RUTLED

sting into my office, her phone already recording for a live stream. "The old one is j

ange suppliers! We have contracts, quality control, an entire supp

s!" she chirped, oblivious to the panic in my voice. "And their chips are, like, totall

ed and threatened to cry. "You don't trust me? Aft

I sighed, running a hand over my face. My hea

adically explode. Then came the news that the "boutique" factory Isabel' s friends owned was a dilapidated warehouse, operating

Secret," "Billionaire's Girlfriend's Greed Kills." My company's carefully cult

e victims for not following instructions" and "the media for being jealous of my success." Her wo

illions off its valuation in a single day. My carefully built empire was

, scrolling through social media. My jaw cle

ce was a roar, sha

r. "K-Killian? What' s wrong?" Her face was pale, he

s. "You want to know what' s wrong? You' ve destroyed everything! My company,

ou loved me!" Tears welled in her eyes, her lips trembling, the familiar prelude to her manipulative performance. S

onger held power over me. All I saw was the wreckage she had caused, t

ck to her, pacing the room, trying to regain some semblance of control. My legal

owing herself at me, burying her face in my back. "Killian, please! Don' t leave me! We can f

ing gratitude that had once chained me to her. Only a profo

emed superficial, her charm a thin veneer over a core of pure selfishness. The sight of her, h

agape. "What? You... you

de. My gratitude, my love, my guilt-all of it had evaporated, leaving behind only a bitter taste. Th

I turned away, walking towards the door. There was a company to save, a reputati

error. For the first time, she saw the cold, hard glint of my true self, s