Stella had taken the day off, exhaustion weighing her down as she curled up in bed, oblivious to the storm brewing beyond the walls of her quiet sanctuary. She had no idea that while she rested, her entire workplace was being uprooted, its foundations shaken by a force she would have never expected.
Protego Industries, the company she had come to admire and call her professional home, was no longer in the hands of the man who built it. In a ruthless and calculated move, Simon Winchester had swept in, claiming ownership without resistance. The moment the ink dried on the contract, everything changed. Departments were restructured, employees reassigned or dismissed without warning. Some would rise with promotions, others would be cast aside, and a select few—like Stella—would soon face an uncertain fate.
Yet, as the world around her shifted, Stella slept soundly, unaware that when she returned to work, nothing would be the same.
Simon entered Protego Industries like a storm rolling in—silent, inevitable, and impossible to ignore. The once-busy office floor turned into a sea of hushed whispers and cautious glances as he passed. Employees shrank into the background, pretending to be engrossed in their screens, though their ears were attuned to every step he took.
Mark, the former CEO, had conveniently vanished, leaving Eden to handle the takeover. She walked beside Simon, her usual confidence wavering under the weight of his presence. There was something unsettling about the way he moved—not hurried, not hesitant, just completely assured, as if he'd owned this place long before he'd even signed the papers.
When they reached the CEO's office, Simon stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. He took the chair behind the desk, fingers drumming against the polished wood as he let the moment settle. Then, without looking at Eden, he gave his first order.
"I want the files of your twenty best employees on my desk within the hour," he said flatly. "The rest will either be reassigned or fired."
The finality in his tone made Eden's stomach tighten. Still, she nodded and left the room, setting the plan into motion. Exactly an hour later, five HR representatives arrived, each carrying a stack of files. Eden took them, spreading them across the desk in front of Simon.
He barely glanced at them before leaning back in his chair. "Now, remove one from each stack."
The air in the room grew heavier. The HR team hesitated, exchanging nervous looks, but none dared to question him. One by one, they obeyed, plucking files from their stacks.
Marco, one of the senior HR executives, hesitated longer than the others. He stared at the name on the file in his hand—Stella Winchester. His grip on the folder tightened as his mind raced. Was it a coincidence? Was she connected to him? Marco glanced at Simon, who remained unreadable, his gaze sharp but distant, as if this was all just another tedious task in a long day.
Still, Marco made his choice. He removed Stella's file and placed it in the discard pile.
Simon gathered the remaining files and handed them to his secretary without so much as a glance. "These five will work at Black Stone now."
Eden, desperate to hold onto some semblance of control, stepped forward. "What about the rest?"
Simon's eyes flickered to her for the first time. His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"We'll throw you somewhere," he said casually. "Good jobs only."
The way he said it made her shiver. Then, without another word, he turned and left, his dark smirk lingering long after he was gone.
Stella's phone buzzed relentlessly, the vibrations rattling against the bedside table. Half-asleep, she groaned, patting the sheets blindly until her fingers found the device. Without even opening her eyes, she answered and pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
"Did you see the news?" Rocco's voice cut through the fog in her mind—sharp, urgent.
"What news?" Stella asked, lazily switching off the air conditioner as she shifted under the covers.
"It's an emergency, dumbass. Turn on your TV," Rocco snapped.
Stella let out an annoyed groan but forced herself to sit up. She shuffled to the living room, flopping onto the couch as she grabbed the remote. With a click, the television screen lit up, flashing the latest headlines across the screen.
"Breaking news—business mogul and the most sought-after bachelor, Simon Winchester, has officially acquired all shares of Protego Industries. The company will now be absorbed into the ever-expanding Black Stone Empire, solidifying his dominance in the corporate world."
Stella sat bolt upright, sleep fleeing her system in an instant.
"What the fuck?" she muttered, eyes glued to the screen.
"Right?" Rocco scoffed. "It's really fucked. You work for Simon now."
A strange sensation curled in Stella's gut—unease, disbelief, something else she couldn't quite place.
"Who is not your husband," Rocco added pointedly, his voice firm.
Silence.
Rocco exhaled loudly. He knew that silence. Knew exactly where Stella's mind was heading.
"Hey, idiot. Don't do whatever you're thinking," he warned.
"We can just run a confirmation test," Stella murmured, half to herself.
Rocco groaned. "You yourself said he wasn't Simon just a few days ago. Stop being fickle-minded. I'm not doing this with you."
Stella clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Then I'll do it myself."
"Stella—"
Click.
She tossed her phone aside and stared at the screen, her fingers curling into a fist. Every logical part of her told her this wasn't Simon. But something deep inside refused to let go.
What harm would one last test do?
Stella sat motionless, eyes fixed on the television screen as the news played on a loop. The words echoed in her mind, over and over, but no matter how many times she heard them, the reality refused to sink in.
Simon Winchester. Her Simon Winchester. The man she buried in her past. The man who—by all logic—should not exist.
Yet, here he was.
Her phone buzzed against the coffee table, snapping her from her trance. She blinked, shaking off the haze before picking it up.
"Hello?"
"Am I speaking to Stella Winchester?" a crisp female voice asked.
Stella sat up straighter. "Yes, this is she."
"We're calling from Black Stone Industries, the main branch in the city. We're informing you that, effective immediately, you'll be working under this branch for the next year. If you have any concerns or obligations, please visit the office tomorrow to discuss them."
The woman's tone was polite but impersonal, like this was just another routine call. But for Stella, it was anything but.
"I understand. Thank you," she managed before ending the call.
She set the phone down slowly, exhaling as she leaned back against the couch.
Was this fate giving her another chance?
Or was it the beginning of something much, much worse?