Jane's POV

I sat in the heart of silence, behind a wall of glass, and I watched the city move like tiny insects under a magnifying glass. My office was quiet, too quiet. The kind of quiet that forced you to hear your own heartbeat. My fingers slid slowly over the edge of my phone. The screen was dark, but my mind was bright, and alive with every possible move Hades could make.


He had no idea what he was walking into.

I tapped into the surveillance feed. One swipe, and my screen lit up with Raheem's calm, sharp face. The hidden camera in the luxury lounge was doing its job. I could see Hades too, his expression flat, but his jaw clenched. He tried to play it cool. Typical.

He didn't know Raheem was mine.


Well, not in the way a man owns a dog, it was in the way a storm owes its strength to the sea. Years ago, I found Raheem at his lowest. His company was crumbling. He was two weeks away from losing everything, his name, his worth and his power. It was then that I stepped in. And I didn't step in as Jane Grande, I stepped in as someone else.

'Zara" That was the name I used. It was Clean, sharp and untraceable.


Raheem never questioned me, He didn't need to. I gave him money, contacts, and a plan. He followed it without blinking, and I pulled him out of the mud and since then, he has always followed every one of my instructions. It was not because he was weak. Of Course not, it was because he understood power when he saw it.

And now he was testing Hades for me, my phone buzzed with a message. It was from the private line Raheem and I use. No name. Just a thread of cold, direct texts.

'He is trying to act like he didn't care but his eyes were twitching. You were right. He is desperate."

I smiled and it was not a joyful smile. It was the kind that sat on the edge of cruelty.

I typed slowly.

'Test him, make him squirm. Let us see if the devil can beg."

Then I locked the phone and tossed it gently onto my desk. I spinned my chair to face the window again.

Outside, people were rushing to meetings and buying coffee. Kissing strangers and making deals they will regret tomorrow, however I was not rushing anywhere, everything I needed was already in motion.

____

Three years ago, I would not have believed this life was mine. I was married to a man who used my heart like a doormat. I wore pearls and pain like matching earrings. But now? I was not that woman anymore.

I was the storm they pray never comes.

___

I checked another screen. This one showed the inside of Hades' office. The secretary, a sweet, clever little liar, was walking in with fake confidence. I trained her too, without her even knowing. Planted her like a seed in the dark.

And now she was blooming right in his face. She was loyal to Raheem. And Raheem was loyal to me. The chain was invisible, but strong.

Hades was the only fool who didn't see it.

___

Flashback.

I was sitting in a quiet rooftop lounge in Abu Dhabi. The air was thick with heat and cigar smoke. Raheem sat across from me. Younger. Frazzled. His tie was loose, his confidence was slipping.

'I lost the bid," he said 'They pulled out. All of them."

I sipped my water, there was no makeup, no designer dress. Just sunglasses and a simple black blouse. I was Zara, That's all he knew.

'I know," I say.

His eyes widened. 'Then why are you here?"

I placed a thin file on the table between us. 'Because you have something they don't. You just don't know how to use it yet."

He looks down at the file. 'What is this?"

'Instructions," I said 'Follow them exactly. You will win more than a bid. You will build a fortress."

He opened the file and flipped through. His hands shook.

'Why would you help me?" he whispered

I leaned forward. 'Because one day, I will ask you for something. And when I do, you will give it to me."

He nodded without thinking.

And that was the day Raheem Kader became mine.

___

Back to now.

My screens showed Hades sipping his drink slowly. He was trying to read Raheem. He could not, No one could, Raheem was calm and carved from marble.

Then I heard it, it was clear through the hidden mic in Raheem's lapel.

'I know more about you than you think," Raheem said smoothly. 'You used to chase Jane Grande. Where's your loyalty now?"

I froze! Perfect!

That line! That was mine. I gave it to Raheem days ago in a voice message.

Now I watched Hades' face closely. His eyes blinked fast. His throat bobbed. He was stunned.

Got him.

Hades had always thought he was the hunter. But he was just a dog sniffing through a maze I built with my own hands.

___

I walked to my bookshelf and ran my fingers over the spines of the books. It was not because I wanted to read. I just liked how they felt in my hand, strong, sharp and full of secrets. Just like me.

I pulled out one book and tapped the hollow inside. Inside it was another phone, it was untraceable. Only Raheem knew the number.

I unlocked it and type a new message.

'If he asked for more time, give him less. If he begs, raise the price. We will see what's under that expensive suit."

I sent it and slid the phone back into the hollow. Then I walked to the large mirror on the wall.

I stared at my reflection, the lashes. The lipstick and the silk blouse. All of it a costume.

Underneath, I was still the girl who once cried in the dark. But now I use my pain like a weapon and Hades deserves to feel every inch of what I once felt.

And I was just getting started.