bChapter 172 /b

bOLIVIA’S /bPOV

I wasn’t done with that bitch yet, I thought to myself as I stood in front of the full–length mirror, adjusting the cor of my deep navy power suit. bMy /bbhair /bwas perfectly pinned back, perfectly taken care of by my own personal stylist, bmy /bstylist always came before I left for workb, /bI had tried taking care of bmy /bown hair in the past band /bit did not work out well, there was always bno /btime to finishb, /beven when all I had to do was roll it up on a bbun /b

My earrings were subtle but elegant, and my heels clicked authoritatively with every step. ra istood /iby the door with her tablet in handb, /balready dressed sharply, ready to trail me like a shadow.

b“/bYou look stunning, ma’am,” she said with a proud nod.

b“/bThank you,” I replied, brushing an invisible crease off my sleeve. “Let’s go.”

As we stepped out of the mansion, the early morning sun bounced off the polished windshields of the cars waiting in my convoy. Armored Maybach stood at the center, nked by four other sleek vehicles. My security team, dressed in sharp suits withms in their ears, quickly moved to position.

Doors opened.

Engines hummed.

And the convoy rolled out onto the streets of Mexico like ba /bsilent storm.

We drove past neighborhoods and high–end districts, and heads turned as we passed. ke Enterprise was a name thatmanded respect–and fear.

And bI /bwas its face.

When we pulled into the driveway of ke Tower, the massive 40–story ss building that served as our headquarters, I can still remember the first time I saw this building. I was surprised by the look alone, it was so beautiful that my jaw dropped and stayed that way for over 5 minutes.

My dad had to tap me and bring me back to reality, and when we went in, I was also shocked to see that the man I knew in the house bwasn’t /bthe same

man who was walking ahead of me in this building.

Everyone respected him so much, and I saw why he wasn’t as nice and loving to others as he was to me, even at his age younger people feared him.

And even up until now for how many years I still admire the beauty of thispany, my father did an amazing job building this.

It was like time stopped. At the grand entrance, four men in tailored charcoal–gray suits stood in a line, waiting. As soon as the door opened and my heels touched the marble pavement, they bowed in unison.

“Good morning, Chairwoman ke,” one of them greeted respectfully.

“Morning,” I said without slowing my pace. My presence did all the speaking for me.

Therge double doors opened, and as I walked into the building, the bustling lobby fell into silence. Phones lowered, conversations stopped mid- sentence, and every eye turned toward me. I didn’t need to say a word. I didn’t even need to look their way. The only sound that echoed was the rhythmic click of my heels on the marble floor as I walked confidently toward the elevator, ra close behind.

This was the kind of respect and fear–I had worked years to build.

When I arrived on the executive floor, the boardroom doors were already open. Inside sat the board members and high–level investors, their expensive watches glinting under the lights, eyes glued to the entrance.

As soon as I walked in, they all stood up.

“Good morning, Chairwoman,” they greeted almost in unison, nodding deeply.

bI /bwalked to the head of the long ss table, pulled out the chair, and sat down smoothly. ra stood behndineb, /btablet in handb, /bbscanning /bbthrough /bbthe /b

b1/3 /b

bChapter /bb172 /b

bdocuments /bsilently.

“Let’s bbegin/bb,/bb” /bI said, my voice calm but firm.

One of the older investors, Mr. Esteban, spoke up first. “We’ve received thetest quarterly report. Profits are up 14% in Europe and b22/bb% /bin Southeast Asia. However, there’s concern regarding our New York expansion. The project is slower than projected.”

I looked directly at him. “That’s because the New York team underestimated thepetition and overestimated the market saturation window. We’re already restructuring leadership over there.”

Another man, Rodrigo, cleared his throat. “There’s also the issue with the textile partners. They’re demanding higher margins due to rising production

costsb./bb” /b

“They can demand all they want,” I said coldly. “But ke Enterprise isn’t ba /bcharity. We renegotiate ion /iour terms. If they can’t meet the standardsb, /bwe find new partnersb. /bra, add that to the follow–up list.”

“Yes, ma’am,” ra replied instantly.

“Anything else?” I asked, scanning the table.

Silence.

I tapped the table gently with my manicured fingers. “Good. Then let me make something clear–we are not slowing down. We are expanding. I expect actionable ns by next Friday. Thank you, gentlemen.”

The meeting wrapped up quickly after that, and one by one, they nodded and exited, murmuring things bto /bthemselves. Some were impressed. Others intimidated. That was exactly the way I liked it.

ra walked me to the elevator. “Next stop–brunch with Miss Steph. I’ve already informed the restaurant.”

“Perfect,” I replied. “I need a break after all that stiff energy.”

Within minutes, I arrived at one of my favorite rooftop restaurants in the heart of the city. The entire top floor was reserved, a lush space filled with greenery, soft jazz music ying in the background. And there she was–Steph–already seated with two sses of mimosa on the table.

“Finally! The queen arrived,” she teased with a smile as I walked in.

I couldn’t help the smile that stretched across my face. “And the jester is waiting.”

We bothughed as I took my seat. It was always like this with Steph. Light,fortingb, /bhonest. She was the only person who’d seen both versions of me -the broken girl who first arrived in Mexico, and the woman I had be.

If you look at it this way, Steph is basically my only real friend. I am not trying to say anything horrible about mymunication with people, but I never really had any friends at all.

Back in New York Julian was my only friend, before I found out that he was my brotherb, /bafter him. I did not have any female friends aside from Steph.

So I cherished our friendship dearly

She looked stunning as usual, Her auburn curls framed her face, and her eyes sparkled with warmth. We clinked our sses together,

“bTo /bus,” she said.

b“/bbTo /bfive years of friendship,b” /bI added.

“And counting,” she grinned.

We ordered pancakesi, /ismoked salmon, and avocado toast–the usuals. As we ate, we caught up bon /beverything. She told bme /bbabout /bbher /bbnew /bbassistant /bbwho /bkept mixing up her emails with her ex–boyfriend’s mother. I shared how ra nearly lost her cool bat /bba /bsupplier bwho /bbshipped /bbthe /bbwrong /bbmarble /bbtiles /bbfor /bbmy /b

bChapter /bi172 /i

boffice/b.

b“/bbYou’ve /breally changed, Livb,/bb” /bshe said bsoftly /bbat /bone point, her tone more seriousb. /bb“/bI mean, bnot /bbin /bba /bbbad /bbway/b. You’re just… formidable now I don’t think banyone can /bmess bwith /byou.”

bI /bbsipped /bbmy /bmimosa slowly. “That’s the goal, isn’t bit/bb?/bb” /b

b“/bbIt /bis. bBut /bbjust /bdon’t lose your softness entirely. Charlie needs that part of you.”

I gave her ba /bknowing look. “He gets ball /bof it. Everyone else gets what they deserveb.” /b

She smiled againb, /bproud and slightly sad. “Just remember, you’re allowed to be human itoo/ii./ii” /i

I didn’t reply immediately. I looked out at the city skyline. The empire I was building. The legacy I was shaping.

I’de so far from the girl who lost everything.

Now, I had everything to protect.

And I would–no matter the cost.