Episode 6

9:00 a.m.

Sera stepped into the boardroom wearing black.

Not a dress. A fitted suit. Sharp shoulders. Red lipstick. No jewelry.

War armor.

Ten board members sat waiting. Some looked up and nodded. Some didn't look at her at all.

She knew who had turned.

She didn't know why—yet.

"Let's begin," said Chairman Ibe, her father's old friend.

Sera sat at the head of the table, spine straight.

"First item," Ibe said. "A vote on restructuring Moretti Holdings' international accounts."

"Which accounts?" Sera asked calmly.

Ibe didn't answer.

Instead, an assistant passed out a document.

She scanned it quickly. Her hands froze.

This wasn't just restructuring.

It was a takeover.

If they passed this, the board would gain voting power over her international shares. Control would shift.

Delgado's fingerprints were all over it.

Sera looked up. "Who brought this forward?"

Silence.

Then one voice.

"I did," said Mrs. Banjo. An older woman. Calm. Trusted—until now.

Sera's heart beat slowly. But her face was unreadable.

"Why?"

"Because you're distracted," Banjo said. "You're making emotional decisions. Tied to Cain. You're risking our future."

Sera leaned back. "So you betray me instead?"

Banjo didn't flinch. "I protect the company."

Sera nodded once. Then she stood.

"You want a vote? Fine."

She looked at each face in the room. "But remember this—if you do this, I will not forget."

Silence.

Then one by one, hands rose.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Six votes.

Enough.

Sera didn't speak. She simply turned and walked out.

Power was lost.

And they thought she would break.

But they didn't know her.

⎯

In his penthouse, Lucien got the call.

Jax's voice was hard. "They passed it. Six out of ten. Delgado pulled her board from under her."

Lucien was silent.

Then: "Tell me who voted yes."

"We're tracking them now."

"And Delgado?"

"In Monaco. For now."

Lucien's hand curled into a fist.

He stood and grabbed his coat.

"Get the jet ready," he said. "We're fixing this now."

⎯

Sera didn't go home.

She didn't cry.

She went to the warehouse by the port. A quiet place where she trained alone. Inside was a punching bag. She ripped off her blazer and started hitting.

Hard. Over and over.

Her knuckles stung.

But she didn't stop.

She had built this company. Earned every dollar. Every deal. And in one morning, they treated her like she was weak.

Because she let herself care.

Because she let someone in.

A door creaked open behind her.

She didn't turn.

"I'm not in the mood," she said.

"I know," Lucien replied.

She stopped hitting the bag. But she still didn't face him.

"They voted," she said. "They took it from me."

"I know."

Silence.

Then Sera turned slowly.

"Did you come to say 'I told you so'?"

Lucien stepped forward. "No. I came to say it's not over."

"They took my vote, Lucien."

"Then take theirs."

She stared at him.

"You said you didn't believe in revenge," she said softly.

"I lied."

He stepped closer. "They made a mistake. All of them."

He lifted his hand, slowly, and touched her wrist—where her skin was red from the punching.

"Let me help you fight."

Sera looked down. Then looked at him.

"This will get ugly."

"I hope so."

She gave a small, bitter laugh. Then nodded.

"Then let's take everything back."

⎯

In Monaco, Delgado sat in a private lounge, sipping champagne.

He smiled as he scrolled through his phone.

"Sera Moretti removed from international control."

"Cain Empire silent after board betrayal."

"Power shift in Moretti Holdings."

It was working.

But what he didn't know…

Was that the storm he started had just found its center.

Sera stood still, letting Lucien's words settle deep.

Take everything back.

It sounded simple. But revenge wasn't clean. And trust — even now — still felt like walking on ice.

"Then we start with Banjo," she said finally.

Lucien nodded. "She took the first shot. Let's make sure she regrets it."

"I need dirt."

"I already have it."

He pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and showed her a photo.

Sera's eyes narrowed. "That's her son. In Dubai."

"Gambling. Drugs. Hush money. She's been moving company funds to cover it for the past eight months."

Sera took the phone. "You found this already?"

"I never stop watching your enemies."

That silenced her.

Lucien didn't smile. "I don't do loyalty halfway."

Sera turned, walked a few steps, then leaned back against the warehouse wall. Her breath was slow.

"This will ruin her."

"She tried to ruin you."

"I know," she said. "And I'm not sorry."

Lucien came closer. "Good."

She handed him back the phone.

"We release that tonight," she said. "An anonymous leak to the investors' forum. I'll act shocked in the morning."

Lucien's eyes burned with quiet pride.

"You're thinking like a predator again."

She met his eyes. "I never stopped. I just got… distracted."

A pause.

Then he stepped in, took her hand.

"Don't fight alone anymore," he said. "Let me in."

Sera stared at him.

For a moment, the warehouse didn't feel cold.

Then her phone buzzed.

A message. From an unknown number.

You think the board is all you've lost?

Attached: A blurry image.

Sera opened it.

It was a photo of her younger brother, Marco — in a nightclub. Slumped. Unconscious. Two men dragging him out.

She froze.

Lucien saw her expression change. "What is it?"

She turned the phone.

Lucien's face darkened instantly.

"They touched your family."

Sera's fingers shook — just for a second. "I haven't heard from Marco in three days. He's been off the radar. I thought he was traveling…"

Lucien was already calling Jax.

"Trace this number," he said. "Send me the source of the image. I want to know where it was taken. And who's in the room."

Sera paced, panic building in her throat — something she rarely allowed herself to feel.

"If they hurt him…" she whispered.

Lucien grabbed her wrist. Not hard. Just enough to make her stop.

"We'll get him back," he said. "Alive."

Her eyes burned. But she nodded.

Not now. No tears now.

Now was the time to strike.

⎯

Three hours later, in a backroom club in Nice, France, Marco Moretti opened his eyes.

The room was dark.

His head throbbed. His mouth was dry.

He tried to move.

Rope.

His hands were tied.

Panic swelled.

A door creaked open.

"Finally," a voice said. "The baby lion wakes up."

Marco blinked. "Who the hell are you?"

The man stepped closer. Bald. Gold ring. Sharp eyes.

"Doesn't matter. What matters is your sister — and what she's about to lose."

He leaned in. "You're just the message."

Marco spat at his feet. "She'll kill you."

The man laughed.

"She won't get the chance."

⎯

Back in the city, Lucien stood with Sera on the helipad of Cain Tower. The wind whipped at their coats. The city sparkled below, unaware of the fire rising in its veins.

"The image came from Nice," Lucien said. "My team located the club. It's used by Delgado's middlemen — mostly for trafficking."

Sera's fists clenched.

Lucien continued. "They're not holding him there now. But we have the trail. We'll find him."

"I'm going with you."

Lucien didn't argue.

They stepped into the helicopter together.

Two enemies once. Now a team. Bound not just by heat — but by blood.

This was no longer a game of power.

This was personal.

And whoever thought taking her brother would break Sera Moretti…

Was about to learn exactly what she was made of.