The Kallen Capital offices were no longer whispering; they were buzzing. The immediate, silent removal of Arthur Quinn, a man who seemed as permanent as the marble floors, was a shockwave that rippled through every department. And everyone knew who had pulled the trigger: Melanie Donaldson, the former analyst.
Chloe Vance sat at her desk, ostensibly reviewing quarterly reports, but her attention was fixed on the executive floor elevator bank. She had always viewed Mel as either a convenient resource or a naive liability, certainly not a threat. Now, watching the panic and speculation unfold, Chloe realized she had fatally misjudged her coworker.
Mel didn't just survive the leak investigation; she became the executioner.
The rumors were flying: Mel was the true source of the leak; Mel had blackmailed Rhys Kallen; Mel and Rhys were now "a thing"—the last one always delivered in a mix of awe and terror. Chloe scoffed at the romance part, but the power shift was undeniable.
"You're awfully quiet, Chloe," remarked David, a colleague, leaning into her cubicle. "Your girl just took out Quinn. That's a billion-dollar mistake she made look easy."
"Mel is simply effective," Chloe said, pushing her glasses up her nose, her voice perfectly controlled.
"She was given a mandate to clean 'house', and she used the tools available. A little too publicly, perhaps."
Too publicly? Chloe thought, the jealousy, a bitter taste in her mouth. Rhys Kallen, the most private man in the city, had essentially installed Mel as his consort and guard dog, granting her the access that Chloe had been angling for since day one.
Later that afternoon, Chloe was reviewing her security access logs for an unrelated project when she paused, squinting at a system notification.
USER: DONALDSON, MELANIE (CHIEF RISK ANALYST)
CLEARANCE: LEVEL FIVE (FULL EXECUTIVE DOMAIN)
RECENT ACTIVITY: ACCESS GRANTED TO 2020-2025 LEGAL CONTRACT ARCHIVES (QUINN FOLDER)
Chloe felt a chill. Level Five access was almost unheard of, reserved only for Rhys and the most senior CFOs. It meant Mel could see everything: every dirty deal, every compromised partner, and potentially, Chloe's own ambitious attempts to leverage information for small favors.
Chloe pulled up Mel's old analyst profile, the one with the moderate clearance, the neat filing systems, and the polite emails. It was a ghost.
"She didn't just climb the ladder," Chloe whispered to herself, tapping her pen against the screen. "She burned the ladder behind her and built a throne out of the ashes."
The romantic rumors now made chilling sense. Rhys hadn't fallen for a sweet analyst; he had found someone as cold and ruthless as he was, someone he could trust not to betray him. He didn't want a lover; he wanted an extension of his own power, and Mel was delivering.
Just as Chloe was about to close the file, the intercom on her desk buzzed.
"Chloe Vance, please report to the executive floor. Rhys Kallen's office," the automated voice announced.
Chloe froze. This was not a meeting with HR or her department head. This was a summons. She quickly checked her reflection, smoothing her jacket and adjusting her expression into one of confident professionalism.
When she stepped onto the executive floor, the change was immediate. The security was tighter, the air heavier. The only person waiting to greet her was Mel, standing by the main doors to Rhys's suite. Mel wore a sleek, gray dress that looked like it cost more than Chloe's monthly salary, and her eyes held a new, quiet authority.
"Chloe," Mel said, her voice completely neutral. No friendly greeting, no old coworker familiarity. "Rhys wants a full briefing on the Argos project communications backlog. Since you were the primary liaison, I'll be sitting in."
Mel's presence was a clear message: I am the gatekeeper now.
Chloe swallowed hard. This wasn't just a meeting; it was an interrogation, and Mel was running point. The power dynamic had flipped so completely, it was dizzying.
"Of course, Melanie," Chloe replied, using Mel's full name, a sign of grudging respect. "Lead the way."
As Mel opened the heavy mahogany door, allowing Chloe to step first into the lion's den, Chloe caught a glimpse of Rhys sitting at his desk. He glanced up, met Chloe's eye for a brief moment, and then looked past her, his focus entirely on Mel. In that single look, Chloe understood everything: the partnership was absolute, and any threat, even an ambitious colleague, would be dealt with swiftly and without mercy.
Chloe Vance now understands the scope of Mel's transformation and the nature of the partnership at the top. She is Mel's first potential professional obstacle, now under direct scrutiny.