The morning sunlight slanted through the glass walls of Ethan Group’s upper floors, painting long gold lines across the polished marble. It should have been warm, reassuring—an ordinary beginning.

But nothing about Alyssa felt ordinary anymore.

She walked through the executive hallway with an elegance that made people stare. Yet today, there was something else in her steps—something sharp, deliberate, almost predatory. Her heels clicked like a countdown.

Cold. Controlled. Dangerous.

The board members respected Ethan.

They feared Davin.

But Alyssa—they didn’t know how to read her yet.

That was about to change.

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Alyssa’s First Move

She found Board Member Lin in his corner office, surrounded by paperwork and...