Andrea's whole body shook like a wet dog as she made her way toward the front entrance of the Titan Tower Hotel. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was running a marathon. At this point, she wouldn't even fight anyone who wanted to take her general manager position. They could have it. All of it.
Cameras were already lined up outside, sitting right under the giant golden logo of the building with bright lights and Long lenses. Waiting for her.
She didn't even know what to say and she didn't want to say any of it.
A staff member rushed up to her with a printed sheet in hand.
"Ms Moon, this is the script Mr Victor approved. Please stick to every line."
Andrea stared at the paper. It looked like a punishment someone had typed in perfect font.
Apologize….Bow….Praise Ethan's experience.
Pretend the hotel was wrong.
A customer is always right and in this case, the "customer" had eighty million followers who worshipped him like a god.
What could she do?
Her stomach twisted as she stood behind the glass doors, watching the crew finish setting up. She swallowed hard. This was the last thing she ever wanted to do. But for the company… for her job… she had to walk out there, stand under the blinding cameras and apologize to the man who should be apologizing to her.
Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the voice.
"Ms Moon, please come outside. We are waiting for you."
One of the female staff rushed in, said the words, and rushed back out again.
Andrea forced her steps forward.
Standing in front of the cameras…the same cameras that had turned her life into misery….she held everything inside and cleared her throat.
The first line she spoke… was nothing from the script.
The man behind one of the cameras lowered his headset and said, "Please, Ms Moon. Follow exactly what is written."
She shut her mouth immediately.
Taking a shaky breath, she read:
"We regret that Mr Ethan Darksire left our property feeling dissatisfied. We have reached out privately to address his concerns. Our commitment to guest experience remains our top priority… "
Her voice felt stiff and hollow. It did not even sound like hers…She wanted to tear the script in half, throw it into the blinding light and scream that it was all a farce. But as the cameras flashed, reminding her of Ethan's viral posts, she forced every ounce of her dignity to remain intact.
She added a few more closing lines that they forced on her, bowed deeply, then bowed again just like the script demanded.
"Cut. That's perfect. We'll process it and post it to the official account," someone said.
A few people clapped….Andrea didn't hear the rest. She rushed away straight to the washroom and threw up, chewing up those filthy wastes that had burned all the way up her throat. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her whole body trembling.
Out of breath, she pulled out her phone…..Fine….If the world wanted to mock her again… then let's see how that goes….
The only way she could fight back and make Ethan regret this day was through her old fake account.
She logged into it quickly.
The moment the screen loaded, his handle appeared. Ethan Darksire.
Her thumb froze on his name…The last time she had opened this account was three years ago… back when her heart still lingered for him, for his voice, for his touch. Three years ago, before he betrayed her and walked away like she meant nothing.
His profile loaded and his bare chest filled the screen with a new photo he'd posted just fifteen minutes ago. He looked relaxed and unbothered. Like the world worshipping him was normal.
Meanwhile, she was out here fighting for her name, her job and her dignity.
How could he still take so much of her energy?
Anger flooded her fingers. She started typing a whole essay, everything she had buried.
Every lie….Every betrayal and every wound she never healed.
She typed and typed until the paragraph filled the box.
But as she reread it, something hit her…she sounded like an obsessed ex.
Her stomach twisted again. She couldn't let the world see that.
She deleted the entire essay…Then, with burning eyes, she typed:
"Go to hell, Ethan Darksire"
And she sent it….She didn't even finish logging out when her notifications blew up.
*It's always the fake accounts with no face.
Girl, shut up.
Your whole family should go to hell.
Ethan can buy your whole existence.
Stay quiet, clown.*
Comment after comment with cruel words she didn't expect..
Her inbox was even worse….Threat after threat with insults flying everywhere.
The whole thing was practically wet with messages.
*I'm going to find you and kill you….You're dead meat.
Another one popped in right after it:
Come suck my dick.*
Andrea just stared at the screen as her heart burned.. Humiliation washed over her so hard she couldn't even breathe. Without a word, she logged out of the fake account and shoved her phone back into her pocket.
She leaned toward the mirror, wiping her mouth and checking her face to make sure no trace of what just happened showed…The moment she stepped out of the washroom and placed one foot onto the hallway tiles, she took a quick glance to her left and instantly bowed her head. Her head dropped so low it almost touched her knee as three tall figures in sharp suits walked right past her.
She stood completely still until their footsteps drifted further down the left wing.
Only then did she slowly raise her head.
Her eyes followed their backs as they walked away. Leading the three men was Mr Alexander Pierce, the stepbrother of Mr Victor Harrison Pierce and the late Mr Leonard Kane Pierce.
Andrea had seen him only twice since she started working at Titan Tower.
And both times he appeared, the whole building felt like fire.
Why was he here now? She wondered and prayed it wasn't because of Ethan's mess.
She wasn't sure she could survive another disaster today.
Quickly, Andrea rushed away from the hallway, almost running…
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Titan Tower, Mr Victor Harrison Pierce sat in his office with the doors shut, his fingers tapping anxiously against the glass table.
Anyone who walked in would think he was bothered by Ethan's scandal blowing up online… but that wasn't the real problem, what kept him awake at night, what made his jaw tighten every five seconds was Sebastian and his stubborn refusal to settle down..
Two months and that was all the time left before the next board meeting.
Two months for Sebastian to get married or everything would slip out of their bloodline's control.
The companies….The shares…and the hotels.
The legacy that his father, his grandfather and even his late brother Leonard protected for decades.
If Sebastian walked into that meeting still unmarried, the board would eat them alive.
Their family's power would scatter into the hands of the step-family.
And that would only happen over Victor's dead body.
He pressed his fingers against his temples….Ethan's scandal was just noise, annoying, embarrassing, but manageable …Sebastian's refusal to marry was the real earthquake under his feet.
He wasn't even done calculating the risks when a sharp knock came. The door opened too quickly and he snapped his head up.
His assistant stood there with a panicked face.
"Mr Harrison Sir, please…..There is a board meeting being held."
Mr Victor immediately shot up from his chair…"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"Sir, the board meeting started about five minutes ago. Please, you need to..."
He didn't even hear the rest. He was already circling his desk and heading for the door. Just as he reached it, he stopped and turned back sharply.
"Where is Sebastian?"
"Sir… I think he left the hotel a few minutes ago."
Mr Victor clenched his jaw so hard a vein jumped.
He let out one heavy breath, turned and hurried straight toward the elevator…
Using a strength that came straight from panic and rage, Mr Victor pushed the boardroom door open like a Bible.
"What in the hell kind of coup is going on here?"His voice cracked through the room.
The eight men sitting around the long table turned their heads slowly, watching him like he had interrupted a funeral.
Then one stood up. "A coup that will wipe out the filth trying to stain the legacy of our fathers," Mr Alexander Pierce said, walking up to meet him. "Isn't that right, brother?"
Mr Victor said nothing. He just stared dead into Mr Alexander's eyes.
The other board members nodded in full agreement and a slow fear crawled up Mr Victor's spine because this was getting real. They were minutes away from losing everything.
Suddenly, one of the older men stood and slammed his palm against the table.
"Isn't the news enough evidence? We already made an agreement. And in two days," he barked, "we reconvene."
Mr Victor stepped forward sharply "What do you mean two days? The heir vote is supposed to be in two months. Why the rush?"
He scanned their faces with fear but they showed no hesitation and no loyalty.
Mr Alexander moved back toward him with his hands clasped behind his back.
"When a child refuses to walk at the right age," Mr Alexander said calmly, "a stronger hand must guide his steps."..His eyes glinted. "Your nephew has refused long enough."
The chairs pushed back and one by one, the board members stood and began filing out, offering their silent verdict as they passed.
Leaving both Mr Victor and Mr Alexander.
Mr Alexander stepped close, smoothing Mr Victor's collar with a mocking, almost affectionate touch…."We'll meet on Monday,… brother." His smile tightened. "Or should I say stepbrother?"
He leaned in slightly…"By then, I might already be the one running these hotels. The first to change the bloodline of my generation"
He patted Mr Victor's chest twice and turned away…
Uncle Victor stood there, sphere-bent inside him.
He knew it….He knew his stepbrother had bought them.
Every single man in that room and everything was slipping so fast.
Quickly, he removed his phone from his pocket and dialed Sebastian's number with shaking fingers…..It rang once… twice… a third time…but no answer.
"Pick up! Pick up!" he muttered.
The call went to voicemail.
"Damn it," he hissed and slammed the phone to the floor, hard enough to crack something.