"You should come over to the celebration at the company," Edward said to Maxwell, his grin wide and triumphant. Orion had done it. Against all odds, they had secured the government's most prestigious energy contract.
Elara's smile stretched from ear to ear, while Sandy's face betrayed a storm she could barely contain. For Orion Cooperative, this win wasn't just a business deal — it was a declaration. Overnight, they had risen to become the second most powerful force in the corporate world.
Outside, Daniel Storm still paced furiously with Drake, the hapless IT technician. He froze when the roar of clapping and cheers spilled from the hall. He didn't need anyone to tell him what had happened. Helios had lost. The country would never entrust its energy backbone to a firm whose systems collapsed mid-presentation.
Inside, champagne corks popped.
"Cheers!" Madeline lifted her glass toward Elara.
"Cheers," Elara replied, their palms meeting in a quick high-five before Edward approached.
"Thank you," Edward said warmly, pausing for a second too long as though weighing his words. He leaned closer. "Did your source do all that? The… breakdown?"
Elara kept her expression innocent. "Sir, I don't know what happened. Maybe it was a problem from their end. It looked unplanned."
"everything is unplanned…" Edward said and paused, looking at her with gratitude. Elara didn't say anything. She just kept her cool.
Edward didn't push, though suspicion flickered in his eyes. Before he could say more, Bianca swept in, hugging him tightly.
"Congratulations, brother! You did it. Now Orion will work side by side with Ranveer Enterprises. And soon—" she glanced between Maxwell and herself, her eyes sparkling "Maxwell and I will be married. We'll be one big, successful family."
Edward laughed, the tension breaking, and allowed himself to be pulled into her excitement his hands wrapping around his sister in affection. "Thank you, little sis. Everyone has a hand in this success, including you."
Bianca broke away and smiled in his ace sweetly.
Meanwhile, Elara and Madeline slipped quietly out of the limelight. Once the crowd was behind them, Madeline's smile faltered.
"Can it be traced back to us?" she whispered.
Elara shook her head, her tone steady. "Calm down, Maddie. It's just a ghost program. A virus that stalls the system for a while, then deactivates itself. No trails. No fingerprints."
Madeline still looked uneasy. "But do you think we'll ever need that kind of leverage again?" she turned to look at Edward.
Elara's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Don't underestimate the business of revenge. Favors become currency. And one day, we'll spend it."
There was a party the day after, which Elara didn't attend because she just needed time to rest. The day that followed, with the massive win, the company was busy signing contracts and putting everything straight. Work dragged until night, especially for her who handled crucial details.
Darkness was already rolling in and she was packing to leave. Edward passed by her office.
Edward poked his head into her office on his way out. "Elara, one last thing — call Ranveer's CEO and confirm tomorrow's meeting."
"Of course," she nodded.
She dialed Maxwell Ranveer's number. His voice that was deep and edged with exhaustion, came through.
"Mr. Ranveer…"
"Speak." He commanded.
"Mr. Ranveer, this is Elara from Orion. Our CEO, Mr. Monroe, asked me to book time for a meeting tomorrow. What time would be convenient, sir?"
There was the sound of papers shifting, then a pause, followed by his sigh. "Late evening. Four sharp!"
"Thank you, sir. I'll inform him. Good night."
"Good night." He was considerate enough to return the favor.
Elara ended the call and exhaled. On the way, he met with a new employee of the Research department, Adrian who had also finished his shift late and they were heading out.
"Ooh, so late…" the man said with a half-smile.
"Once in a while," Elara replied. "After landing the biggest contract in the country, no one wants to put records straight. I'm Elara Grant."
"Adrian Rodolph, Research Department." He shook her hand. "You're not afraid of the dark?"
"This part of the city's safe. And besides," she teased, "if anyone so much as scratches you, the company will probably pay you in millions."
"Careful," Adrian laughed. "You'll tempt me to scratch myself."
Her phone buzzed. Maddie.
"I'm dead worried, where are you?" Madeline's voice came through. "Don't tell me Daniel's so mad he kidnapped you, that son of a …"
Elara chuckled. "Relax, Maddie. We just landed the contract, and now we're drowning in work. I'm getting into a taxi now. Be there in minutes." She waved to Adrian. "Good night. See you around."
"Good night," Adrian said, his smile lingering as she left.
…
The Storm Mansion
Daniel paced the room up and down as Sam read all the reports.
"The specialists didn't find anything wrong with the computers," Sam said finally. "No sign of tampering in the hardware. No one can explain what happened to the code."
"Then it must be an inside job," Daniel growled, sinking into his chair. His jaw tightened. Helios had plenty of enemies but few had the audacity to humiliate him on stage. Losing the contract was not just a setback; it was the beginning of a dangerous slide.
He snatched his phone and dialed.
Elara's laugh was the first thing he heard when she answered.
"What do you want?"
"I want to talk. In person." He replied. "Nice to talk to you too El…"
"ooh shut up! I'm busy, Daniel. In case you haven't heard, my company just secured the second most powerful seat in the business world." Her voice dripped with provocation.
"This is an emergency."
Elara's eyes hardened at the sound of his voice. Memories of his abuse pressed against her chest. "And why should your emergency matter to me?"
"Because you'll come," he snapped. "End of discussion."
She laughed coldly. "Then make me."
From the staircase, Sandy's voice floated into Daniel's ear. "Honey, let it go. You'll win another one."
"You should listen to her," Elara mocked, before ending the call.
Daniel hurled the phone onto the desk. His eyes blazed.
"You…" he groaned with anger as his hands curled into fists.