Lila didn't crack.
Not when Luca passed her in the hallway. Not when he sent her polite, clipped emails. Not even when he lingered outside her office like he wanted to say something but never did.
She was ice.
Professional. Distant. Impeccably composed.
And Luca noticed.
The tension snapped during a Friday morning strategy session.
The room was full—legal, finance, operations. Lila presented her findings on a new compliance framework, her voice sharp, her delivery flawless.
Luca sat at the head of the table, silent.
Until she finished.
"Thank you, Miss Grace," he said. "Though next time, let's try to keep the tone less... combative."
Lila blinked. "Combative?"
"You sounded like you were cross-examining the board."
She smiled tightly. "Maybe I'm just used to defending myself in this room."
A few heads turned. Zara coughed into her sleeve.
Luca's jaw tightened. "Noted."
The meeting ended. People filed out.
Lila gathered her things.
"Miss Grace," Luca said, voice low. "A word."
She didn't look at him. "I have another meeting."
"Cancel it."
She froze.
Then followed him into his office.
He closed the door.
"What is this?" he asked.
"What's what?"
"This attitude. The cold shoulder. The snide remarks."
She crossed her arms. "You don't get to play confused. You embarrassed me. You've done it before. You've always been a bully."
His eyes darkened. "Excuse me?"
"You were a jerk the first time we met. Teasing your friend like that. Acting like you owned the room."
He stepped forward. "Jake is my friend. We joke. That wasn't bullying."
"It felt like it."
He stared at her. "So that's what you think of me? A bully?"
She didn't flinch. "I think you use your power to make people feel small."
He laughed bitterly. "And I think you've made up your mind about me since day one."
"Maybe I have."
He stepped closer. "Well, let me remind you of something, Miss Grace. I am your boss. And just because I was nice to you once doesn't mean you get to forget that."
She stared at him, fury rising. "I haven't forgotten. I just stopped caring."
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
She turned and walked out.
Back at her desk, she slammed her laptop shut.
Zara peeked in. "Everything okay?"
Lila didn't look up. "Fine."
"You sure?"
"I said I'm fine."
Zara backed away.
Lila sat in silence, heart pounding.
She wasn't fine.
But she was done pretending.
If Luca Elion wanted a war, she'd give him one.
Because enemies were easier to handle than heartbreak.
Monday morning arrived with a chill.
Lila walked into the office dressed in black slacks and a steel-gray blouse, her hair pulled into a sleek bun. Her heels clicked like punctuation across the marble floor. She didn't stop to chat. She didn't smile. She was a fortress.
And Luca noticed.
But he said nothing.
At noon, the elevator dinged.
Heads turned.
Kate Langford stepped out.
Tall. Blonde. Impeccably dressed in a cream trench coat and red lipstick that matched her heels. She walked like she owned the building.
And maybe, once, she had.
"Kate," Marcus said, surprised. "Didn't know you were in town."
She smiled. "Just flew in. Thought I'd drop by."
She didn't say who she was here for.
But everyone knew.
Lila was reviewing a contract when Zara burst in.
"Guess who's here?"
Lila didn't look up. "Not in the mood for guessing games."
"Kate. Langford."
Lila froze.
Zara nodded. "She's in Luca's office. Door closed. Laughing."
Lila's stomach twisted.
She didn't know why.
She didn't care.
She absolutely didn't care.
Luca's door opened an hour later.
Kate stepped out first, smiling.
Luca followed, his expression unreadable.
They walked past Lila's office.
Kate paused.
"Lila Grace," she said, voice smooth. "Still here. Still sharp." her brother Jake had told her all about her the girl from before at the bakery ,who was working at Luca company .
Lila looked up. "Kate."
Kate tilted her head. "You look... focused."
"I am."
Kate smiled. "Good. Focus is important. Especially when you're not the one being focused on."
Lila didn't blink. "Enjoy your visit."
Kate walked away.
Luca didn't say a word.
That night, Lila sat on the balcony, wine glass in hand.
Pearl joined her. "You okay?"
Lila nodded. "Just tired."
"Luca tired?"
Lila didn't answer.
Pearl sighed. "You know you don't have to pretend with me."
"I'm not pretending. I'm prioritizing."
"Prioritizing what?"
"Winning."
The next morning, Luca called a department-wide meeting.
Lila sat in the front row, arms crossed.
He stood at the head of the room, calm and cool.
"We're restructuring the Langston team," he said. "New leadership. New direction."
He looked directly at Lila.
"You'll be reporting to Kate Langford for the remainder of the quarter."
Gasps.
Lila's jaw clenched.
She stood. "Understood."
And walked out.
Zara found her in the stairwell.
"Lila—"
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
"I said I'm fine."
Zara hesitated. "What are you going to do?"
Lila looked up, eyes blazing.
"I'm going to remind them who they're dealing with."
Because if Luca Elion wanted a war, he'd just declared it.
And Lila Grace didn't lose.
A week under Kate Langford felt like a year.
Lila endured it with the same steel spine she'd worn into the office that Monday morning. Kate was all smiles in public, but behind closed doors, she was a storm in stilettos—demanding, dismissive, and calculated.
Every meeting was a test. Every email a trap. Every compliment laced with condescension.
Zara noticed. Marcus noticed. Even the interns noticed.
But Luca?
He said nothing.
Until the day it went too far.
It was Thursday. Lila had just finished a 14-hour day preparing a compliance brief Kate had demanded by morning. She submitted it at 11:58 p.m., exhausted but proud.
The next day, Kate presented it to the board.
Without Lila's name on it.
When the board applauded the work, Kate smiled and said, "Just something I pulled together last night."
Lila sat in the back of the room, stunned.
Luca was at the head of the table.
He looked at Kate.
Then at Lila.
And something in his expression cracked.
Later that afternoon, Lila was called to Celeste Elion's office.
She entered to find Celeste alone, sipping tea.
"Lila," she said warmly. "Sit."
Lila sat.
"I heard about the restructure," Celeste said. "And about Kate."
Lila's jaw tightened. "It's not my place to question leadership."
Celeste raised an eyebrow. "But it is your place to speak the truth."
Lila hesitated. Then said, "He reassigned me to her team without warning. After everything. And she's been... difficult."
Celeste nodded slowly. "I see."
"She took credit for my work today. In front of the board."
Celeste's eyes sharpened. "Did she?"
Lila nodded. "Yes."
Celeste set down her tea. "Thank you for telling me."
That evening, Luca stormed into Kate's office.
"You stole her work," he said.
Kate blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The compliance brief. That was Lila's. You presented it as your own."
Kate stood. "I didn't steal anything. She's on my team. I oversaw the work."
"You erased her name."
Kate crossed her arms. "She's emotional. She's been difficult since Morocco you said it yourself. "
Luca's voice dropped. "Don't. Don't twist this."
"She's not as composed as you think, Luca."
He stepped back. "And you're not as clever as you think."
Kate's eyes narrowed. "So what now?"
"You're done. Effective immediately."
The next morning, Lila arrived to find a note on her desk.
From: Celeste ElionSubject: Reassignment
Lila,
Effective today, you'll report directly to me. I've reviewed your work. It speaks for itself, You are to move from the previous company to mine.
— C.E.
Lila stared at the screen.
Then smiled.
Because the war wasn't over.
But she'd just won the first battle.
.....
Lila packed her things in silence.
Her office, once a battlefield of ambition and tension, now felt like a museum of memories. The framed photo of her and Pearl at graduation. The stack of color-coded legal pads. The mug that read Objection Overruled.
She placed it all in a box.
Zara appeared in the doorway, eyes misty. "You're really going."
Lila nodded. "Celeste made the offer. I couldn't say no."
Zara hugged her. "They don't deserve you."
Lila smiled. "Maybe not. But I'm not leaving because of them. I'm leaving for me."
Zara hesitated. "Luca wanted to say goodbye. He's... not here. But he defended you. When he found out what Kate did. He lost it."
Lila's heart twisted. "Thanks for telling me."
She made her rounds. Said goodbye to Marcus, who gave her a firm handshake and a rare smile. The interns looked devastated. Even the receptionist teared up.
But Luca?
Nowhere.
Until she stepped outside.
He was leaning against a black car, hands in his pockets, eyes on her.
"Need a ride?" he asked.
She blinked. "You're here."
"I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye."
She hesitated. Then nodded. "Okay."
The drive was quiet at first.
Then he spoke.
"I was wrong. About everything. About Kate. About you."
She looked out the window. "It's done."
"I should've listened. I should've trusted you."
She turned to him. "Why didn't you?"
He sighed. "Because I was scared. Of being wrong. Of losing control. Of you."
She didn't respond.
He pulled up outside the sleek glass building that bore the Elion name.
She reached for the door.
"Lila."
She turned.
He leaned in and hugged her.
Not a polite goodbye.
A full-body, breath-stealing, heart-thudding embrace.
"I'm proud of you," he whispered. "And I'm sorry."
She pulled back, eyes shining. "Thank you."
Then she stepped out.
Celeste's company was a different world.
Sleek. Elegant. Ruthless.
Lila was a junior again. But she was respected. Valued. Trusted.
Celeste took her under her wing. Mentored her. Praised her in meetings.
And that didn't go unnoticed.
Whispers followed her down the halls.
"Elion's favorite."
"Golden girl."
"Sleeping her way to the top."
She ignored them.
Because she knew the truth.
She wasn't chasing the Elion name.
She was building her own.