Riley’s POV
By the ti I’m done dressing, there’s a difference. I dress like I know exactly what I’m walking into.
I pull on a fitted South African-inspired wrap dress made from deep burnt-orange shweshwe fabric, the kind with bold geotric prints that cling to the body in all the right places.
The dress hugs my waist tightly, the skirt stopping mid-thigh with a slit high enough to show my leg without trying too hard.
The top is sleeveless with a structured neckline that lifts my chest and leaves my shoulders bare. I pair it with black strappy heels that wrap around my ankles and make my legs look longer than they already are.
Gold hoop earrings, small but bold, and a slim gold cuff on my wrist finish it off. I leave my hair down, straight and smooth, and swipe on dark lip gloss because I’m done trying to look harmless.
I grab my bag and head out of the room.
As soon as I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see Wendy standing akimbo...
She’s standing there with her hands planted firmly on her hips, blocking my path like she’s been waiting for this exact mont. Her jaw is tight, eyes sharp, and I can already tell she’s wound up and ready to explode.
"You know you can’t just bypass Ethan in the company," she snaps imdiately. "You can’t remove him from major investors just because he doesn’t want you anymore."
I pause on the last step and look at her slowly, taking her in from head to toe before letting a small smile curve my lips.
"Oh," I say calmly, "he already called you and told you what happened at the company. Interesting."
Her eyes narrow. "Don’t act smart with ."
"He brought his best friends in to buy enough shares to kick out," I continue, my voice steady and clear. "It didn’t work. Why don’t you ask him about that, you whore."
Her face goes red instantly.
"Don’t you dare call that," she yells, taking a step closer to .
I step down fully, standing right in front of her now, refusing to back away. "I’ll call you whatever fits, Wendy, and right now that fits perfectly."
"You think you’ve won?" she sneers. "You think you being CEO makes you powerful?"
"I don’t think," I say. "I know."
She scoffs loudly. "You’re nothing without Ethan. You’re only sitting in that office because of him."
I laugh, slow and deliberately. "That’s funny, because the board didn’t seem to agree with you today."
Her breathing gets heavier, chest rising and falling rapidly. "You manipulated them."
"No," I correct her, "I outplayed him."
"You’re a mistake," she spits. "A mistake he should’ve fixed a long ti ago."
I tilt my head slightly. "Well, he tried."
That’s when she snaps.
She lunges forward suddenly, grabbing my arm hard enough to hurt, her nails digging into my skin. "You think you’re untouchable?" she screams.
I react without thinking. My hand cos up fast and hard, connecting sharply with her face.
The sound is loud.
She stumbles backward, completely stunned, her heel catching on the tiles as she loses balance and crashes to the floor. She lands awkwardly, gasping, one hand clutching her cheek as she stares up at in disbelief.
For a mont, the room is silent except for her heavy breathing.
I step closer slowly, looking down at her without any rush, without any guilt.
"You should’ve kept your hands to yourself," I say evenly.
She looks up at , eyes wide, rage and humiliation mixing together on her face. "You hit ."
"Yes," I reply. "And if you touch again, I’ll do worse."
"You think Ethan will let this slide?" she snaps.
"I don’t care what Ethan lets slide," I say. "He lost the mont he tried to play gas with my company."
She struggles to sit up, still glaring at . "You’re pushing him and you know that"
"No," I say calmly. "He’s pushing himself."
She lets out a bitter laugh. "You really think you’re safe?"
I bend slightly, lowering myself to her level so she can see my face clearly, so she understands I an every word.
"I don’t care about that right now. This is just the beginning, Wendy," I say quietly. "I’ll make sure you both are left with nothing." I say and with that I walk out.
By the ti I step outside, the air hits my skin imdiately, cool and sharp against my bare shoulders. I pause for half a second, adjusting my grip on my bag, and that’s when I see a black car is already parked by the curb.
Engine running. Waiting. I blink once, then twice, hoping I’m imagining it, but the mont I move forward, the driver’s door opens.
A man steps out, dressed neatly in a dark suit, posture straight. He closes the door behind him and walks around the car calmly.
He stops a few feet away from and bows his head slightly.
"Good evening, ma’am," he says politely. "I’ve been asked to escort and drive you."
I stare at him, disbelief washing over . "I can drive myself," I reply flatly.
He straightens and ets my eyes. "I’m sorry, ma’am, but it’s an order. I’m to make sure you follow ."
My jaw tightens. "An order from who?"
He doesn’t answer that. He only opens the back door of the car and gestures toward it like this conversation is already over.
I stay where I am.
"What the hell is this?" I mutter under my breath.
Are they watching now? Tracking my movents? Sending drivers to my house like I’m so kind of prisoner who doesn’t know she’s locked up yet?
"I didn’t agree to this," I say sharply.
"I’m sorry ma’am," he replies calmly. "But the instructions are clear."
I hesitate, my fingers curling tighter around my bag strap. Every instinct in is screaming that this is wrong, that I should turn around, go back inside, lock the door, and pretend none of this is happening.
But then I think of Anna. Of the ssage. Of the photo
And I know I don’t have a choice.
I walk toward the car slowly and slide into the back seat. The door closes softly behind , but the sound feels loud in my head. The driver gets back in and pulls away from the curb smoothly.
We drive in silence for a few minutes.
Then, from the front seat, his voice cuts through the quiet.
"I love your outfit."
My stomach drops.
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