Blurb：
Trapped in a web of power and desire, orphan-turned-executive Carys Redding faces public humiliation when billionaire CEO Jenson Whitaker demotes her from Marketing Director to personal assistant. As Whitaker Consolidated's board witnesses their toxic dynamic, secret lover Jenson tightens his control – until Cassidy Covington, his ruthless fiancée, returns to claim her throne. This dark romance twists through corporate betrayal, gilded cage politics, and a shocking altar scandal that rocks New York's elite. Can Carys escape the Whitaker family's legacy, or will Jenson's obsession destroy them all?Content：
§PROLOGUEThe silk of the tie slid through Carys Redding’s fingers, a familiar, suffocating ritual.
“Tighter.”
Jenson Whitaker’s voice was a low command in the pre-dawn silence of his penthouse, a sound that vibrated straight through her bones.
As his ward, the orphan his family had so graciously taken in, she was supposed to be grateful.
As his lover, the secret he kept locked away behind polished mahogany doors, she was supposed to be obedient.
Her fingers trembled almost imperceptibly as she cinched the Windsor knot, the complex, perfect symbol of his world.
He leaned down, his breath ghosting her ear.
“As my guardian’s son, Jenson, you own everything. Including me.”
She whispered the words he had taught her, the creed of her gilded cage.
He captured her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze in the mirror.
His eyes were cold, possessive, yet held a flicker of something she desperately mistook for love.
“Good that you remember, Cary,” he murmured, his lips brushing hers in a phantom kiss. “Because today, at the board meeting, you’re going to need to remember exactly who you belong to.”
§01
The boardroom at Whitaker Consolidated felt like a tomb.
Polished granite stretched into infinity, reflecting the grim faces of the board members.
Carys stood beside the projector, her presentation on the European market expansion a masterpiece of data and strategy.
She had worked on it for a month, fueled by caffeine and the desperate need to prove her worth.
To prove she was more than just the charity case Walter Whitaker had brought home fifteen years ago.
Jenson sat at the head of the table, his face an unreadable mask of corporate steel.
“The projected Q4 revenue increase, factoring in the Helios smartphone launch, is an unprecedented 18%,” Carys concluded, her voice steady despite the frantic beating of her heart.
Silence.
Jenson steepled his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the room before finally landing on her.
It was the look of a predator closing in on its prey.
“An impressive presentation, Ms. Redding,” he said, the honorific a deliberate, cold blade. “Unfortunately, it is also your last as Director of Marketing.”
The air thickened, charged with disbelief.
Carys felt the blood drain from her face.
“Jenson… Mr. Whitaker, I don’t understand.”
“Effective immediately, the Marketing Director position is being eliminated as part of a departmental restructuring,” he announced, his voice devoid of any emotion. “Whitaker Consolidated is not a charity. We have no obligation to pay for liabilities.”
*Liability.*
The word struck her with the force of a physical blow.
Someone cleared their throat. “But Jenson, her projections are solid. The launch event fire was an act of God, not her fault. Her contingency plan saved the company millions.”
“No excuses,” Jenson cut in, his eyes locking onto hers. “Absence is negligence. And we don’t reward negligence.”
He let the humiliation hang in the air for a long, cruel moment.
Then, the final twist of the knife.
“However, we do value loyalty. Ms. Redding’s new position will be my Executive Assistant. Effective immediately.”
From Director to secretary.
From a five-year career of climbing to a public execution.
Jenson’s gaze held a dark promise.
“Do you have any objections, Carys?”
§02
The penthouse was a cage of glass and shadows, overlooking a city that glittered with a freedom she could not touch.
Jenson pinned her against the floor-to-ceiling window, the cold surface a shock against her feverish skin.
His control, so carefully masked in the boardroom, was now a raw, untamed force.
“You have wings now, Cary? You think you can fly away from me?” he snarled, his fingers digging into her jaw.
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