Crown Stolen, Crown Reclaimed

My father's company lost a senior executive out of nowhere, so he called me back from overseas to steady things. He even set me up with the best office in the building and an antique ornament as a welcome gift.

I had barely started working when a man barged in. He slammed his bag onto my desk, knocking the ornament clean over.

Before I could react, he grabbed me by the collar, yanked me out of the chair, and dropped himself into the leather seat like he owned the place.

"I'm taking this office," he said, lounging back. "Show yourself out and shut the door."

My temper spiked. "This is my office. You need to leave."

He let out a cold, dismissive laugh.

"Your office? Please! Forget this office. The whole damn Neel Corporation is gonna belong to my girlfriend, Violet Neel. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

I frowned.

Wasn't I the one set to take over? Who the hell was Violet supposed to be?

I pulled out my phone and called my father.

"Have you lost your mind, old man? You've got some secret daughter taking over the company now?"

Before I could finish, the guy snatched my phone and smashed it against the floor.

"Who do you think you're fooling, pretending to be the boss's daughter?" he snapped. "Take a good look in the mirror before you team up with your old man to smear Violet!"

I stared at him like he was an idiot. Talking to him felt pointless. I picked up my phone and called security, telling the head to come remove him.

A message from my father popped up.

[Don't go spreading nonsense. You're my only child, and your mom's the only woman I've ever had!]

I let out a sigh of relief.

My father was famous for being completely devoted to my mother. If she so much as sighed, he would act like he had committed a crime.

So this "Violet Neel" was obviously a fake.

"Are you still not leaving?" I said, looking at the man. "You really want security to drag you out?"

He just smirked at me, completely unfazed, and spat on the floor.

A moment later, security showed up.

I explained what happened to the head of security. He looked at the guy, then at me, and hesitated.

"Ms. Franklin, maybe you could switch to a different office."

The man burst out laughing, kicked his feet up onto the desk my father had carefully picked out for me, and started shaking his leg like he owned the place.

"Call whoever you want. Even the cops won't matter. On Neel Corporation turf, everything goes through Violet."

The head of security leaned in and lowered his voice.

"Jim here is just an intern, but his girlfriend, Violet, is the chairman's daughter. Word is Mr. Neel is planning to hand the company over to her soon. We can't afford to cross someone like that.

"This office is right next to Ms. Neel's. Please don't make this harder for us. Just take another room."

I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

A fake heiress like her really thought she was running the place.

I grabbed Jim Kirk's bag and tossed it onto the floor, then kicked the wheel of the chair. He tipped over backward, sprawled out flat.

"I'm not switching," I said coldly. "If anyone's moving, have Violet come ask me herself. A kept man like you doesn't get to talk to me."

The entire floor went dead silent.

"A new hire actually going against Ms. Neel?"

"She's out of her mind. Doesn't she know Jim is Violet's favorite?"

Jim scrambled to his feet, his expression turning vicious. He waved at the guards, and they grabbed my arms, pinning them behind me. Then he took my hair and used it to wipe off his designer bag.

"You knocking me over is one thing, but throwing my bag is crossing a line. If there's even a scratch on it, you're paying for it with your life. It's time you learned your place. Don't mess with people you can't afford to mess with."

They shoved me out of the office.

People around me snickered, saying I had brought it on myself for picking a fight with Jim.

I swept my gaze across them, cold and sharp. No wonder my father had rushed me back. The place had turned into a complete mess.

I stepped forward and drove my foot straight between Jim's legs.

He doubled over instantly.

"Looking down on people, huh? Forget kicking you out of the office. Even if I threw you out of Neel Corporation entirely, Violet wouldn't dare say a word," I sneered.

"Oh, really?"

A woman's voice cut in from behind me, edged with anger.

The crowd parted immediately, heads bowing as they greeted her.

"Ms. Neel!"