The office lights were dim, casting long shadows across the polished floor of Lu Corporation's executive wing. Ethan sat alone in the boardroom, a tumbler of untouched whiskey in his hand, as the city's lights blinked like dying stars beyond the glass walls.
The chessboard on the table was frozen mid-game—white queen threatening black king.
Charlotte's move.
He smiled bitterly.
She had always been better at strategy than he gave her credit for.
Earlier that morning, Ethan had woken to an empty bed. The silk sheets still smelled of her perfume, but she was gone.
Not just from the room.
From the penthouse.
No note. No text.
Just gone.
He tried not to panic—but his instincts screamed louder than his logic. Charlotte wasn't the type to vanish.
Unless she had a reason.
Unless someone gave her one.
Charlotte, meanwhile, wasn't far. She stood outside an ornate rooftop lounge in the heart of Hong Kong, her expression unreadable.
She was meeting her mother.
A woman Ethan didn't even know existed.
Vivian Moreau—once a model, now a silent shareholder in several international conglomerates. Cold. Calculated. Dangerous.
Vivian sipped her champagne like she was inhaling power.
"I told you not to get involved with men like Ethan," she said without looking at Charlotte.
"And yet, you married worse," Charlotte shot back, sitting down.
Vivian's lips curled. "Touché."
The waiter arrived with a sealed envelope. Vivian slid it across the table.
"Your father kept tabs on the Lu family for years," she said. "This—" she tapped the envelope "—is something even Ethan doesn't know."
Charlotte hesitated, then opened it.
Inside were photos. Dozens of them. Ethan as a teenager. Julian, too. But more alarming—photos of their mother.
And one of their father shaking hands with a man Charlotte did recognize.
Her father.
Vivian leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "It's all connected, darling. Our families. Our enemies. Our inheritance."
Charlotte's hands trembled.
"What do you want from me?" she asked.
Vivian smirked. "I want you to survive. And maybe, if you're smart… win."
Back at Lu Corporation, Ethan entered his office only to find Julian sitting in his chair.
"Get out," Ethan snapped.
Julian didn't move. "Where's Charlotte?"
Ethan stiffened.
"I don't know," he admitted.
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Didn't take long for her to run, did it?"
"Don't test me."
Julian stood, straightening his cufflinks. "You think this is about a company. A throne. But it's bigger than both of us. Father didn't just create two heirs—he created two weapons. And only one of us gets to be loaded."
Ethan stepped forward. "I'm not playing your game."
Julian smiled. "That's fine. Because I'm done playing."
He handed Ethan a folder before walking out.
Inside were financial statements—massive, secret transfers. Offshore accounts. A company name Ethan hadn't seen in years.
Obsidian Corp.
It had been shut down. Or so Ethan thought.
If Obsidian was back… it meant someone was preparing for war.
That night, Ethan found Charlotte at her old apartment.
She didn't answer the door, but it was unlocked. He stepped inside cautiously.
She sat in the dark, the envelope of photos spread across the table.
"I needed to breathe," she said softly.
"You scared me," he replied.
"I scare myself sometimes."
He walked toward her, but she raised a hand to stop him.
"My mother gave me these."
He looked at the photos, his eyes pausing on the one that showed their fathers together.
"You knew about this?" she asked.
"No," he said, voice tight. "I didn't."
Charlotte stood. "Our fathers were working together, Ethan. Maybe even planning something. What if all of this—Julian, the company, even us—was never about choice?"
He shook his head. "We choose what we become, Charlotte. No one else."
She looked at him, vulnerable in a way he rarely saw.
"I don't want to be a pawn in their war."
"Then don't be," he said, stepping close. "Be the queen."
She laughed bitterly. "Queens get sacrificed first."
He touched her chin gently. "Not this one."
Then he kissed her—slowly, meaningfully. Not out of lust, but out of solidarity. Of choice.
They weren't just lovers. They were survivors.
And maybe soon... revolutionaries.
The next morning, Julian arrived at the Lu Tower heliport. A man in a dark coat waited for him.
"You're late," the man said.
Julian handed him a briefcase. "I had to make sure he took the bait."
The man opened it, nodding at the contents. "Ethan will come for this."
"That's the point."
Julian lit a cigarette. "Time to bring the game to the next level."
"Are you sure she's loyal?"
"Charlotte?" Julian smirked. "She'll be loyal… to whichever of us wins."