TURNAROUND CEO

Axel's POV

"Axel!" A familiar voice cut through the darkness, dragging me back to reality. My eyes flickered open and landed on her, Dami. My Dami. Except she wasn't mine anymore.

She stood tall, elegance wrapped around her like a second skin. Her lips curved in a cold, mocking smile as her eyes pierced into me.

"If you're going to die, please do it outside my office. I don't have money for your burial," she said flatly, her heels clicking as she turned away.

For a moment, my mind went blank. Dami, the woman I once cast aside without a thought. The woman who couldn't speak a word back then now her voice was sharp, clear, and cutting. My mute ex-wife had become my new boss, the owner of both my company and my home.

I stared after her, disbelief gnawing at me. Where had she gotten the money? The bank loan I had taken was fifty million dollars. Fifty million. My entire life, my company, my house had been swallowed as collateral. Now everything was hers.

A bitter wave of regret churned in my chest. My mother and sister had pushed me into divorcing her, convincing me she was nothing. And Samantha my fiancée, the woman who bled me dry with her endless demands, had been the nail in my coffin.

Dami's voice pulled me back.

"Leave my office, Axel. Or do you want me to embarrass you in front of everyone?" Her tone sliced like a blade, her eyes flashing with the kind of fire I had never seen in her before.

"I have nowhere to go, Dami," I stammered, shame clinging to every word. "My sister said you're going to throw them out of the house. Please, don't do this."

She turned, her expression carved from ice. The softness I once knew was gone. She was a stranger now, a queen on her throne looking down on the beggar who once held her heart.

"Don't you dare call me Dami. It's Miss winter to you," she snapped.

Her name, her new name, hung heavy in the air, a reminder that she had shed her old self, the one who used to love me.

I swallowed my pride and nodded. "Miss Winter, maybe we can settle this.."

Her brow arched, lips curling with cruel amusement. "Settle? Do you want me to offer you a job?"

The words burned, but I managed to nod. My stomach twisted at the humiliation, but without her, I was nothing.

She leaned forward slightly, her voice smooth but laced with venom.

"The only position I can offer you is that of my driver. You'll open doors for me, run errands, and stand by when I need something. That's all a man like you is worth now."

A mocking smile spread across her lips as she watched the color drain from my face.

My pride screamed at me. I was Axel, the man who once owned this empire, who once had it all. Now she wanted me to parade as her servant? My staff would laugh, the whispers already snaking through the building.

"A driver?" My voice cracked with disbelief. "Do you know how that will look? What do you want them to think that their former boss is now nothing but a chauffeur?"

Her smile widened, wicked and triumphant. "Careful, Axel. I can have you thrown out this instant. This company is mine now, and I'll do whatever I please. Do you accept my generous offer or not?"

Her words left me cornered, stripped bare. My pride had already been shattered, this was just another blow. With clenched fists and a bitter taste in my mouth, I whispered, "I accept."

"Brilliant." Her voice was laced with cruel satisfaction. "Report tomorrow at eight. Don't be late."

I held back the tears burning behind my eyes as she dismissed me with a wave of her hand. Grabbing my phone, I forced myself to walk out, her cold gaze searing into my back.

The stares of my staff pierced me as I left. Pity, mockery and shock. Maya, the receptionist, gave me a look that twisted the knife deeper. Word spread fast, the mighty Axel had fallen.

By the time I reached home, my chest was heavy with humiliation. My mother and sister were waiting, their faces stormy.

"Axel! How could you?" My mother's voice thundered, rage trembling in every syllable.

My patience snapped. "How could I? You brought this upon us! You pushed me to divorce her. You and Samantha drained me, bled me until there was nothing left!"

"Shut your mouth!" she spat. "Did I tell you to take a loan? Did I tell you to use your property as collateral?"

"Yes, you might as well have!" My voice rose, raw with fury. "You, Samantha, and Alexa destroyed everything. Do you know how much you spend on shopping every week? Do you realize how recklessly you live while I fight to keep us afloat? Now look at us. Look at me!"

Alexa stepped in quickly, her voice softer but edged with fear. "Arguing won't fix this. The damage is done. What's the next step?"

I sagged into the chair, defeated. "There is no step. She owns everything now. The company, the house and everything."

"What?" My mother's face drained of color. Alexa's lips parted in shock.

"We're at her mercy," I said quietly. "Until I find a way to rebuild, I have no choice but to obey her."

"This isn't just revenge," Mom whispered, horror lacing her words. "She's destroying us."

I shook my head. "She didn't destroy us. Without her, strangers would own all of it. She saved it, in her own way."

But deep down, I knew. This wasn't salvation but it was punishment.

"She's going to throw us out. She said she would," Alexa murmured, panic in her voice

.

Silence fell, thick and suffocating. My chest tightened with regret, memories of the woman I had once held close gnawing at me. If I had known she would rise like this, if I had known what she would become...

"We'll have to convince her," Alexa said suddenly, determination hardening her voice. "You have to make her fall in love with you again. That's the only way."

Her words hit me like a blow. Love. Was it survival I wanted or did I still crave the woman I had lost?

I closed my eyes, the weight of it pressing down on me. Perhaps Alexa was right. Perhaps the only way to reclaim my life... was to reclaim Dami.