Chapter 1: Prologue

I stood there, staring at my brother’s grave. The cold wind bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. The only thing that consumed me was the crushing weight of grief and rage.

He took his own life. And why? Because of his boss. That heartless woman humiliated him, dismissed his years of dedication, and discarded him as if he were nothing. Six years—six years of loyalty, relentless hard work, and personal sacrifices—meant absolutely nothing in her eyes. As if that wasn’t enough, she mocked him in front of everyone, stripping him of every ounce of dignity he had left.

And that was the final straw.

As the priest uttered his last prayer, a well-dressed woman approached me. She wasn’t a stranger. I recognized her. One of her people.

With a voice carefully laced with rehearsed sympathy, she spoke.

“Our deepest condolences, Miss Delen. Your brother was one of our most valuable employees. We are truly saddened by his passing.”

I didn’t reply. I simply stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest.

“As per company policy, all funeral expenses will be covered,” she continued, as if reading from a script. “Additionally, as stated in his contract, we are offering financial compensation.”

She handed me a check. Five million.

I took it—not because I needed it, but because it was the first step. The first brick in the foundation of my revenge.

Ruby Fae Espinosa would fall.

I would strip her of everything she held dear. Her power, her empire, her reputation. I would make sure everyone she cared for abandoned her. I would watch her company crumble to dust, just as she had destroyed my brother.

She would feel the same pain he did. The despair. The loneliness. The unbearable weight of betrayal and hopelessness.

I would come for her.

And when I was done, she would have nothing left.

---

After the burial, I wasted no time. I went straight home and entered my brother’s room. I needed information—everything I could gather about the company he worked for.

That was when I saw it.

A black envelope sat on his desk, the words Sedes Quantum Empire printed in bold lettering.

I opened it and began reading. The company had been in existence for twelve years, and in that short span, it had grown into an unstoppable empire. How did it rise so fast? How did it become so powerful, so influential? There had to be something beneath the surface—something more than just good business strategies.

Returning to my room, I immediately searched for the mastermind behind it all.

Ruby Fae Espinosa.

“A beautiful name for a heartless woman,” I muttered under my breath.

She was 36 years old. Strangely, no records of her family existed, as if she had erased every trace of her origins. She kept her private life well-guarded, a fortress no one could breach. However, I found two names, Darlene and Ashley. Her two best friends, both deeply embedded in the industry.

I smirked.

She thinks she’s untouchable. But no one is invincible.

I would make her fall for me. I would get close to her, make her trust me, make her need me. I would extract every secret, every weakness, every hidden truth she had buried away.

I would find a crack in her armor, and when I did, I would tear her apart from the inside.

Everyone close to her, her family, her friends, her confidants—would suffer the same fate. One by one, they would disappear from her life. Until she had nothing left. Until she knew what it felt like to be utterly, devastatingly alone.

I would drag her into the depths of hell.

And I would make sure she never escaped.

________

"I’ve brought everything they need," my secretary said, her voice is firm yet solemn. I turned to her secretary, meeting her gaze with an emotionless stare.

"Make sure his family is taken care of. I promised him that I would repay every ounce of loyalty and kindness he has shown in my empire. I intend to keep that promise."

She nodded in understanding before quietly excusing herself, leaving me alone in my office. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, I pulled out my phone and immediately dialed a number.

"Fiasco Lewis," I said the moment the call connected. "I need you to investigate Akio's death."

A beat of silence passed on the other end before his voice came through, calm but curious. "You don't believe it was suicide?"

"I don’t," I answered without hesitation. "Not for a second."

There was something deeply unsettling about the entire situation. The official report claimed that Akio had taken his own life, but I knew him too well. He wasn’t the type to give up, not after everything we had built together, not when he still had so much to fight for.

Could it be that he was killed because I had chosen him to be my partner in developing our latest technology? Or was he targeted because he refused to betray me, because he kept his silence when someone tried to force information out of him?

If that was the case… if someone had orchestrated his death, then this was no suicide. It was murder.

And I would make sure that whoever was responsible paid for it.

I was well aware that my influence and success didn’t just bring me power, it also brought me enemies. Over the years, I had made more than a few rivals, people who wanted nothing more than to see me fall, to see my empire crumble into nothing.

Perhaps this was their move. Perhaps they thought they could shake me, weaken me, by taking away the people I trusted the most.

If so, they had made a grave mistake.

I took a slow drag from my cigarette, letting the smoke swirl around me before extinguishing it in the ashtray. Then, without another word, I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

I needed some time to clear my mind. But before I did anything else, I would stop by Akio’s grave.

I owed him that much.