Jane POV

I sat in my office, I was frozen and my hands rested on the desk, but they felt numb. My eyes were fixed on the laptop screen, where headlines screamed at me in bold letters.


"Grande Empire Crumbles!"

"Jane Grande Lied to Us All!"

"The Real Face of the Queen CEO!"


I didn't move and I didn't blink and I didn't even breathe for a second. My chest felt tight, like a big load was pressing down on it and the air in my office was cold, but my palms were sweating.

I clicked on one of the articles and it was a blog post filled with twisted stories about me. They have taken bits and pieces of my life, my past, my private moments, and turned them into a circus.


There was a video clip embedded in the article and I clicked on it. It was me, on stage during a women's conference years ago, I was talking about self-worth and building from pain, however the clip was cut short and it was edited to make it look like I was mocking abuse victims.

That was not what I said. I immediately scrolled to the comments and I was flooded with hate, unbelievable sudden hatred.

'She's fake. She is nothing but fake"

'Liar!"

'She deserved everything she got."

I slammed the laptop shut and my throat burnt and I tried to swallow it down, but it only got worse and I stood up and walked to the window.

The city below moved like nothing was wrong and cars drove and people walked. Lights blinks, however, for me, everything has stopped.

I heard my phone buzzing again, but I ignored it because I already knew it was another alert. Another investor pulled out, another cancellation and another friend cutting ties.

A knock came at the door.

'Jane?" My assistant's voice was soft and almost scared.

'What is it?"

'There's a package. It was left at reception. There is no name."

'Bring it in."

She placed a brown envelope on my desk and left and I stared at it for a moment. Then I opened it.

Inside were photos and it was blurry, but I know what they are. Me, that night.

I was laughing, holding a drink and sitting close to a man I knew was Hades and there was a note, typed:

'THERE'S MORE."

My heart pounded and dropped the photos on the desk and stumbled back.

How did they get these?

My phone buzzed again and checked it. A trending tag:

'#CancelGrande"

I scrolled through my company dashboard, sales were crashing and orders were being canceled in bulk and partners were pulling out. And the most shocking, even the makeup brand that begged me for a collaboration has dropped me, just like that? I made a fake giggle.

I dropped the phone and it fell to the floor with a soft thud and I stared at the glass windows, but the city outside didn't look the same. It was like I had been erased and replaced by someone else.

I heard voices outside my office, it was low whispers, rushed steps and people were leaving, my staff and my team. They didn't even say goodbye.

My phone buzzed again and I picked it up, hesitating. It was a news alert. Richard from Mason Group was offering to buy out my company. He was smiling on a live broadcast, saying, 'Some people aren't fit for leadership."

I clenched my fist. That smug face and that fake voice he was using was the one behind this, I knew it and I could feel it in my bones.

I turned to my computer and I tried to draft a statement. To draft something strong and something clear, however my fingers shook, and words didn't come. It was just silence.

Then I heard them, protesters were outside. They were chanting my name, not in praise at all, They were calling for my head.

I locked the door, I sat down and I cried.

For the first time in years, I let myself feel it, the shame, the anger, and the loneliness. Everyone was gone, Emily. Raheem, my board and my clients. All gone.


Richard's POV

Everything was falling into place, just as I wanted it to be.

I sat in my high-rise office, and I was sipping cold champagne as the news reported another investor pulling out of Jane Grande's company. I smiled and it was indeed a good day.

'She underestimated the game," I told my assistant.

We have flooded the internet with fake headlines. We have Hired influencers and we have paid off podcasts and everything was crafted perfectly.

And the bots? They were working overtime. Hashtags trended, and videos were going viral and I even saw a dog in a TikTok costume stomping on her perfume. It was perfect. I took another sip.

Jane should have known by now. business was not about pride. It was not at all about power, it was about control and now she has none.

'Schedule the interview," I said to my assistant firmly.

My team nodded as I got my suit on, checking my smile in the mirror. It was not too fake. It was just right.

The camera crew set up, the interviewer asked questions, however, I already knew all the answers.

'I have always respected Jane Grande," I said, my voice was soft and my eyes were filled with a lot of fake regret. 'But perhaps, emotions clouded her judgment."

The host nodded instantly and then I continued, 'Mason Group is willing to step in. Not to erase her work. But to stabilize the market."

The audience clapped.

Backstage, my PR head gave me a thumbs-up. We were winning.

And later, I scrolled through the comments, people loved it and they loved me. I was the savior, the cleaner and the one who will fix everything Jane broke.

And then I leaned back in my chair.

She would not survive this.