The walk-in closet was larger than the home Su-yin had been born in.
Julian held up a gray wool skirt and a modest blouse. "This is safe," he advised. "It says 'I am sorry.' It says 'I am humble.' If you wear this, they might let you keep your dignity when they demote you."
Su-yin ran her fingers over the rough wool and wrinkled her nose.
"This," she said, flicking the fabric away, "says 'I am a servant.' I do not intend to serve, Julian. I intend to rule."
She pushed past him, her eyes scanning the racks until they landed on something in the back. It was a suit, but not like the others. It was stark, blinding white—sharp lapels, tailored waist, and trousers that flowed like water.
In her past life, white was the color of death. The color of mourning.
Perfect, she thought. I am going to a funeral. But not mine.
"That one," she commanded. "And the red lipstick. The shade of fresh blood."
Vance Tech Headquarters. The Boardroom.
The air in the room was stale, recycled, and thick with testosterone. Twelve men in black suits sat around the long mahogany table. At the head sat Silas Thorne.
He looked exactly as Julian had described: silver hair, a grandfatherly smile, and eyes like a shark.
"She's ten minutes late," Silas sighed, checking his watch. "I think that settles it, gentlemen. Elena is clearly too fragile to face us. I move that we proceed with the vote in absentia—"
The heavy double doors swung open.
Su-yin did not walk in; she glided. The white suit seemed to glow under the harsh fluorescent lights. She wore no jewelry, no accessories, only her hair pulled back in a severe, elegant bun and lips painted a dangerous crimson.
The room went silent.
Silas stopped mid-sentence. He had expected a weeping girl in sweatpants. He got a marble statue.
Su-yin walked to the head of the table. She didn't say a word. She simply stood next to the chair Silas was occupying and looked down at him. She didn't blink. She didn't frown. She just waited.
The silence stretched. Five seconds. Ten seconds. It became unbearable.
Silas cleared his throat, his smile faltering. "Elena. You... you look well. Please, take a seat anywhere."
"You are in my chair, Lord Thorne," Su-yin said softy. Her voice was low, melodic, but it carried to the back of the room.
Silas laughed nervously. "We're just having an informal discussion, Elena. No need for titles."
"Move."
The word was a whip crack.
Silas's face flushed red. He looked around the table, but the other men were staring at the floor. Slowly, begrudgingly, the old man gathered his papers and shuffled to the side.
Su-yin sat. She placed her hands on the table, palms down.
"I am told," she began, her gaze sweeping the room, "that you wish to remove me. You say the foundation of my... Empire... is shaking."
"Company," Julian whispered from behind her.
"Company," Su-yin corrected, not breaking stride. "You say I am a liability."
"It's not personal, Elena," Silas said, regaining his composure. "Look at the stock price. The public doesn't trust you. You've been caught in a sordid affair. We need a leader with a spotless reputation. I have served this board for twenty years—"
"Twenty years," Su-yin interrupted. She tilted her head, looking at him with mock fascination. "Tell me, Silas. When you joined this council, what was the value of this house?"
"I... excuse me?"
"The value," she repeated. "How much gold was in the treasury?"
"The market cap was around fifty million," Silas frowned.
"And under my reign?" Su-yin asked.
"Two billion," a younger board member whispered from the end of the table.
Su-yin smiled. "I built a mountain of gold from a hill of dirt. You merely sat in the shade and watched it grow. And now you wish to take the harvest because I was caught... loving the wrong man?"
"It's a scandal!" Silas slammed his hand on the table. "Moral turpitude! The investors are fleeing!"
Su-yin laughed. It was a light, musical sound that chilled the room.
"Moral turpitude," she rolled the words on her tongue. "A lovely phrase."
She stood up and began to walk slowly around the table. She moved behind the chairs of the men, her hand brushing the backs of their expensive leather seats.
"Gentlemen," she purred. "We are all adults here. We are all powerful. Do you truly wish to start a game where we judge a leader by their private nights?"
She stopped behind a heavy-set man named Mr. Henderson. She leaned down, whispering near his ear, though everyone could hear.
"Mr. Henderson. If I were to open the heavy doors of your private life... what would fall out? A mistress? A gambling debt? A taste for wine that flows too freely?"
Henderson went pale. He stared rigidly at his notepad.
Su-yin moved to the next man. She looked deep into his eyes, holding his gaze until he looked away.
"And you? Are your hands so clean that you can cast the first stone? Do you truly want to set a precedent where a scandal costs a CEO their throne?"
She walked back to the head of the table and turned to face them all. Her voice dropped to a terrifying whisper.
"If you oust me today for a secret revealed, then tomorrow, I will ensure we look for your secrets. And by next month, we will have a new scandal. And the month after that, a new CEO. We will burn through leadership until this company is nothing but ash."
She slammed her hand down on the table—the first sign of aggression she had shown.
"Do you want a rotating door of frightened men?" she demanded. "Or do you want someone who knows how to weather the storm?"
She pointed a manicured finger at Silas.
"You can choose him. He is safe. He is boring. He will slowly bleed this company dry, taking his salary while the spirit of the innovation dies. He is a leech looking for a vein."
She spread her arms wide, the white suit glowing like armor.
"Or you can keep me. I have been shamed. I have been exposed. And yet, here I stand. Unbroken. If I can handle the hatred of millions, do you think I cannot handle a few fluctuating numbers?"
She sat back down, crossing her legs.
"The choice is yours, my Lords. But choose carefully. For if you remove me... I will not go quietly into the night. I will burn the 'Empire' down on my way out."
The room was deadly silent. Silas Thorne looked at his allies, but they were all looking at Su-yin with a mixture of terror and awe.
Su-yin turned to her stunned friend.
"Julian," she said calmly. "I would like some tea."