Jessica tugged at her blazer sleeve, pretending her hands shaking.
The press conference was supposed to be a reset—a confident front to reassure stakeholders and the media. But under the gloss, her world was cracking like cheap glass.
Across the stage, the Benson Group's legal counsel flipped through prepared statements. No one spoke. The murmurs from the journalists sounded like ocean waves threatening to swallow her whole.
She glanced at the doors.
He wasn't here.
Michael.
Not even a message.
"Of course," she whispered under her breath.
He always vanished when the pressure hit.
Behind a one-way mirror in a side room adjacent to the conference hall, Adrian watched.
No one knew he was there.
Dressed in charcoal black, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Tasha stood quietly, holding a tablet, monitoring real-time engagement metrics.
"She's about to crack," Tasha said. "Do we pull the trigger?"
Adrian didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on Jessica.
The system whispered in his mind like smoke curling around his thoughts.
System Notice: Active Mission – Observe Emotional Collapse
Jessica Benson – Stress Index: 74%
Recommendation: Remain unseen. Silence increases impact.
He didn't flinch.
Jessica stepped up to the mic. Cameras flashed. Her throat felt dry, like she'd swallowed dust.
"Thank you for coming," she began, her voice firm—but not steady.
There was a beat too long.
Whispers started again.
She pressed forward. "Recent reports about an unpublished patent involving Eleanor Cole have caused confusion in the market. We want to make it clear—we're cooperating fully with all regulatory bodies. Benson Group's integrity remains intact."
A reporter stood. "Is it true the patent was discovered through a hidden shell acquisition?"
"I can't speak to that."
"Then who owns 18% of Benson Group, Ms. Benson? Your latest reports show unknown private equity players are stacking shares."
Jessica blinked.
She hadn't expected that question so soon.
"I… I can't confirm those identities at this time."
"You can't or won't?"
A harsh laugh escaped someone in the back.
Jessica's face flushed.
Inside the mirror room, Adrian said nothing.
Tasha checked her watch. "You know, if you wanted to ruin her, you just did."
"I'm not ruining her," he said.
"No?"
"I'm giving her what she gave me—silence."
Back onstage, Jessica's hands gripped the podium harder.
"I'd appreciate if the media respected boundaries during this process—"
"Were you aware Michael Kane has been meeting with rival investment firms? Rumor is he's planning to jump ship."
Another punch to the ribs.
The press laughed again.
Jessica's vision blurred, just for a second.
"No further questions," she said, turning away.
But someone shouted—"Do you regret what you did to Adrian Cole?"
She froze.
Everything went silent.
And for a brief, humiliating second, Jessica couldn't move.
Her legs felt numb. Her throat closed up.
Cameras flashed again.
And the footage was already going viral.
"Cut the feed," Tasha said.
But Adrian didn't move. His eyes were locked on the screen as Jessica's image shrank, her back turned to the world.
System Mission Complete.
Reward: +1 Insight Level – Jessica Benson
Unlocked Trait: Emotional Guilt
New Optional Mission: "Show Her Mercy – Decline All Contact For 72 Hours"
Reward: $100K + Emotional Recovery Boost
Mercy?
Adrian's lip twitched.
"Decline," he said out loud.
Tasha looked up. "You sure?"
"I'm not done watching yet."
Jessica stormed out of the conference hall, throwing open the side door.
Her assistant scrambled after her. "Ma'am—there are still reporters—"
"Tell them I fainted," she snapped, hands trembling.
Outside, she leaned against the stone pillar, chest heaving.
She took out her phone, opened her messages, and stared at Adrian's old number.
Empty.
Dead.
She typed: "Are you happy now?"
But didn't send it.
Instead, she deleted the thread entirely.
Michael wasn't answering. Her father couldn't speak. Her board barely respected her.
And whoever this silent investor was—they were winning.
She looked up at the sky, blinked back tears, and whispered to no one, "I miss you."
That night, Adrian sat alone in his apartment, a single lamp casting gold against the walls.
He replayed the conference footage.
Jessica's face when they asked about him. The crack in her voice. The question she couldn't answer.
The look in her eyes.
He wanted to hate it.
He'd waited for that moment—for her to feel just a sliver of what he felt the day she let him walk away like trash.
But watching her break didn't feel like a victory.
It felt like memory.
Like the day she gave him soup when he was sick.
Like the night she curled into his side and said, "Even if we lose everything, you're enough."
And maybe that was the problem.
He couldn't unlove her.
He could only bury it deeper.
New Notification: Digital Identity Reboot Ready
Activate? Yes / No
He stared at the screen.
Then, slowly, pressed: Yes.
Rebooting…
Adrian Cole, the ex-husband, the discarded man, the laughingstock of the city—was now dead.
What rose in his place was something colder.
Smarter.
Richer.
And no one would see him coming.
The next morning, Jessica's assistant ran in with a trembling hand holding a paper.
"Ma'am… someone just acquired a 25% stake in Benson Group."
Jessica stood up so fast her chair crashed behind her.
"What?! Who?"
"Still unknown. But… the board is calling an emergency meeting."
Jessica's heart sank.
She was losing control.
And somewhere, she knew—
Adrian wasn't gone.
He was watching.