The Next Day:
Sunlight streamed through the curtains, painting the hotel suite in a warm glow. The golden rays stretched across the luxurious bed, where Sera still lay, barely stirring. She was half-asleep when she felt movement beside her, and with a drowsy groan, she swatted at the air like a child refusing to wake up. Her voice was soft and weak as she mumbled, “What time is it?”
Alex’s voice, calm and teasing, came from beside her. “Almost eleven. Do all college students sleep in late these days? Too Lazy… You do know that you’re a Lazy gir.”
Sera scrunched up her nose, still refusing to lift her head from the pillow. “L-lazy? Who are you calling lazy?” she grumbled before groaning in frustration. “You bastard… You kept me up half the night! I can barely move, and now you’re blaming me for oversleeping?”
Alex chuckled lightly, his amusement evident as he placed a bowl of steaming porridge on the bedside table. “A good host always meets the needs of his guests,” he said with a smirk.
Sera huffed, pouting slightly as she recalled the exhausting events of the previous night. The mere memory sent heat rushing to her cheeks, and she quickly pulled the blanket tighter around her body.
Her legs still felt weak, and she had no idea how she was supposed to make it through the day.
“I still have classes this afternoon,” she muttered, slowly sitting up while keeping herself wrapped in the covers. “How am I supposed to attend like this?”
Forget attending, she doubted she could even walk properly.
She shot a glare at the man beside her. “You could’ve been a little gentler… You knew it was my first time.”
Alex, still completely composed, sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through her tousled hair. “Eat first,” he said in a coaxing tone. “And don’t worry… I’ve already arranged for someone to inform your school that you’ll be absent today.”
Sera blinked at him, then turned her gaze toward the table. Her brow furrowed slightly when she noticed there was only one serving. “What about you? Aren’t you eating?”
Alex’s eyes flickered with amusement as he trailed his gaze over her exposed collarbone, the faint traces of his kisses still visible on her skin. His smirk deepened. “I already ate,” he said, his voice layered with meaning.
Sera caught his lingering stare and quickly pulled the blanket higher over herself. Her blush deepened as she looked away, too flustered to retort.
There was no denying it now. The sweet and innocent ‘first love’ persona she had once carried had crumbled overnight. She had stepped into the dark side, and there was no turning back.
….
Logan hadn’t slept a single minute the previous night. He sat in the dimly lit office in one of his mansion, his fingers tapping anxiously against the armrest of his chair.
His mind was in turmoil, knowing full well that now that Alex had decided to intervene for that wretched woman, no one in the Kleinberg Family would be spared.
He let out a slow breath, trying to steady his nerves. The situation wasn’t entirely unexpected. In fact, he had anticipated this outcome and had even helped steer things in this direction.
Sera wouldn’t have dared to act while her grandfather was alive. The only reason she had finally lashed out was because her sole protector had died, leaving her vulnerable to the Kleinberg Family’s cruelty.
They had treated her like an insect to be crushed underfoot, pushing her further and further until she had no choice but to seek revenge.
As for the car accident that had claimed her parents’ lives all those years ago? If she had truly wanted to act on that grudge, she wouldn’t have waited until now.
The real trigger was the loss of her grandfather, the only thing that had kept the wolves at bay.
Logan scoffed. He had always known that the moment the old man was gone, the fragile peace would shatter. The question now was how much of the Kleinberg Family would survive once Alex was done with them.
The atmosphere in the Kleinberg Family estate was suffocating. After hearing Logan’s shameless analysis of the situation, the rest of the Kleinberg Family could do nothing but curse him silently in their hearts. However, no amount of insults would change their predicament.
At this point, the Kleinberg Family was bound together, their fates inextricably linked. If they survived, they would do so as one. If they perished, they would all go down together.
But now, a full night had passed, and not a many shares of Kleinberg Industries had been sold. Despite Logan offering his stock at a mere thirty percent of the market price, not a single person in the City dared to take the deal.
“Those bastards! A bunch of spineless, backstabbing cowards!” Logan roared, his fury boiling over.
With a violent sweep of his arm, he sent everything on his desk crashing to the floor. Papers scattered, glass shattered, and the sound echoed through the room like a final death knell for his failing company.
The once high-spirited and confident Logan now looked like a man who had aged a decade overnight.
His face was haggard, his once sharp eyes now dull and bloodshot. His hair was a disheveled mess, sticking out in wild tufts as if he hadn’t touched a comb in days.
Even his clothes, still the same ones he had worn to the funeral yesterday, were now wrinkled and stained, a stark contrast to the image of the powerful businessman he once prided himself on.
Everything had been messed up in just one night.
Ever since Alex had openly declared his intent to move against the Kleinberg Family at his father’s funeral, the collapse of Kleinberg Industries had begun at an alarming pace. One by one, their business partners had turned their backs on them, cutting ties without hesitation with some even going as far as paying money in breach-of-contract penalties just to distance themselves from Kleinberg Industries.
Contracts that had been all but signed were suddenly withdrawn. Long-time allies and collaborators were scrambling to sever their connections.