The Exiled Heiress Makes Her Comeback

The morning sun sliced through the blinds of Ansley's small Manhattan apartment. She sat on the rug. Blueprints and algorithm charts from Aura Aerospace were scattered all around her. She rubbed her burning eyes. She hadn't slept for a single second. She gathered the final comparison reports and shoved them into a thick manila envelope. She stood up and walked into the bathroom. She stared at her reflection. Her skin was pale and dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes. She turned on the faucet and slapped freezing water against her cheeks until they turned pink. She walked to her closet. She pushed past the soft, feminine dresses Emery had bought her over the years. She reached to the very back and pulled out a sharp, tailored black Armani suit. She pulled her long hair back and twisted it into a tight, severe bun at the base of her neck. She uncapped a tube of dark, blood-red lipstick and painted it over her lips. It felt like war paint. She slipped her feet into a pair of black stiletto heels. They were sharp enough to be weapons. She grabbed her car keys and the envelope. Thirty minutes later, she parked her car across the street from the Aegis Group headquarters in the Financial District. Ansley looked up through the windshield. The massive, all-glass skyscraper pierced the clouds. It looked like a giant, impenetrable fortress. She took a deep breath. She opened the car door and stepped out. She walked across the crosswalk, her heels clicking sharply against the asphalt. She pushed through the heavy revolving doors and stepped into the lobby. The ceiling was vaulted. The air conditioning was freezing. Hundreds of people in expensive suits rushed past her, their faces set in masks of corporate indifference. Ansley kept her spine straight. She walked directly to the massive marble front desk. Three receptionists in matching uniforms stood behind the counter. Their eyes were cold and bored. Ansley pulled out a business card and slid it across the marble toward a blonde receptionist. "I am here representing Aura Aerospace. I need to submit a proposal to the defense systems division." The blonde didn't even look at the card. Her fingers tapped lazily on her keyboard. "Do you have an appointment?" "No," Ansley admitted. "But this algorithm is critical to your new defense contract." The receptionist's lips curled into a fake, condescending smile. She pointed a manicured finger toward a waiting area in the corner. "Fill out a visitor log and take a seat over there." Ansley looked over. The waiting area was packed with desperate startup founders. Some of them looked like they had been sleeping in those chairs for days. It was a graveyard for rejected ideas. If she sat there, she would never see the inside of an elevator. Ansley turned back. She placed both hands flat on the cold marble counter and leaned in. "I need you to call the project review director right now." The receptionist frowned. Her fake smile vanished. "Ma'am, step back. Do not cause a scene in this lobby." Two large security guards standing near the turnstiles noticed the commotion. They rested their hands on the radios clipped to their belts and started walking slowly toward Ansley. Before Ansley could speak again, a soft ding echoed through the lobby. The doors of the private VIP elevator slid open. A group of men in bespoke suits walked out. The air pressure in the lobby seemed to drop as they moved. Ansley turned her head. Her blood ran cold. Walking right next to a senior Aegis executive was Cade Vance. He was smiling like a rat, and in his hand, he held the silver hard drive that contained Kegan's life's work. Cade glanced toward the front desk. His eyes locked with Ansley's. He stopped walking. A look of shock crossed his face, quickly replaced by a sick, twisted smirk. He whispered something to the executive, then broke away from the group. He walked straight toward Ansley. The two security guards sped up. They stopped right behind Ansley, ready to grab her. Ansley squeezed the manila envelope in her hands. Her nails dug into the thick paper. She stared at the traitor walking toward her, her heart pounding with pure rage.