The morning after her dramatic return, the Vale Group building was buzzing, rumors were traveling faster than memos. Some said the new COO was Ethan Vale's ex. Others whispered she was here to take the company for herself.
Lara ignored all of it.
She entered the executive floor like it belonged to her because in time, it would.
Her assistant trailed behind, reading updates from a tablet. "The internal email has gone viral. Employees are betting on whether you'll last the month."
"I'll last longer than Ethan's next relationship," Lara said without looking up. "Let them bet."
10:00 a.m. – Executive Meeting
Ethan was already seated when she entered. He didn't stand. He didn't smile either. But the way his fingers gripped the arm of his chair betrayed him.
You didn't expect me to come back this strong, did you, Ethan?
She took her place at the head of the table beside him, but slightly forward.
"Today's agenda includes the Errol Tech contract," one director began. "A renewal deal worth nearly fifty million."
"Pull it," Lara said, flipping a folder shut.
The room turned immediately.
Ethan's brows lifted. "Excuse me?"
"I said pull the deal. Errol Tech's CEO, Darrin Lowe, is about to be investigated for corporate fraud and harassment. Renewing the contract would drag Vale Group into their mess."
"That's speculation," Ethan shot back. "We don't break contracts based on rumors."
Lara looked him dead in the eye.
"No. You don't. But I do."
She opened her own tablet and projected it to the boardroom screen.
There were.... Photos, Emails, Signed NDAs. A confidential report written by a female employee from Errol Tech, naming Darrin Lowe, and cc'ing Ethan's name as a reference.
Ethan's jaw clenched immediately.
One of the directors swore under his breath. "How did you get this?"
"I have sources," Lara said, smooth as silk. "Pull the deal Or explain to the public why our CEO supported a predator."
She said confidently and no one spoke.
"I'm not here to play nice," she added, her eyes still on Ethan. "I'm here to clean house. And I don't care whose reputation gets bruised along the way."
The motion was passed in minutes.
The meeting ended in stunned silence.
[12:15 p.m. – Rooftop Garden]
Lara sat at the far edge of the terrace, sipping espresso and reviewing emails when she heard footsteps behind her.
The rooftop garden was one of Ethan's favorite places, a rare slice of calm above a ruthless city. It irritated Lara that he still found peace so easily.
Ethan looked everywhere for Lara and when he couldn't find her he knew there was only one place she could be. He found her sitting near at the rooftop near the corner, her legs crossed, reading from her phone.
"You love causing a scene," he said.
She didn't look up. "No. I love solving problems."
"You could've handled that privately."
"But where's the impact in that?" she said flatly, finally looking at him. "This isn't about subtlety, Ethan. It's about standards. Something Vale Group stopped having when I left."
"You really think you're better than me now?"
"I don't think," she replied, standing. "I know."
The closeness between them sizzled, it wasn't romantic, but electric...Unresolved.
"You're still angry," he said softly.
She tilted her head. "And you're still arrogant."
"I did what I thought was right."
"No," she said, stepping closer, her voice ice. "You did what was convenient. You embarrassed me. Humiliated me. Publicly. You didn't even have the decency to speak to me privately before throwing away seven years."
"And yet here you are," he murmured, "back in my building, in my office, wearing that smug little smile."
"I'm not smiling," she whispered. "This is war paint." She said before walking away.
[4:00 p.m. – Private Office]
Lara sat behind her desk, scrolling through messages when Nina entered again, visibly uncomfortable.
"There's someone here to see you. She's not on the schedule."
Lara's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"...Maya Vale."
The room dropped in temperature.
Lara stood, slow and deliberate. "Send her in."
Seconds later, Maya walked in, all white silk and crocodile tears.
"Sister," she said softly.
Lara studied her. Same honeyed voice. Same manipulative charm.
"Don't call me that."
Maya's face twisted. "You're going to destroy everything, Lara."
"You already did that when you walked down my aisle in my dress, on my day, with my man."
"You weren't even...."
"Don't," Lara warned, her voice rising. "Don't stand here in my office, in the company I now help run, and pretend you're the victim."
"You're blowing this out of proportion."
Lara leaned in. "You're right. I should've buried you both. But I chose to rebuild myself instead. Now, I'm standing on higher ground and I don't lift those who pushed me off the ledge."
Maya blinked back false tears. "He still loves me, you know."
"Then he can fall with you. If that's what you came here to say... You can leave, we're done"
Lara turned her back without another word. She could hear the angry footsteps of her sister as she walked out.
Nina joined her later with a grim look. "Your story's everywhere now."
Lara checked the headline on her phone:
'From Dumped to Dominant
Jilted Bride Now COO of Vale Group!'
'Inside Sources Confirm Maya Vale and CEO Ethan Are Married ..But There's Trouble Brewing.'
Beneath it, one photo: her and Ethan on the rooftop, faces close, with a thick tension
"Publicity like this," Nina said, "can make or break you."
Lara sipped her wine.
"Then let them keep watching," she said. "Because I haven't even started yet."
She walked inside and opened a locked drawer in her desk. Inside: a flash drive, marked with Ethan's old company secrets.
This was phase one. Public exposure.
Phase two? Quiet destruction.
Phase three? Let him fall in love with me again
just in time for me to ruin him.