Daniel had been a board member at Sharp Innovations before Victoria had dissolved the entire board structure, consolidating power under her direct control. She had been generous with the compensation packages, ensuring that no one could claim they had been treated unfairly, but that hadn't eliminated the resentment some of the former members felt about being pushed aside.
Daniel Harris had been particularly vocal about his displeasure, though he had been careful to keep his complaints private. He was old money, third-generation wealth with a sense of entitlement that Victoria's meteoric rise had thoroughly offended. In his view, she was an upstart who had forgotten her place and needed to be reminded of it.
Chad set down his glass and tried to focus through the scotch haze. The meeting with Daniel had been ostensibly social, two business acquaintances sharing drinks at an exclusive club. But Daniel had made several pointed comments about Victoria's leadership style, her tendency to alienate traditional investors, her vulnerability to the right kind of pressure applied at the right moment.
"She thinks she's untouchable," Daniel had said, swirling his brandy with practiced elegance. "But everyone has weaknesses. Everyone has secrets. The trick is knowing which ones to exploit."
At the time, Chad had dismissed the comments as the bitter ramblings of a man whose pride had been wounded. But now, sitting in his own wounded pride, Daniel's words took on new significance.
Chad reached for his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found Daniel's number. His thumb hovered over the call button as he wrestled with the decision. This was dangerous territory, potentially crossing lines that even he had never considered crossing before. Corporate espionage, deliberate sabotage, industrial warfare disguised as legitimate business competition.
But Victoria's dismissive laughter echoed in his memory, along with her casual cruelty and complete indifference to his feelings. She had humiliated him publicly, had treated him like an inconsequential annoyance rather than a serious rival. She had made it clear that she viewed him as fundamentally beneath her, unworthy of her time or consideration.
The pain in his chest flared again, and Chad's grip tightened on the phone. Perhaps it was time to remind Victoria Sharp that underestimating Chad Winters was a mistake that carried serious consequences.
But even as the thought formed, a small voice in the back of his mind urged caution. Daniel Harris was old school corporate ruthlessness, the kind of man who would burn down a building to eliminate a single competitor. Getting involved with him would mean entering a world where the normal rules of business ethics didn't apply, where victory was pursued at any cost.
Chad stood up unsteadily, the scotch making his movements less precise than usual. He walked to the massive windows overlooking the city, his reflection staring back at him like a ghost in the glass. The man looking back at him appeared successful, powerful, in control. But Chad could see the truth behind the façade: the wounded pride, the desperate need for validation, the growing obsession with a woman who had made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with him.
This was exactly the kind of emotional decision-making that led to catastrophic mistakes. Chad had built his business empire on calculated risks and strategic thinking, not on personal vendettas fueled by romantic rejection. Getting involved with Daniel Harris would be letting his emotions override his judgment, something he had always prided himself on avoiding.
But the alternative was accepting defeat, walking away with his tail between his legs while Victoria Sharp continued to live her perfect life with her perfect boyfriend. The thought of James Mitchell enjoying everything that Chad had been denied made his stomach churn with renewed fury.
Chad's phone buzzed again, this time with an email notification. Without thinking, he opened it, expecting another mundane business communication. Instead, he found a message from Daniel Harris himself, as if the universe was responding to Chad's internal conflict.
Chad,
I trust you've had time to consider our previous conversation. Recent developments have presented some interesting opportunities that I believe would be mutually beneficial. Perhaps we could meet early next week to discuss the details?
I have some information that I think you'd find quite valuable regarding certain strategic vulnerabilities in Sharp Innovations' current operations. Information that could prove decisive in the right hands.
Let me know your availability.
Best regards,Daniel
Chad stared at the email for a long moment, his alcohol-clouded mind struggling to process the implications. Daniel was reaching out, offering exactly the kind of insider information that could give Chad the leverage he needed to hurt Victoria where it would matter most. It was an opportunity for revenge served on a silver platter.
But it was also a point of no return. Once he crossed this line, there would be no going back to legitimate competition. He would be entering a shadow world of corporate espionage and industrial sabotage, where the consequences of failure extended far beyond simple business losses.
The scotch had numbed some of the immediate pain, but it had also lowered his inhibitions and clouded his judgment. Chad knew he shouldn't make any major decisions in his current state, knew that the smart move was to sleep on it and revisit the situation with a clear head in the morning.
But the memory of Victoria's dismissive laughter kept echoing in his mind, along with her casual mention of James's sexual prowess and her complete indifference to Chad's feelings. She had treated him like he was nothing, like he was so far beneath her that he wasn't even worth basic courtesy.
Chad's finger hovered over the reply button, his entire future hanging in the balance of this single decision. The rational part of his mind screamed warnings about the dangers of getting involved with someone like Daniel Harris, but the wounded, angry part of his psyche whispered seductively about revenge and showing Victoria Sharp that she had made a grave error in underestimating him.
The war between reason and emotion raged in his mind as he stood alone in his expensive penthouse, the city lights twinkling below like indifferent stars. Chad closed his eyes, Daniel's email still glowing on his phone screen, and tried to find the strength to choose wisely.
The decision hung in the balance, teetering on the edge of a precipice that would either lead to his ultimate triumph or his complete destruction. And in his current state, Chad Winters was no longer certain which outcome he preferred.