The city felt louder than usual.
Gracie noticed it the moment she stepped out of the car in front of Blackcrest Tower. Traffic roared along the streets, people hurried past with coffee cups in their hands, and the morning wind pushed against the glass walls of the enormous building like restless waves.
Normally the place felt professional. Calm.
Today it felt tense.
She stood for a moment on the sidewalk, looking up at the towering structure. The glass reflected the sky like a mirror, but instead of feeling inspired like she usually did, a strange heaviness settled in her chest.
Derick's words from the morning kept echoing in her head.
The war just started.
Gracie shook the thought away and stepped inside.
The lobby was busy, but something about the atmosphere had changed. Conversations stopped a little too quickly when people walked past each other. Security guards stood a little straighter than usual. Even the receptionists looked more alert.
It was subtle.
But it was there.
As Gracie crossed the marble floor toward the elevators, she noticed something strange.
A few employees nodded at her.
Not the polite kind of nod people give coworkers.
These felt… respectful.
Almost careful.
She slowed slightly.
Why are they looking at me like that?
One of the senior assistants from the executive floor passed by and paused briefly.
"Good morning, Miss Gracie."
Gracie blinked.
The woman rarely spoke to anyone outside upper management.
"Uh… good morning."
The assistant gave a small smile before continuing on her way.
Gracie stood there for a second longer than necessary.
Something was definitely different today.
She finally stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.
As the doors closed, she caught her reflection in the polished metal wall.
"You're imagining things," she muttered quietly.
But deep down she knew she wasn't.
The elevator rose smoothly.
With each passing floor, the knot in her stomach tightened.
⸻
When she stepped out onto her floor, the tension was even more obvious.
Several department managers stood in the hallway talking in low voices. A few stopped speaking entirely when they noticed her walking past.
Gracie pretended not to notice.
She reached her desk and set down her bag.
Her coworker Lila leaned over the divider immediately.
"Have you heard?"
Gracie sighed softly.
"Heard what?"
"There's a board meeting today."
Gracie frowned.
"That's not unusual."
Lila shook her head quickly.
"No, not like this. Everyone important is coming."
"Everyone?"
Lila lowered her voice.
"I heard even the chairman might attend."
Gracie blinked.
"The chairman?"
Blackcrest's chairman was practically a myth inside the company.
Nobody saw him.
Nobody talked about him.
People only whispered about the decisions that came from the top.
"Where did you hear that?" Gracie asked.
"Security is going crazy downstairs," Lila said. "Extra guards everywhere."
Gracie tried to stay calm.
But her mind immediately jumped to the conversation she'd had with Derick earlier that morning.
They're trying to flush out the owner.
She rubbed her temples.
"This day just keeps getting better."
Before Lila could respond, an announcement came over the internal speaker.
"All department representatives for the afternoon board session please report to Conference Hall A."
The hallway outside immediately filled with movement.
Lila looked surprised.
"Department representatives?"
Then she looked at Gracie.
"You submitted that new project report last week, right?"
Gracie nodded slowly.
"Well," Lila said, eyes widening slightly, "you're technically the representative."
Gracie stared at her.
"You're joking."
"Nope."
Gracie leaned back in her chair and exhaled slowly.
Of course.
Of course this would happen today of all days.
She stood up reluctantly.
"Wish me luck."
"You won't need luck," Lila said. "Just don't faint in front of the executives."
Gracie rolled her eyes.
"Very funny."
⸻
Conference Hall A was enormous.
Gracie had only been inside once before, and even then she'd only stood near the back while a presentation happened.
Today the room looked completely different.
The massive oval table in the center was surrounded by high-backed chairs. Several executives were already seated, speaking quietly to each other.
Large screens glowed softly along the walls.
Security guards stood near the doors.
Gracie stepped inside carefully, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.
She took one of the chairs along the side reserved for department representatives.
Her heart beat faster as more people entered the room.
Some faces she recognized from company announcements.
Others she had only seen in news articles about Blackcrest's leadership.
These were powerful people.
People who controlled millions… maybe billions.
And yet something felt off.
They looked uneasy.
Several executives checked their watches.
One of them whispered something to another that made the second man frown deeply.
Gracie leaned slightly toward the woman sitting next to her.
"Is something wrong?"
The woman shook her head.
"I don't know. But this meeting was called suddenly."
"By who?"
The woman hesitated.
"That's the strange part."
Before she could finish—
the doors opened.
The room fell quiet almost instantly.
Avery walked in.
Her heels clicked against the floor with slow, confident steps.
She wore a sharp dark suit, her hair perfectly styled, her expression calm but cold.
Gracie felt her stomach tighten.
Avery's eyes found her almost immediately.
And for a split second—
a small smile appeared on her lips.
The kind of smile that made Gracie uncomfortable.
Avery took a seat at the far end of the table like she belonged there.
Whispers moved around the room.
Gracie leaned slightly toward the woman beside her again.
"She's not part of Blackcrest," she whispered.
"I know," the woman whispered back.
"Then why is she here?"
The woman shook her head nervously.
"I have no idea."
A few seconds later, the doors opened again.
This time several older men entered together.
Gracie recognized one of them instantly.
Her heart skipped.
Her father.
He walked with calm authority, dressed in an expensive gray suit. Several Phoenix Enterprise board members followed behind him.
The room became even quieter.
Gracie's fingers tightened on the edge of the table.
Her father's eyes briefly swept across the room.
When they landed on her, something flickered in his expression.
Regret.
Concern.
But the moment passed quickly.
He took a seat across from Avery.
Gracie's thoughts raced.
Why are they here?
Why are Phoenix Enterprise executives sitting inside a Blackcrest boardroom?
The tension in the room grew heavier by the second.
One of the Blackcrest executives cleared his throat.
"Shall we begin?"
Avery leaned back slightly in her chair.
"Yes," she said calmly.
"Let's."
Her eyes moved slowly around the room.
Then she spoke clearly.
"Phoenix Enterprise has requested this meeting to discuss a matter of transparency."
Nobody interrupted her.
"Blackcrest is a powerful corporation," Avery continued, her tone smooth. "Yet the identity of its true owner remains hidden."
A murmur moved through the room.
Gracie felt her pulse quicken.
Avery's gaze sharpened.
"In business," she said, "power without accountability creates instability."
She folded her hands on the table.
"Therefore today we are requesting something very simple."
Silence filled the boardroom.
Avery smiled slightly.
"We would like the owner of Blackcrest to reveal himself."
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Nobody spoke.
Several executives shifted uncomfortably.
Gracie glanced around the room.
The atmosphere had become suffocating.
Her father remained silent, watching carefully.
Avery waited.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Finally one of the senior Blackcrest executives spoke.
"The chairman does not attend meetings like this."
Avery tilted her head.
"Then perhaps he should reconsider."
Her eyes moved toward the doors.
Almost as if she expected something.
And then—
the doors opened.
Gracie turned instinctively.
A man stepped inside.
For a moment she only saw his silhouette against the hallway light.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Calm posture.
Something about the way he walked felt strangely familiar.
Her heart skipped.
No…
The man stepped fully into the room.
And the light revealed his face.
Gracie's breath caught in her throat.
Derick.
He walked in quietly like he always did.
Not rushing.
Not nervous.
Just calm.
Composed.
But the reaction in the room was immediate.
Several executives straightened instantly.
One of them even stood up.
Gracie stared at him in confusion.
Why are they reacting like that?
Derick's gaze moved across the room.
When his eyes found Gracie, something softened in them.
But it disappeared quickly.
He walked toward the main table slowly.
Avery watched him with sharp interest.
"Well," she said lightly.
"Looks like the furniture shop owner decided to join us."
A few people in the room exchanged confused glances.
Derick stopped at the empty chair at the head of the table.
He didn't sit immediately.
Instead he looked around the room.
Completely calm.
The silence stretched.
Then something unexpected happened.
One of the senior Blackcrest executives stood up.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds nearly half the table was standing.
Gracie felt her heart begin to pound.
The woman beside her whispered in shock.
"Why are they standing?"
Gracie didn't answer.
Because she already felt the answer forming somewhere deep in her chest.
Derick finally pulled the chair back slowly.
Before sitting, he looked at Avery.
His voice was quiet.
But it carried across the entire room.
"You asked to see the owner of Blackcrest."
He rested one hand on the back of the chair.
And then he said calmly—
"You're looking at him."
Gracie felt the world tilt beneath her.
Her breath caught.
Her mind refused to process the words.
Derick…
The man who made breakfast in her kitchen.
The man who walked her home at night.
The man who claimed to run a small furniture shop.
The man who held her when she was scared.
Was now standing at the head of the most powerful company in the city.
And everyone in the room…
was looking at him like a king.
Gracie slowly rose from her chair.
Her voice barely came out.
"…Derick?"
He turned his head toward her.
For the first time since entering the room—
his calm expression cracked slightly.
Because the one person he had hoped wouldn't discover the truth like this…
was staring at him with wide, stunned eyes.
And Avery…
was smiling.
The trap had finally closed.