The penthouse windows glowed faintly with the dawn light when Isabella finally stepped out of the elevator and into the marble lobby of Grey Enterprises.
But she wasn't the same woman who had walked in the night before.
Her hair was loose now, tumbling over her shoulders in dark waves, her black coat buttoned tight at her waist. Inside her pocket, her fingers curled around the sleek little flash drive Alexander had handed her after that phone call.
Her first assignment.
Her first strike.
It wasn't hard to find them.
By noon, the whispers had already started.
Her sister, Emilia, and her former fiancé, Daniel, were seen entering the Reed family office — trying to gain control of her father's company in her "absence."
"They're calling it a hostile takeover," Alexander had said earlier, his tone laced with dry amusement.
"As if you weren't already dead to them."
But she wasn't dead.
And she was done being quiet.
By the time Isabella arrived at the Reed offices, the boardroom was packed.
Emilia stood at the head of the table, wearing a pristine white suit that looked eerily familiar — it was the same one Isabella had worn on her graduation day, years ago.
Daniel was beside her, whispering something into her ear as the board members watched in uncomfortable silence.
The doors swung open, and all heads turned as Isabella strode in.
Silence fell like a knife.
For a beat, no one moved. Then Emilia's face paled, her eyes widening in shock.
"You—"
"Me," Isabella cut in smoothly, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked to the table.
"Miss me?"
Daniel's jaw clenched.
"You… we thought—"
"That I'd crawl into a hole and die?" Isabella interrupted again, her smile sharp enough to draw blood.
"Sorry to disappoint you."
She dropped the flash drive onto the polished table.
"I believe the board will find this… enlightening."
One of the directors reached for it, plugging it into the large screen at the end of the room.
What followed was a slideshow of damning evidence — forged contracts, hidden accounts, falsified reports — all tracing back to Emilia and Daniel.
Gasps and murmurs rose from the board as line after line of betrayal glowed on the screen.
Isabella stood tall, arms crossed, watching her sister's composure crack.
Watching Daniel's confident smirk dissolve into fury.
"Where… where did you get this?" Emilia demanded, her voice shaking.
Isabella tilted her head slightly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Her gaze swept over the room before landing on them both.
"You've been playing your little games behind my back for years. But here's the thing about games…" She leaned forward, her voice low and deadly.
"I play to win."
When she finally stepped out of the boardroom, she found Alexander leaning casually against a pillar in the hallway, arms folded, watching her with a faint, wolfish smile.
"You looked… radiant in there," he murmured.
Isabella gave him a sidelong glance.
"They never saw me coming."
His smile widened just slightly.
"They never do."
But before she could reply, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening by a fraction.
Then his eyes flicked to hers, sharp and unreadable.
"You're not done yet," he said quietly.
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He straightened, slipping his phone back into his pocket, his gaze still fixed on her.
"There's someone else at play here. Someone who doesn't want you to win."
Isabella stiffened.
"Who?"
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"That," he said, his voice low and dangerous,
"is what we're about to find out."