Chapter 2 THE WOMAN HE CAN'T CONTROL

Adrian watched Elena walk away, her heels echoing across the marble floor like gunshots to his pride.

For three years, he'd convinced himself she was dead. That she was guilty. That he had made the right decision.

But now...

She was here.

Alive.

And glowing with a power he didn't recognize - a confidence that draped around her like a second skin.

His chest tightened as her scent - warm vanilla and red wine - lingered in the air long after she was gone.

Cassandra's grip on his arm tightened.

"She must be broke. Desperate. Looking for attention," she hissed.

Adrian didn't respond.

Because something told him that Elena wasn't desperate.

She was hunting.

Elsewhere – The Boardroom No One Knew She Owned

High above the city, in a skyscraper wrapped in obsidian glass, Elena stepped into her private boardroom.

Not as a guest.

As the CEO.

Voss Enterprises - the shadow corporation swallowing up everything Adrian's Blackwood Corp had once controlled.

Elena Hart was gone.

In her place stood Elena Voss - a name the business world feared, respected, and never saw coming.

"Status update," she said, sliding into the leather chair at the head of the table.

Her assistant, Nora, passed her a folder.

"We've acquired three of Blackwood's European suppliers this morning. He won't feel the hit until next quarter, but by then..."

Elena smirked. "We'll have buried his profits."

She flipped through the documents, eyes sharp, lips unreadable.

"And the next target?"

"Blackwood Pharmaceuticals."

Elena paused, then nodded.

"Take it."

Back at the Gala – Adrian's Breakdown

Adrian barely made it through his acceptance speech.

The cameras caught his usual charm, the crowd cheered, but inside, his world was unraveling.

Elena was alive.

Not only alive - she was dazzling. Commanding. Untouchable.

And most of all... she hadn't looked at him like a man she used to love.

She looked at him like an opponent.

After the gala, he cornered Cassandra in the penthouse.

"You told me she died. You swore she was gone."

Cassandra's mask slipped for the first time in years.

"She was gone. Her car was found. Blood on the seat. What more did you want?!"

Adrian stared at her, suspicion crawling up his spine like ice.

"Did you lie to me, Cassandra?"

She froze.

And that was all the answer he needed.

Final Scene – A Glove Dropped on the Battlefield

Elena returned to her penthouse and poured a glass of red wine. The city stretched out below, glittering like prey.

She walked to her window, pressed a hand to the glass.

"You let me burn, Adrian," she whispered.

"Now I'll set your kingdom on fire."

And behind her on the couch, a single black envelope waited - sealed with a wax crest

Adrian would recognize.

The first warning shot.