Nova stood in front of her mirror, seeing her reflection framed by the glow of the bathroom lights, She could barely recognized the woman that was staring back at her,
Her skin was looking pale, her eyes felt dull, it was drained with exhaustion, The sharpness and the fire she had was being dimmed.
Another headline buzzed lit on her phone, the harsh glow catching her eye,
Nova Lin Stays Silent Amid Scandal: Investors Demand Answers.
She turned the screen face down and put down the phone,
The calls had already started before sunrise, all of the shareholders, clients, and reporters, Each one was a fresh reminder of how far she had fallen in just a matter of days, Each one chipping away slowly at the fortress she had spent years building.
A soft knock at the door snapped her back from her thoughts.
Victor walked in quietly, his expression was filled with worry, "They're waiting downstairs, It's bad."
Nova exhaled slowly, "How bad?"
He hesitated, "The board is already talking about freezing your position, They're getting scared."
She shut her eyes, she rested her hands on the edge of the sink, The words she heard didn't surprise her, but still, they cut deep.
Victor moved closer to her, his voice was gentle, "You don't have to do this alone, We can fight it, We can fix it."
But the spacing between them was wider now than ever, She could feel it, thin cracks that ran through everything they once shared, His heart was divided and She knew it.
She asked under her breath, "Are you still with me, Victor?"
For a moment, he didn't answer, Then, softly, "Yes, Always."
Nova forced out a breath and straightened her shoulders. "I'll handle the board, I just need a little time."
Victor nodded in agreement, but he didn't look convinced,
As he prepared to leave, Nova's phone lit up again, and this time with an anonymous message, it was a short text that sent a cold shiver down her spine,
She's closer than you think. Watch your back.
Her fingers shoke up slightly as she read it again, there was no sender, there wasn't a clue as to who it came from, But something twisted in her,
Alicia,
She knew it, She could feel the threads moving all around her, and they pulled tighter with every step she took.
The control she thought she had was slipping, And once again, the idea that she might not win clawed its way again into her thoughts,
Nova put down her phone, and her eyes dark,
She wasn't ready to give up,
Not yet.
.
Dominic's office was quiet, The afternoon sun cast through the windows, casting it's rays across the floors, He sat there still, his eyes were fixed on the reports on his desk, though his thoughts drifted away.
The deeper he dug, the clearer the picture became.
He discovered it was Alicia,
She was behind it, All of it.
All the anonymous leaks, the false narratives, and all the quiet manipulation of investors, every thing pointed back to her, He had spent so many years trusting her family's business, and aligning himself with their empire And all this time, she had been planning her own game under his nose.
He exhaled, running his hand through his hair, His chest felt tight, It wasn't only the betrayal that unsettled him, it was the realization that he had spent years blaming the wrong person,
Nova,
Her name popped in his mind with clarity, The look she had in her eyes the day he fired her, The anger and the disbelief, He had never once questioned the truth,
But now he had to,
Without giving himself some time to think, Dominic picked up his phone, he typed a short message,
We need to talk, No lies this time,
.
Nova's phone buzzed on her desk, She picked it up slowly, her pulse hastened as she read the message, She knew the number immediately, it was Dominic.
She let the phone rest in her hand for a moment, then set it down gently,
She wasn't falling for it, Whatever game she thought he was playing, she was done being a pawn in it.
Few Minutes later, she stood in front of the board members, their faces were all filled with suspicion, She spoke calmly, and she presenting her case, denying the accusations with precision, But even as she held her ground, she could still feel the tide turning.
The board members were nervous, and their loyalty was slipping, the pressure kept on rising.
By the time the meeting had ended, her hands were trembling.
Victor was waiting for her outside the conference hall, but one look at her face and he knew not to say a word,
They just walked in silence back to her office.
Nova closed the door behind them and sank into her chair, "It's all falling apart," she whispered, her voice was barely audible.
Victor hesitated before sitting across her, "We'll find a way."
But even as he said those words, he was betrayed by the doubt that showed in his eyes,
And somewhere across the city, Alicia watched her reflection in a glass of champagne,
She could feel it already,
She knew the end was drawing closer.
.
The wind scooted through the open terrace as Nova stood there motionless, her hands gripped the cold steel railing, The city stretched out beneath her, shinning, shimmering and indifferent, but all she felt was the weight pressing down on her chest.
Her empire was slowly slipping through her fingers,
The scandal and the whispers, The fear in the eyes of people that she once trusted, It was all unraveling faster than she thought, And worse or all, she couldn't tell where the next attack would come from.
Behind her, the door opened,
Victor walked out, his face looked drawn and pale, He hesitated a bit before moving closer, "I just spoke to Luthor," he said quietly, "He's leaving for New York next week."
Nova didn't move, "Is it over between you?" she asked gently,
Victor let out a broken sigh, "I don't know, Maybe."
The weight of his words settled between them like a silent sorrow, He appeared tired, worn down by the battles he had been fighting while she was drowning in her own,
"I'm sorry," she murmured softly, her voice was barely audible over the wind,
Victor shook his head, "You don't need to be, this isn't your fault, Not all of it, at least."
But the way he said it, the hesitation that was in his tone, told her he wasn't entirely sure of that himself,
They stood in silence for a moment, thinking to themselves, before he finally added, "Nova... maybe it's time to stop."
Her breath seized, She turned to him sharply, "Stop?"
He held her gaze, "Before you lose everything and Before you lose yourself."
The words cut deeper than she expected.
She looked away, "I can't, Not now, Not after everything, I've already come this far"
Victor nodded slowly, but the sadness in his eyes said everything already, "I'll always be your friend," he said gently, "But I need to step back... for just for a while."
Her heart twisted, She wanted to argue, she wanted to pull him back, but she couldn't find the words to do so, She simply nodded in agreement.
Victor gave her a soft, sad smile before walking back into the warm building, leaving her all alone with the cold air and the ache she felt in her chest.
.
Elsewhere, Alicia moved through her suite, her expression was as calm as always, her were steps deliberate and unhurried, The final pieces of her plan had started to fall into place, She poured herself a drink, and let out a quiet smile,
She knew exactly what pressure points to hit, she knew Nova Lin wouldn't survive what came next,
Dominic wouldn't either,
And when it was finally over, everything they had built and everything they had fought for, would crumble under her fingertips,
She raised her glass to her reflection, as if to cheers herself,
The real game was about to begin.