Neon lights flickered like stars trapped in the ceiling of the nightclub. Smoke curled in lazy trails above the crowd, mixing with the pounding bass of electronic music. In the far corner of the room, a young man sat alone, a half-empty glass resting loosely in his hand.
Micheal Aouken. 26 years old. Half American, half Japanese.
He was strikingly handsome, with sharp features and intense brown eyes that seemed to glow under the dim, colored lights. But unlike the others on the dance floor, he wasn't here to party.
He was waiting. Calculating.
Micheal took a sip from his glass. Behind the calm expression was a storm waiting to erupt.
"Ken Himora…"
That name had haunted him for five long years. The man who destroyed everything, his family, their legacy, and his father's pride.
Ken Himora, 37 years old. A powerful corporate mogul. The man who seized control of Aouken Holdings, turning the once-proud family business into a mere extension of his empire.
Micheal could still remember the look on his father's face the day the company slipped away, the way his shoulders sagged, the quiet shame in his eyes.
That day carved itself into Micheal's soul.
"You made my father kneel," Micheal muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the melting ice in his drink. "One day, you'll kneel to me."
After graduating, he had taken up job after job- barista, freelance editor, event manager, each one just a stepping stone. His real goal was always the same:
Get close to Ken Himora. Earn his trust. Destroy him from the inside.
Micheal knew that getting near a man like Ken wasn't easy. But he also knew Ken had one weakness: he never turned away true talent.
And Micheal was ready to prove himself.
Three weeks ago, he sent in his résumé to Himora Corporation. Today, he received a reply.
An interview. In three days.
"This is it," Micheal thought, raising his glass slightly as if to toast his own plan. "I'll enter your world. Learn how you think. Make you believe in me. And when you trust me the most...."
He smirked bitterly, finishing the drink in one swallow.
"...I'll be the one who tears your empire apart."
And it all began… with that interview.