Riaan sat in his office, tense silence swirling around him like smoke.
He could feel it — something was coming.
But nothing prepared him for the knock on his door.
Kiaan.
His cousin. His CFO. The man he'd built the empire with. The only family he'd trusted.
"Got a minute?" Kiaan asked, too casually.
Riaan nodded, gesturing for him to enter.
Kiaan dropped a folder on his desk.
"Thought you should see this before the board does."
Riaan opened it.
And the world tilted.
Financial reports.Altered projections.Fake losses.A signature he never gave.And at the bottom? A hidden clause filed without his approval — suggesting Aanya's termination under conflict of interest.
Riaan's jaw clenched.
"What is this?" he asked, voice like ice.
Kiaan shrugged. "Insurance."
"For what?"
"For when you forgot who helped you build all this."
Riaan stood slowly.
"You sabotaged the numbers. You forged my damn signature."
Kiaan stepped closer, unbothered. "I cleaned your mess. While you were busy bending your assistant over boardroom tables, I was running your company."
"And now?" Riaan hissed. "What's your plan, cousin? Stage a coup?"
Kiaan's smile turned deadly.
"Not stage. Finish."
A tense silence.
Then Riaan laughed — cold and sharp.
"You want the company?" he said. "You want my chair? You can have it."
Kiaan blinked.
"But you won't have her."
Riaan ripped the file in half and tossed it into the fireplace.
"This empire means nothing if it costs me Aanya."
—
Later that night, Riaan found Aanya on the rooftop, staring out over the city.
He didn't speak. Just wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"He tried to ruin you," he whispered."He nearly ruined me."
"But he didn't," she replied, turning to face him."We're still standing."
Riaan smiled faintly.
"Then let's start taking back what's ours."