The sky over Valemir burned a low orange as dawn spilled across the rooftops. From the penthouse balcony of Elaris Luxe, Elsa stood wrapped in a silk robe, watching the city slowly stir awake beneath her. But her thoughts were far from peaceful.
Chess stepped beside her with two steaming cups of coffee in hand.
"You were already up," he said, offering her one.
Elsa took it without breaking her gaze. "Kip Mandari's name is still being whispered in the corridors of Jefferson Global. Even after everything."
Chess narrowed his eyes. "Like a stain that refuses to wash off."
They sipped in silence for a while.
"Today, I go back into that boardroom," Elsa said. "And I'll finish what I started."
Chess gave her a slight nod. "You're not alone in this anymore."
Their fingers brushed. A moment passed, heavy with promise and clarity.
—
Jefferson Global – Executive Boardroom, 10:30 a.m.
The marble table gleamed under the recessed lights as Elsa entered the room with a calculated calm. Her tailored crimson blazer stood in stark contrast to the grayscale suits seated at the board.
All eyes turned to her. Some with respect. Others with uncertainty. And a few—Kip's former sympathizers—with thinly veiled resentment.
"Let's begin," she said coolly, clicking her tablet to life. "We'll start with a forensic audit report on Mandari's fiscal trails."
A murmur rolled across the table.
"Some of you were handpicked by him. I suggest you listen carefully. The walls aren't the only things with ears now."
One executive, an older man with silver-rimmed glasses, leaned forward. "Elsa, this feels more like a witch hunt."
"No," she said, her voice steady. "This is a house cleaning."
She turned to the projector screen, now filled with charts, names, and offshore account linkages.
"Kip didn't act alone. He built a shadow hierarchy. And if you are part of it... your time is up."
The room tensed.
She let it hang there, heavy.
"This company is no longer his playground."
As the screen dimmed, Elsa looked each member in the eye. "You can either walk out now... or help me rebuild this into something worthy of the Jefferson legacy."
Only one man stood and left.
The rest stayed.
—
Later That Day – Aeris Holdings
Chess paced across the operations floor of Aeris' high-tech data war room. Dozens of screens lined the walls, showing analytics, surveillance feeds, and encrypted communications.
His second-in-command, a sharp woman named Devon, approached.
"We tracked one of Kip's loyalists trying to access dormant offshore systems. We've shut it down, but there was a code trigger—someone tried to wipe an entire server."
Chess's eyes darkened. "They're covering their tracks. We need to uncover the core node before it's destroyed."
He tapped into his private terminal and uploaded a signal trace.
"Bring me the Veil's top handlers. We're going deeper."
Devon hesitated. "And what of Elsa?"
"She's holding her side. I'll handle mine. But keep someone shadowing her. Quietly."
—
Evening – Elsa's Private Suite
Elsa's heels were off, her bun undone. She collapsed onto the couch, the day's battles finally catching up to her.
Her phone buzzed.
A single text from Chess: You were magnificent today.
She smiled despite herself.
A moment later, a knock. When she opened the door, Chess was there, not in a suit, but casual, hoodie and jeans.
"I brought Chinese takeout," he said.
Elsa blinked, then laughed. "You're lucky I'm starving."
They sat together on the floor, boxes between them, chopsticks in hand.
"This is oddly romantic," she said, mouth full.
Chess smirked. "I bring lo mein, you bring justice. We make a decent team."
Her laughter softened into something warmer. "It's been a long time since I've had someone to share this kind of quiet with."
He looked at her.
"You won't lose that again," he promised.
She believed him.
—
Somewhere in Valemir – A Forgotten Office
A monitor flickered to life in a dimly lit room. A man's silhouette leaned forward, watching surveillance of the Jefferson boardroom.
The audio echoed: "This company is no longer his playground."
A sharp chuckle escaped the figure.
"So the heiress thinks she's in control now?"
The screen split, showing Chess at Aeris and Elsa in her suite.
The man's hand hovered over a switch.
"Let the game begin again."