Sterling Corp's headquarters had never felt colder.
The moment Alina stepped off the elevator, she sensed the shift. Staff offered tight smiles. Whispers followed her heels. The receptionists looked up too quickly, then looked away. Someone had stirred the pot in her absence-and they had stirred hard.
Naomi met her at the corner office, tablet in hand. "Three board members called in a meeting without you."
"On what grounds?"
"They're calling it a performance evaluation," Naomi said. "They claim your absence jeopardized investor confidence."
Alina's laugh was sharp. "I stopped a break-in, protected sensitive data, and somehow I'm the liability?"
Naomi handed her the tablet. "They brought in someone to assess your leadership."
Alina's brows arched. "Who?"
The tablet showed a familiar name.
*Genevieve Carrow.*
"She's not just an agent?" Alina asked.
Naomi whispered, "She has ties to Virella Logistics. Quiet ones. Paper-trail clean. But she's everywhere."
Alina's fists clenched. "She's pushing to make this look legal so she can bleed me dry." Naomi's voice lowered. "And she's not alone. Mr. Hawthorne's vote shifted."
Alina's expression dropped. "He's always been loyal."
"Not since he received that anonymous packet two days ago. Accusations. Proof of mismanaged funds."
Alina stared ahead. "Faked. They're manufacturing a scandal."
"We can fight it," Naomi said. "But the emergency board meeting is in fifteen minutes. You have to walk in like nothing touches you."
Alina gave a cold smile. "I was born for this."
-
The boardroom was full. Twelve members. Nine seated. Three on screen. Genevieve was already there-sitting where the external advisor usually didn't sit: at the head.
Alina walked in, heels echoing like gunshots. She didn't flinch when whispers rose. She didn't even look at Genevieve.
"Let's begin," she said, placing a thick file on the table. "This is a counter-report. Proving full solvency, proper fund management, and a complete audit trail verified this morning."
Hawthorne didn't meet her eyes.
Another member cleared their throat. "Miss Langley, the concern is your... distraction. Personal affairs have affected company presence."
Alina's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You mean surviving attempted corporate sabotage, while being monitored by someone with active conflict of interest?"
Genevieve leaned back. "Now, now. Let's remain civil."
"No," Alina said, voice sharp. "Let's remain truthful. This woman interfered with my immigration status, tried to weaponize my marriage contract, and now she's overseeing a 'review' of my company's leadership."
"Allegations," Genevieve said.
"Facts," Alina replied, holding up a folder. "In here are traces of her dealings with Darien Moss. And I'm submitting them for federal investigation. As of this morning."
Silence fell like a dropped bomb.
One board member shifted. Another looked at Hawthorne.
Naomi, standing at the door, smiled.
Genevieve's smile faltered. "You don't have proof."
"I have enough for a delay. And while we wait for legal proceedings, I'm invoking clause 14B. Temporary suspension of outside advisory influence during potential breach of interest."
Genevieve stood. "You're bluffing."
Alina walked toward her, calm as fire. "I built this company. No one removes me with forged files and whispered lies. Now get out of my boardroom."
For a second-just one-Genevieve hesitated. Then she turned and left.
But before the doors shut behind her, she looked back and said, "Enjoy your throne, Alina. It's built on sand."
The doors closed.
And Naomi whispered, "That was a win."
Alina exhaled. But something felt off.
-
Back in her office, she reviewed her own servers, security cams, and legal briefs. She was rebuilding fast-but someone, somewhere, still had reach inside.
And she was right.
Because at that moment, a floor beneath her, an IT tech named Darren inserted a flash drive into the Langley internal server. The drive blinked once.
And then it started copying everything.
Everything.