For the past month, Krishna had managed, just barely, to keep her little kingdom of chaos from completely imploding.
Aaron was finally dragging himself back into corporate boardrooms with dark circles under his eyes and a permanent coffee stain on at least one sleeve. The twins were putting on the thinnest veneer of respectability, pretending to have "productive lives" outside of fighting for lap space or starting domestic wars in her living room. Even Lucius, with all his lingering pride wounds, was grudgingly fulfilling his new role at Debonair Holdings with icy precision.
On the surface… it almost looked like peace.
But Krishna knew better.
Peace never lasted long in her world.
And especially not when a new storm had already begun brewing, this time aimed directly at her first, most loyal, most pathetic, but stubbornly hers… dog.
Aaron Triton.
The boardroom halls of the Triton Holdings buzzed like angry bees. Rumors twisted between offices like secondhand smoke, heavy, sour, impossible to ignore. Aaron's months of neglect hadn't gone unnoticed.
While he'd spent entire weekends sprawled on Krishna's floor, chasing her lap like a heat-starved pup, whining about attention like it was oxygen, his family had been moving.
Quiet.
Calculated.
And vicious.
Enter: Bella Triton.
Aaron's cousin. Daughter of his uncle, the family's second son.
An Omega by designation.
But in reality?
She was anything but delicate.
Bella had never fit into the neat little Omega box society tried to shove her in.
She was sharp.
Charismatic.
And terrifying in the cold, clinical way only someone raised for power could be.
Where Aaron led with emotion, Bella led with strategy.
Where Aaron chased Krishna's affection like a lovesick fool, Bella studied people like chess pieces, anticipating five moves ahead, smiling as she flipped the board when needed.
From the moment Aaron started slipping, Bella rose.
Every missed meeting.
Every late submission.
Every shaky quarterly result under his name…
Became her stepping stones.
The older Triton board members started shifting their alliances.
Whispers started as doubts.
Then turned into suggestions.
Then… into formal discussions.
Bella's father, Aaron's uncle, fanned the flames. Hosting private luncheons. Making calls. Pulling old debts.
And Bella?
She played the perfect act.
Polite.
Elegant.
But always with that edge of something lethal under her soft voice and carefully controlled Omega scent.
She wasn't just making a move for the company.
She was making a move toward Lorenzo Debonair.
A two-birds, one-stone scenario.
If she could lock herself into the Debonair bloodline through marriage and take Triton Holdings for herself?
There wouldn't be a single person left in their social circle who could touch her.
And the way she made her approach…
Oh, it was art.
Showing up at charity galas hosted by the Debonairs.
Volunteering for committees where Lorenzo would be present.
Coincidental run-ins with Marriane Debonair at luncheons.
Invitations to golf events, to charity balls, even to business forums where Lorenzo sat as guest speaker.
Her strategy was subtle but relentless.
The photos started surfacing online.
Bella seated just a few chairs away from Lorenzo at a luncheon.
Bella smiling across the table at him at a fundraiser.
Bella exchanging polite, but sweet banter in a news clip.
The talk spread like wildfire in the social gossip threads Krishna always scrolled through when bored.
"Triton's Omega Princess aiming for Debonair Crown Prince?"
"Lorenzo Debonair seen speaking privately with Bella Triton after closed-door meeting."
"The power duo we never expected: Bella x Lorenzo???"
Krishna read every headline.
And with every one…
Her smile sharpened.
Because this?
This was no longer just about Aaron getting dethroned.
This was about territory.
Her territory.
Bella had made the first real mistake by reaching into Debonair circles like she belonged there.
Krishna watched, day after day, as Aaron worked himself sick trying to claw back relevance.
Dragging himself to every early morning board session.
Reviewing contracts past midnight.
Skipping his weekends, skipping her, just to stay afloat.
His pride wouldn't let him crawl back now.
Not when he finally had something worth fighting for.
But Krishna saw it happening.
Saw him unraveling at the edges.
The exhaustion creeping into his eyes.
The weight of every failed meeting sinking into his shoulders.
And Bella?
Bella was flourishing.
While Aaron crumbled, she smiled at cameras.
While Aaron missed deadlines, she closed new investor deals.
While Aaron struggled to sleep, Bella was out there, charming socialites and investors with that quiet, untouchable Omega grace.
And now?
Now it had come to this.
An official memo.
A notice delivered straight to Aaron's inbox at 6:03 AM on a Thursday morning.
"Special Shareholder Meeting: Review of Heir Designation. Bella Triton - Succession Candidate Proposal."
Krishna sat at her living room window when she caught wind of it.
Phone in hand.
A half-full glass of wine balanced on her knee.
Her dogs weren't home.
The twins were busy somewhere fighting each other over gym selfies.
Lucius was God-knows-where, probably still recovering from her latest emotional ambush at Debonair Holdings.
And Aaron?
Probably curled over his office desk like a dead battery.
But Krishna didn't feel worry.
No.
Her blood hummed with something darker.
Something more primal.
Her fingers tapped lazily at the glass in her hand.
Watching the sun drop behind the skyline.
Her smile stretched slow. Dangerous.
"Well now…" she murmured to herself, voice soft but edged with venom.
"Looks like someone's aiming for my dog's leash."
Her thumb hovered over her phone.
Already pulling up her private contacts.
Because if Bella Triton thought this little power play was going to go unanswered?
She clearly hadn't learned how this game really worked.
Krishna took one slow, deep breath…
And whispered under her breath…
"Let the games begin."
Again.