Chapter 8 - THE QUEEN'S REIGN
Three Years Later.
The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the corner suite on the top floor of the Stewart Global Tower.
I stood in front of the glass, wearing a tailored cream-colored suit, holding a hot cup of black coffee. Below me, the city stretched out, buzzing with life and energy.
I was no longer the quiet sister hiding behind confidentiality agreements. I was the CEO of one of the most powerful technology and strategic conglomerates in the world.
My assistant knocked gently and entered the office.
"Good morning, Miss Vance," she said deferentially. "The quarterly earnings call is scheduled for ten. And... your ten o'clock appointment has arrived in the lobby."
I turned around. "My ten o'clock?"
"Yes," she said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "A man named Nicholas Vance. He said he has an appointment through the second-chance rehabilitation employment initiative."
I stared at her for a moment, letting the name sit in the air.
Under my leadership, Stewart Global had launched a corporate outreach program that provided low-level data entry jobs to individuals with non-violent criminal records or severe financial bankruptcies.
Nicholas had applied. He had no idea who owned the parent company of the program.
"Send him in," I said softly.
A few moments later, the heavy mahogany doors clicked open.
Nicholas walked into the massive office. He looked worn down, his hair graying at the temples, wearing a plain, off-the-rack suit from a department store. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor, holding a plastic folder containing his resume.
"Good morning, Director," Nicholas began, his voice completely stripped of its old, boastful cadence. "Thank you for taking the time to review my application for the junior data—"
He stopped mid-sentence as he raised his eyes.
The words died in his throat.
I sat behind the massive executive desk, framing the city skyline behind me. Beside my desk was a small, framed drawing—a green crayon drawing of a dragon, drawn by a toddler named Leo at Table Nineteen four years ago.
"Hello, Nicholas," I said calmly.
Nicholas froze. The color completely drained from his face. He looked at the vast luxury of the office, the awards on the walls, the corporate crest of Stewart Global, and finally, at me.
"Jenna...?" he whispered, his voice trembling violently. "You... you're running Stewart Global?"
"I have been for three years," I replied, leaning back in my leather chair.
Nicholas fell completely silent. The sheer scale of his defeat was so total, so absolute, that he couldn't even summon anger. He stood in the center of the vast office, holding his cheap folder, realizing that the sister he had exiled to the kids' table now held his entire future in the palm of her hand.
"I... I didn't know," he choked out, backing toward the door. "I'm sorry. I'll... I'll leave."
"Sit down, Nicholas," I commanded, my voice calm, firm, and completely devoid of malice.
He stopped, trembling, and slowly sat in the leather chair across from my desk—the exact same spot where our mother had cried three years ago.
I opened his file on my computer screen.
"Your entry-level scores are adequate," I said, reading the data. "Your work at the call center shows you've learned how to follow orders without letting your ego interfere."
Nicholas swallowed hard, his eyes shining with unshed tears of deep, profound humiliation. "Why are you doing this, Jenna? To laugh at me? To tell me I'm nothing again?"
I looked at him across the wide desk.
"No, Nicholas," I said, my voice steady and honest. "I don't need to put you down to feel big. That was your flaw, not mine. I don't care about revenge anymore. I care about results."
I closed his folder and looked him in the eye.
"You will be assigned to the Level Two Data Entry division in our lower building," I stated flatly. "You will receive a standard salary, health insurance, and a chance to rebuild your life. You will have no interaction with executive management. You will receive no special privileges. If you step out of line, if you display an ounce of the arrogance that ruined your past, you will be terminated instantly."
Nicholas stared at me, tears finally spilling over his cheeks. He bowed his head low, his shoulders shaking.
"Thank you, Jenna..." he sobbed softly. "Thank you..."
"Don't thank me," I said, turning my eyes back to my computer screen. "Thank the girl you put at Table Nineteen. She's the one who decided to build a world big enough for everyone—even you."
Nicholas wiped his eyes, grabbed his plastic folder, and quietly walked out of the office, closing the door softly behind him.
I walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the boundless city.
May you like
The sun broke through the morning clouds, bathing the entire office in a warm, golden light. My phone buzzed on the desk—a text message from Emmett, who was waiting for me downstairs for our lunch meeting.
I smiled, picked up my coat, and walked out into the world I had created—a world where status was earned, truth prevailed, and the seat you were given never defined how high you could fly.
