Third Person's POV.
Just two days after Percy Morre had stepped into the CEO's seat at Aethel Designs, the prestigious Morre name wasn't just in the news—it was dominating the business cycle. Percy's mother, a woman whose public persona was as meticulously crafted as her corporate strategy, had granted an exclusive interview to a prominent finance anchor. It was the kind of move that commanded immediate attention.
Percy and Gemini were enjoying a quiet evening—the kind of calm before a storm they hadn't even realized was brewing—when Gemini's phone buzzed with an urgent news alert.
"Percy, look at this," Gemini murmured, his voice tightening with immediate concern. He quickly mirrored his phone screen, and the TV scene instantly filled the large living room display.
The screen was dominated by the impeccable image of Percy's mother. She was seated in a sophisticated studio, bathed in flattering lights, projecting an aura of effortless authority and unshakeable composure. The anchor opposite her offered a polite, practiced smile.
"Mrs. Morre," the anchor began, his tone respectful. "The market has been absolutely buzzing with the news of your son stepping down from his role as Creative Director to take the helm at Aethel Design. Can you comment on this significant—and, frankly, surprising—move?"
Percy's mother returned the anchor's smile, but it was edged with a touch of benevolent condescension. "Ah, yes, Percy," she said, her voice smooth and polished. "My son is a talented boy, certainly, a true artist at his core, but bless his heart..."
She leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret with the audience, and her tone immediately began to drip with casual dismissal.
"Honestly? Knowing how easy it is for him to get bored, he's just playing around right now. He needs a little sabbatical, a distraction, if you will, to exercise his creative muscles on a smaller scale." She paused, letting the words hang in the air, before continuing with a certainty that brooked no argument.
"We all know he'll be back where he belongs—at Morre Holdings soon enough. The family business requires real dedication, stability, long term vision, and he's simply enjoying his youth before he settles into that immense responsibility."
She concluded her statement with a slight, reassuring, yet utterly dismissive wave of her hand. In less than sixty seconds, she had effectively painted Percy's new, hard-won CEO position as nothing more than an expensive hobby.
Percy watched the entire segment in stunned silence. With every word she spoke, his features tightened. His jaw was clenched so hard, Gemini could actually see the muscle twitching violently near his temple.
"Why... why would she say it like that? She... she just completely invalidated your entire career," Gemini whispered, horrified by the public spectacle. "She made it sound like a gap year."
The calculated public humiliation was not just a threat to his corporate standing; it was a personal insult meant to embarrass him in front of his new board, his industry peers, and, most cuttingly, Gemini.
An icy feeling settled over Percy.
"I'm going to see my mother." He stated the fact, his voice dangerously low and controlled, radiating fury.
"Percy, wait! Don't go there angry, she wants a reaction," Gemini pleaded, immediately placing a restraining hand on his arm.
"This is beyond wanting a simple reaction, Bunny. This is about establishing a clear boundary she will not dare cross again," Percy said, his eyes burning with a sudden, sharp resolve. "She wants my reaction, right? She'll get one."
He shrugged on his jacket, the movement sharp and decisive, and drove straight to the Morre Holdings headquarters. He knew his mother, despite her claims of being overworked, kept late hours. He marched straight past the stunned night security and up to her expansive, corner office suite. He didn't even slow down to knock.
Percy found his mother exactly where he expected her to be: reviewing documents at her sleek, minimalist desk, the only light source in the vast room. She looked up, and her expression shifted instantly from cool, focused professionalism to icy contempt upon seeing him.
"What an unexpected and utterly unprofessional intrusion, Perseus," she snapped, using his formal name and not giving him a fraction of a chance to speak. "If you're here to apologize for the mess you've made—"
"I'm not here to apologize, mother." Percy cut her off, his voice echoing loudly and harshly in the massive office space. He walked right up to the desk, leaning down until his eyes were level with hers, a deliberate act to eliminate the power dynamic she naturally assumed. "I watched your interview. What do you think you're doing?"
His mother's composure briefly cracked, a flicker of satisfied malice crossing her face. "It was the truth, Percy. I simply reassured the public that your little venture is temporary. That you'll eventually come back where you belong, and that's Morre's Holdings."
"That position no longer belongs to me," Percy announced, his words slow, deliberate, and undeniably serious.
His mother froze. The malice drained away, replaced by pure, bewildered disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"I'm serious, mother. This is my final warning," Percy said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "You pull one single stunt like that again—on TV, in print, or through the press—where you publicly dismiss, undermine, or humiliate me or Aethel Design..."
He straightened up, letting the enormity of his words settle between them like a physical weight.
"...and I will not only leave the family business, but I will legally change my name too. I will formally and legally renounce the Morre's name. I will sever every tie I have to this family, the trust funds, the social standing, all of it. I will leave the family completely."
Her face went pale. The Morre name was everything; it was his legacy, his entire identity. For one of her children to willfully discard it was unimaginable, an attack on the very foundation of their power.
"You wouldn't dare," she scoffed, though her voice now dangerously lacked conviction.
"Try me," Percy challenged, his eyes cold and unwavering. "My name, my career, my life—it is all mine now. You no longer have control. I have severed the financial strings, and I will sever the familial ones if you don't stop. You will respect my decision and my company, or you will lose your son entirely. Do we understand each other, mother?"
He didn't wait for her to reply. He spun on his heel and walked out, leaving her sitting alone, staring into the silent space where her son—and her entire control over him—had just definitively vanished.