2. "We don't do pretty paperwork here. We do profit. And control."
I'd been groomed for this moment since I was old enough to sit at my father's knee and understand the difference between a deal and a trap.
The A&S Empire.
A billion-dollar empire that thrived on precision, power and fear.
And now it was mine.
I adjusted the cuffs of my tailored jacket as I stepped out of the elevator onto the executive floor. The entire boardroom went still the moment I walked in. All eyes on me. Some curious. Some calculating. A few skeptical.
Good.
Let them wonder. Let them doubt.
I would crush it out of them soon enough.
"Ladies and gentlemen." I greeted, giving a slight nod as I made my way to the head of the table.
My chair waited at the end of the long glass table. I sat, slow and deliberate, my gaze stern and fierce. The room seemed to hold its breath.
My father sat on my right, calm and unreadable. He wanted to be there to see how I would proceed with the business affairs on my first day.
"I won't waste your time with pleasantries," I began, fingers laced, voice cool and steady.
"We're entering a new phase. A leaner, faster, more aggressive version of the A&S Corporation.
I expect endless dedication and hard work from each of my employees.
And results. This is no longer a dynasty that coasts on legacy.
We're here to dominate, or we don't exist."
A few brows rose. One of the senior board members cleared his throat.
"And what's your first move as CEO, Mr. Ashford?"
"Kill the merger with Varicore." I replied instantly, in a tone that demanded no argument.
That caused a reaction. Gasps, murmurs, chairs shifting.
"It's a vanity deal," I continued calmly. "All fluff, no long-term value. We don't do pretty paperwork here. We do profit. And control. That merger gives us neither."
"But your father and Mr. Sinclair—" another started, but I cut him off.
"They built this empire. I'll evolve it." My voice never wavered. "And evolution starts today."
Silence.
Then, slowly, my father leaned back and nodded. A small smile ghosted across his face.
The others followed his lead, one by one.
I had them.
Power thrummed in my veins as the meeting shifted into strategy. I issued directives, dissected financials, fielded resistance with logic and calm steel. Every time someone pushed, I pushed harder.
By the time we adjourned, there was no question left in the room.
Zayden Ashford was in charge.
I returned to my office—floor-to-ceiling windows, a view that stretched all the way to the bay, and a desk big enough to land a plane on.
This was mine now. The title. The empire. The legacy.
The morning blurred into a series of sharp decisions and fast-paced meetings.
My assistant, Claudia, briefed me with my schedule for the whole week.
"Good," I said, not looking up from my screen. "Push the 3 p.m. with legal. I want fresh numbers from acquisitions first."
Claudia didn't blink. "Done."
I moved from one room to the next like a machine—efficient, decisive, in control. Heads turned when I walked through the hallways. Half curiosity, half fear. People were already whispering that the new Ashford wasn't like the old one.
They were right.
By noon, I'd approved two restructuring proposals, reallocated funds to a slumping sector, and killed a dead-end project someone had been babying for six months.
I didn't care whose name was on it.
Weak ideas didn't survive under me. Period.
In the lunch meeting, I grilled the tech division with cool precision.
"We're bleeding innovation. You know it, I know it. We need a flagship product in development within the quarter. I want a prototype, something that makes people look twice. If your current team can't deliver that, replace them."
The division lead paled but nodded. "Understood, Mr. Ashford."
Back in my office, I continued to work on my laptop.
This was the Ashford throne. And I was damn well going to sit on it like I belonged.
By the time dusk settled across the skyline and my office dimmed into golden twilight, I was exactly where I wanted to be: alone, exhausted, and victorious.
I'd made the right calls.
Tomorrow, I'd do it all over again.
There was no room for distractions. This was what I had been training and pining for my whole life. I would stay focused and ignore everything else.
I expected the next few months to be all about work, business meetings, profits and success.
Little did I know, fate had something else in store for me too. Something I wasn't quite prepared to tackle.