The boardroom of Jefferson Conglomerate was colder than usual — not because of the air conditioning, but because of the tension that sat in the air like static before a storm.
Elsa sat at the head of the long obsidian table, back straight, lips pressed into a line. Around her, the board members exchanged glances, their loyalty cracking like old paint.
Vin Aldreth stood across from her — not a board member, not a Jefferson — but somehow, he was running the meeting.
He smiled like a man already writing the ending of the story.
"Effective immediately," Vin said smoothly, "the acquisition rights to Elaris Luxe will be retracted from the Chairwoman's control. Per Clause 72-B, given the concerns raised by the Finance Committee..."
Elsa didn't flinch. But inside, something twisted.
She'd been fighting behind the scenes for days — mysterious leaks, diverted funds, suppliers pulling out of contracts — and she knew this was orchestrated. But with Wallace gone, the board didn't trust her the same.
Vin had wormed in like a silk-clad viper.
"This is a mistake," Elsa said, voice calm. "If you remove our oversight of Elaris Luxe, you hand over strategic assets to external consultants without any corporate integrity checks."
"I understand your concern." Vin leaned forward, his fingers interlaced. "But if I may speak frankly—your recent absence and... erratic judgment regarding your marriage have created a sense of instability."
That was a jab.
A clean one. Polite. Poisoned.
One of the older board members, Senator Viero, cleared his throat. "We aren't removing your position, Ms. Jefferson. Just stabilizing operations. This is temporary."
Elsa's eyes scanned the room.
Twenty-five people. Ten she once trusted. Twelve were already bought. Three were undecided.
She stood slowly, projecting calm.
"Temporary shifts in control have a way of becoming permanent. I won't fight this in here. But I'll fight it."
Vin's smile flickered — not fear, but respect.
"Then we look forward to your counter."
As she left the room, a hand reached out — Soraya Vane, Vin's mysterious aide with piercing gray eyes and red gloves.
"Careful, Elsa," Soraya said in a voice that felt too smooth. "It's a long way to fall from the top."
Elsa didn't answer. She didn't need to.
Because she had a feeling Soraya wasn't warning her.
She was testing her.
Hours later, in the Jefferson Tower underground garage, Elsa's personal vehicle sat idle.
She stood next to it, exhausted. Broken. Angry.
"I didn't even see it coming," she whispered.
"Good," came a voice from behind her.
She whirled — Lance.
He stepped from the shadows in a black suit, face half-hidden by the parking structure's lights.
"Means your enemies are showing their hands," Lance said. "That makes them easier to crush."
Elsa blinked. "You... you work for him."
Lance shrugged. "Work with. He doesn't have employees. He has a storm he keeps caged."
Elsa turned away. "Tell him I don't need his help."
Lance smiled faintly. "You sure about that?"
He reached into his jacket and placed a sealed envelope on the hood of her car. No name. No address.
"Open it when you're ready to stop bleeding slowly."
He walked away.
Inside the envelope was a note. A single line:
"You're playing chess on a board he designed."– C.G.
Meanwhile, in an abandoned suite deep in Ivex Hotel, Vin Aldreth sat before a glowing screen showing real-time footage of Elsa's reaction.
Soraya walked in behind him.
"She's starting to suspect," she said.
"She's starting to awaken," Vin corrected, eyes gleaming.
"To what?"
"To how alone she truly is."
In the shadows of the city, Chess Golding stood on the roof of a twenty-story building, watching Jefferson Tower from afar.
His phone buzzed once.
Lance's text:
"She's close to breaking. What next?"
Chess typed only two words:
"Let her burn."
But behind his still expression, his hand curled into a fist.
Because what they didn't understand was this:
You don't hurt a dragon's mate and walk away breathing.