The walls of Nova's office caught the light of the setting sun, casting a soft reflection across the floors, She stood by the window and crossed her arms, her eyes drifted as her assistant popped off updates about their new deals, more fresh investors, and the silent victories she had spent years preparing for,
But her mind drifted elsewhere,
The shift in control and power was happening, it was happening slowly and silently, but unmistakable it was happening, Every handshake and every signature, every conversation was pushing her higher, giving her more control, and pushing Dominic closer to the Edge,
And yet, despite it all, he wasn't fighting back, that was what unsettled her most,
He had always been so ruthless, he was always quick to strike, and even faster to retaliate, But lately, he remained still, he just watched it all happen, as if he knew something she didn't.
"Ms. Lin?" her assistant prompted her,
Nova blinked, pulling herself back from her trance, "Thank you, That will be all."
The door closed behind him, and the silence began to settle in,
Her phone buzzed on the desk with another message, this was another invitation, this was another opportunity to overpower Dominic's already shrinking network,
With no hesitation, she picked it up and accepted it.
All the way Across the city, Dominic sat in his dimly lit study, his fingers tapping on the glass of whiskey on the table beside him, The reports in front of him just confirmed what he already knew, she was closing in,
Nova,
All the Investors that he once considered to be untouchable were shifting toward her, Deals were slipping through his fingers before he could even set out for them,
But still, he didn't make a move to destroy her,
He could have done so, the old version of himself, the man who built empires out of ruthlessness without blinking, would have already been out for blood, But something deep inside held him back,
And he hated it.
A knock at the door snapped him from his trance, Alicia stepped inside, and gave off a wry smile,
"You're letting her win," she said calmly while pouring herself a glass of whiskey from the bar without waiting for an invitation,
Dominic didn't even look at her, "It's business, It's not over yet, "
She curled her lips, "She's making a fool out of you, you know, Every deal she takes and every client she pulls away, it's all deliberate."
He finally met her gaze, "I know," he said with a silent voice,
And For a heartbeat of a moment, the room was silent.
Alicia tilted her head, her expression was blank, "Then do something about it," she murmured, "Or I will."
Back in her office, Nova went through her contacts, she was already thinking ahead to the next step, She knew the path she was walking, with Every move she made had a price and Every strike she did made enemies,
But still, despite that, she couldn't stop,
Not when she was this close,
She shut her eyes for a moment, she felt the weight of it settle deep in her bones,
The war wasn't over, far from it,
This was only just the beginning.
.
Victor sat at the edge of his bed, his hands rested limply between his knees, the glow of his phone lit up his tired face, The message sat on the screen, its words were simple but heavy,
"Dinner tomorrow? We need to talk" Luthor
He shut his eyes and exhaled softly, They had been drifting apart for weeks now, always finding themselves caught between arguments and silences that went on for too long, And he knew that most of it led back to Nova, it all led back to the part of his life he couldn't step away from.
His loyalty to her ran very deep. But lately, it started to cost him more than he had thought,
The phone lit up again, but this time it wasn't Luthor, It was a work message, it was another update about Nova's recent acquisition, another investor had swayed to her side, it was another step further in the silent war she has been waging, He set down the phone and rubbed the back of his neck,
Somehow, everything seemed to be unraveling.
.
Across the city, in a classy penthouse cast by soft lights, Alicia leaned into her sofa, her manicured fingers tapping over her tablet,
Her smile was slow and Calculated,
On the screen of her tablet was Luthor, it was showing photos from his last campaign, various mock-ups from a potential new contract, it was the kind of international modeling deal that most people only ever dream of,
Her plan had already started, an agency under her father had reached out quietly to him, The offer was generous, far more than what Luthor had ever received before, All Alicia was looking for was one final push, something deep enough to break whatever bond that tied Victor to Nova.
It was in no way personal, It was strictly about survival, And if she could somehow pull Victor away from Nova, if she could remove Nova's closest alliance, then she would finally have an opening to strike.
Alicia's lips curved a smile as she set the tablet down,
She had no intention of losing.
.
Meanwhile, Nova sat down at the corner of her suite's terrace, the city lights were glowing far below, her mind wasn't at rest, The victory from her latest business contract barely impacted her, She should have felt even more powerful, but instead she felt as though she had been stretched thin.
Victor's absence did not go unnoticed unnoticed either, He had been much more quieter and distracted, his usual sarcastic character was gone, And even when she didn't want to care, a Flicker of guilt still crept in.
Her phone sat beside her, notifications buzzing on an on, but she didn't try to answer,
Her heart was stretched in two directions, one pulling her back into the game she had built her life around, while the other one her toward the fragments of the person she used to be, The girl who believed in loyalty and In love.
She shut her eyes tightly, There was no turning back now.
And somewhere in that same night, Alicia smiled.
The first piece of it all had started to fall.
.
The sound of Nova's heels echoed across the floors of yet another boardroom, Another deal to be made and Another quiet victory to be had, She smiled politely, she said the right things and closed another door on Dominic's influence,
On the surface, everything was working perfectly,
But beneath the perfect appearance, her control was fraying.
She sat in her office hours later, her fingers pressed to her head, the weight of exhaustion were pulling at her bones, Her reflection in the glass looked the same but she was unraveling,
How many steps further before she'll lose herself completely?
But Her mind drifted to Dominic,
His silence made her feel uneasy,
In the past, he would have struck back by now, he was ruthless, But instead, he stood still and watched, And somehow, that unsettled her more than war ever could.
Her fingers brushed against the surface of her desk as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
The lines had started to blur And somewhere deep down, a part of her felt the quiet pull of something she wasn't ready to name.
.
Dominic sat in his study, The latest reports lay untouched on his desk, The losses he felt were real, He knew they were, He felt the shift of power beneath his feet, But still, despite it all, he made no move to retaliate.
A part of him knew the truth,
That this wasn't about business anymore,
And as much as he hated it, and as much as he fought against it, he couldn't bring himself to destroy her,
Not again,
He rested back, closed his eyes, he recalled the memory of her voice, of her touch, the fire she had which burning silently just beneath the surface of his control.
He was no longer fighting her in this war, he was also fighting against himself.
.
Elsewhere, Alicia's eyes tracked her every movement, Her fingers moved across her phone as she read the latest updates, about Victor's growing distance from Nova, and Luthor's new contract has nearly been finalized.
Everything was moving exactly as she wanted,
She shut the screen and smiled to herself, It was only a matter of time before the cracks in Nova's world expanded,
And when they did, Alicia would be there to finish what no one else could.
.
Nova stood at the window of her penthouse suite, the wind brushed against her skin as she stared, Her hands started tremble slightly, but she thought to herself, another step forward.