My heel snapped on the marble steps of Kingsley Tower, and for a second, I froze—just like I used to when I walked behind him, clipboard in hand, invisible. Now, I was here as shareholder #1. Inside, the boardroom waited. Outside, my daughter napped in the car, blissfully unaware she was the secret that would bring an empire to its knees.

I smoothed my blazer and stepped inside. His voice hit me first—low, commanding, the same one that whispered my name in the dark. 'Ms. Kingsley,' he said, eyes cold, 'we weren’t expecting you.'

I smiled, calm. 'You never do.'

He didn’t recognize me. Not the woman who’d warmed his bed. Not the mother of his child. And definitely not the heir who could vote him out.