Staying Low, Raging High

The call came late at night.

Krishna was still lounging in bed, silk robe loose, scrolling through her phone with Aaron curled up asleep at the foot like a warm, overly loyal retriever.

When she saw Harlan's name flash on the screen, she raised a single brow… then answered on speaker, not bothering to sit up.

"Wow, first Lorenzo, now you," she drawled, voice lazy with sleep and something sharper underneath. "What's next? Leevah sending me hate mail?"

Her father didn't waste time with greetings.

"Krishna," Harlan's voice cut clean and cold, like every inch of warmth had been drained dry years ago. "We need to set some boundaries."

"Oh? This sounds fun already."

"Don't." His tone flattened, low and final. "This is not a game."

Krishna rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet, letting him speak.

"You've been making yourself too visible. Walking into company premises like you own the place. Meddling with board-level affairs. Sponsoring Lucius Vale behind everyone's back."

She smirked at that part.

"So you did notice."

"I'm warning you, Krishna."

That clipped edge in his voice dropped lower, almost like he hated saying her name out loud.

"You hold no official position in Debonair Holdings. No title. No stake. And if you think I'll continue turning a blind eye to your interference…" He exhaled sharply through the phone, a long breath like he was holding back the urge to curse her out. "Then you're more foolish than I thought."

Krishna twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, glancing lazily at the ceiling like this conversation was just background noise.

"Dad," she sighed theatrically, "you're acting like I snuck in to steal trade secrets. I was just… supporting my friends."

"Enough."

The word cracked through the air like a whip.

"If you set foot in the building again… or continue interfering in company business… I'll cut you off. Permanently."

Her lazy grin froze.

Harlan's voice stayed hard and emotionless.

"No more allowance. No more credit cards. No more trust fund payouts. You can pack up your penthouse and figure out how long your ego lasts without the Debonair name buying your rent."

For a long moment…

Silence.

Even Aaron stirred awake, blinking up at her sleepily from the end of the bed, sensing the change in the air.

Krishna stayed still.

Perfectly still.

Like a predator deciding whether to lunge or let the prey think it's safe.

But then…

She laughed.

Soft.

Light.

Airy like none of it mattered.

"Wow," she breathed out, grinning like she wasn't breaking inside. "You really practiced that whole 'cutting off the rebellious daughter' speech, huh?"

"This isn't a joke, Krishna."

"I know."

Her voice softened. Almost sweet.

"I hear you loud and clear, Father."

Harlan hesitated at her tone, but said nothing more.

The line went dead.

Krishna sat there, staring at her dark phone screen for a long beat.

Aaron sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Ma'am?" he asked carefully, voice still hoarse from sleep. "Is everything…?"

"I'm fine."

Her answer came too fast. Too bright.

Like she wasn't already calculating a hundred different ways to turn this on its head.

Krishna slid out of bed with deliberate ease, crossing to her closet, already pulling out clothes.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asked, confused as she threw on jeans, a hoodie, and sunglasses despite it being midnight.

"Giving them exactly what they want," she answered, grabbing her phone and slipping into sneakers.

She turned at the door, flashing him a grin that didn't reach her eyes.

"For now."

---

The next day, true to her word, Krishna stayed far, far away from Debonair Holdings.

No surprise office drop-ins.

No company-wide disturbances.

No taunting emails.

It was like she disappeared.

The shareholders? Relieved.

Lorenzo? Smug.

Leevah? Gloating on social media already.

Harlan? Uncharacteristically quiet… but inwardly satisfied.

Even Lucius, sitting stiff and uncomfortable in his shiny new office as political advisor, caught wind of the shift.

People were already whispering that she'd finally been leashed. That the bastard Beta had finally accepted her place.

Krishna let them.

For two full weeks, she stayed low.

No viral scandals.

No backroom whispers.

No surprise meetings.

To the public?

She was sulking. Licking her wounds.

To her family?

She was finally learning her place.

But behind closed doors…

Her phone never stopped buzzing.

Private messages.

Investor networks.

Shell companies.

Broker deals.

Private appointments with people who didn't mind doing quiet business with a woman carrying the Debonair bloodline… even if the family refused to admit it publicly.

Aaron handled most of her errands, running between realtors, investment brokers, and underground market contacts like the obedient little errand dog he'd become.

Lucius?

He sat inside Debonair Holdings… still loyal to her leash… watching and waiting… feeding her information from behind polished glass doors and company email servers.

And Krishna?

She smiled through it all.

Drank her coffee slow.

Watched the city skyline at night.

And waited…

For the next perfect moment…

To remind her father… her siblings… the entire board…

That just because she wasn't at their front door…

Didn't mean she wasn't already inside the walls.