The office smelled of faintly of old paper and stale coffee. The air-conditioning hummed overhead , cold and impersonal. ELENA CARTER sat in the chair across from the manager, her fingers twisted tightly together.
Her manager couldn't even look her in the the eye. The fluorescent light above flickered , buzzing faintly as he shuffled the papers on his desk.The small clock on the wall ticked loudly, each second pulling elena closer to despair.
"miss carter, am sorry we have to let you go"
The words from her manager rang inside her ears like a cruel verdict, The office, with it's peeling wallpaper and dusty blinds, suddenly felt suffocating, she he had worked her self to the bone here- overtime shifts, unpaid weekends,endless dedication, but of course non of that mattered now. "But... i need this job," she whispered her voice trembling.
The manager sighed. " i'm sorry. the company is downsizing. you should pack your things." Her throat ached. she forced a nod clung unto her bag her face pale as snow and her voice trembling as she said slightly " i understand. "
She didn't, business had always been rough for her family, but she had fought to keep this one steady job but now she was fired in one single sentence. By the time elena had stepped out of the building, the afternoon sun felt cruel against her tear- streaked cheeks. She walked home slowly, her heart sinking with every step . Outside, the late sun was slipping behind the city skyline. the streets felt endless, her steps heavy as she dragged herself home.
The carter home had once been filled with laughter. Elena remembered birthdays lit by sparkling candles, her fathers booming laugh and her mothers gentle voice, but all that belonged to another life, now the walls seemed smaller, shadows longer. The trophies of charles carter's once-thriving construction firm gathered dust in the hallway. the man who had been a proud father was now little more than a desperate debtor clawing at survival a shadow of his former self.
By the time she reached home, the weight of failure pressed down on her shoulders like lead. The door creaked open as elena entered, in the livingroom charles was already waiting his face dark and weary, her fathers eyes snapped to her " don't tell me - you lost the job " his voice was sharp, stripped of the warmth it once held. Elena froze her silence confirming the truth, " do you even understand what this means?", charles slammed his palm against the table, his burned with frustration. Elena lowered her head . "Father, i tried ".
"Try? do you think trying feeds this family? do think it pays debts?, i built everything with these hands, and now all i see is it slipping through, because even my daughter can't hold one damn job!."
His words pierced her chest like arrows. She wanted to scream back, to remind him she was trying but her lips trembled and no sound came.It was not the anger that broke her, It was the memory of the man he once was. The father who used to carry her on his shoulders, who used to clap proudly at her smallest victories. That man was gone replaced by bitterness . "Enough " charles muttered as he turned away " your a disappointment".
Elena rushed into her room , tears streaming freely now. She collapsed onto her bed, clutching her pillow as her body shook with sobs, her chest heaving, tears spilling faster rhan she could wipe them. she buried her face into the pillow muffling the sound.
"Elena"....
Her mother, mirabel, slipped into the room quietly, unlike her husband, mirabel had alwys been the calm to elna's storm, always gentle, almost too gentle, her meekness was the thread that barely held this debt drowning family together. she sat at the edge of the bed and stroked elena's hair and rocking her gentl as she always did when she was little, "my sweet girl", she whispered, pulling elena into her arms. " don't cry. we'll get through this. every thing will be fine."
Elena shook her head against her mothers chest. the words were kind but, But elena knew they where nothing but lies. Nothing was fine.
Across the city; ina tower of steel and glass, another world existed. The KANE GROUP.
The name itself commanded respect across the entire state. A multinational empire, kane group owned everything from luxury hotels to cutting-edge tech firms. the conglomerate had its hands in construction, finance, fashion and more. And at the center of it all was ALEXANDER KANE.
Tall,sharp-eyed, and impossibly composed, alexander sat in the boardroom overlooking the sky line. the city stretched beneath him, pulsing with life, most of it tied in some way to his family's empire.
The board room was filled with silence as men twice as alexander's age shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. numbers and charts glowed om the large screen projecting quarterly reports.
"Kane hotels has outperformed hilton and marriot combined this quarter," His assistant read, "kanes group's expansion into renewable energy has surpassed expectations. other firms are struggling to keep up, fashion and retail continue to dominate the local market. however..." he hesitated.
Alexander's sharp eyes flicked to him. "however?"
"there is... unease sir. Among the shareholders. they respect your result but, but the media questions your... image. headlines are calling you cold machine. some investors say kane groups looks unstable without a proper family front."
murmurs rose among the directors. A few nodded in agreement.
Alexander leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable, so now the markets want me to play house."
His voice was quiet, but it carried like thunder. the room stilled. "This is business," alexander continued, his fingers tapping against the polished table. "marriage has nothing to do with profitability."
The directors avoided his eyes. one older man finally spoke. " with all due respect, mr. kane, in this world, perception is profitability. Kane group was built on legacy-your grandfather's vision, your father's traditions. investors don't just buy into numbers. they buy into the image of continuity. of family"
Alexanders jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
when the meeting adjourned, he walked down the long marble hallway. his expression carved from stone. he found his parents waiting for him in the estate later that evening. "Alexander," his mother began, her voice firm but elegant. " we heard the boards concerns. They are not wrong. A man of your position must project stability. a wife by your side is not optional its essential." His father nodded in agreement " your mother and i have spent decades turning kane group into a house hold name. You have strengthened it beyond our expectations, but without an heir, without a wife, people whisper. if those whispers grow louder, even we won't be able to silence them."
Alexander poured himself a glass of whiskey, his movements calm but deliberate. " You want me to get married so the investors feel comfortable?" His mothers eyes glinted. " not want need and besides you aren't getting any younger." His father stepped forward. " And we've already found a solution. Charles carter. Old friend of mine, his company is ruined, his family in debt, we offered a lifeline he offered his daughter." For a moment silenced stretched, alexanders gaze was cold as steel. " so you've arranged my marriage behind my back. "Consider it a contract nothing more. You under stand business more than one."
Alexanders lips curled, humorless. " fine, if that what you want dad then consider it done." His face emotionless. That night at the Kanes group head office, alexander picked up his phone. " charles carter," he said when the line connected. his voice was smooth, commanding, "this is alexander kane," (in his head ) "your daughter huh she'll do."