite you for coffee, Ms. Griffin.”

Ariyah's heart skipped. A representative from Solstice Capital really had shown up. But why? What did they want?

“Oh, from Solstice Capital!” Mrs. Kelly perked up, certain her little visit to their front desk had finally paid off. The company was finally taking her seriously. *Ariyah, I didn't want to push you, but your arrogance has left me no choice!*

“I'm the one who came by your office this morning. I can go with you! I know the whole situation!” she said eagerly, practically rolling up her sleeves.

“Oh. Hello.” Lewis gave her a cool, dismissive glance. “That won't be necessary. Our boss only wants to meet with Ms. Griffin. No outsiders.”

His words hit Mrs. Kelly like a bucket of ice water. She sank back into her seat, deflated.

Something was off. She'd expected them to show up and confront Ariyah with evidence. Shouldn't they have invited her along for backup?

Surely nothing could go sideways now—not at the worst possible moment.