"Elena, I'm offering you a way out," Damian's voice was calm, measured, like a banker outlining terms of a loan—but his eyes gleamed with something deeper.
They met at a rooftop lounge in the city's financial district. Below them, skyscrapers shimmered like glass swords piercing the dusk.
"I don't need a way out," she said, swirling the cocktail in her hand. "I need a way in."
Damian smiled. "Then let's make a deal."
⸻
He laid it out:
He would invest in her new company—whatever she wanted to build. A PR consultancy, a media house, a tech think tank. Anything.
What he wanted in return was simple:
"Your revenge."
Elena raised a brow. "You want me to burn Adrian for you?"
"No," he said. "I want you to beat him. Publicly. Elegantly. So I can buy Rivera Group at half its value when he starts to fall."
⸻
She took a breath.
The Elena of six months ago would've walked away. She would've said revenge was beneath her. That success alone was enough.
But this wasn't six months ago.
This was war.
And Adrian had drawn first blood.
She extended her hand. "Deal."
Damian took it, his fingers firm, the city lights catching in his watch like a countdown.
⸻
That night, she began building her new empire.
One whispered call at a time.
One stolen executive at a time.
One headline at a time.
Adrian Rivera had taken her for granted.
Now, Elena Carter was going to take his legacy.