Chapter 4 - The Squeeze
The downfall of Connor Hayes began on a Tuesday morning. It started with a glitch in the shipping software that paralyzed his logistics center. By noon, his major investors were pulling out, citing "irregularities" in the corporate filings—filings that Harper had personally flagged for federal audit.
By the time Connor called Harper’s office, he was hysterical.
“Harper! What the hell are you doing? My accounts are frozen!”
Harper sat back in her ergonomic chair, watching the ticker tape of the stock exchange on her secondary screen. She felt a profound, satisfying sense of peace.
“I’m doing my job, Connor,” she said, her voice dripping with the same icy calm he used to use on her. “I found some discrepancies. It’s a legal obligation.”
“You’re ruining me! We had a life!”
“No, Connor. You had a life. You had a dedicated partner, a home, and a future. You chose to trade it for a mistress and a gamble you were too stupid to win.”
“I’ll destroy you for this!”
“You can try,” Harper said, “but you should check your email first. I just sent you the notice of impending litigation from Falco Holdings. You’re being served.”
She hung up the phone.
Ten minutes later, her door opened. It wasn't a partner from the firm; it was Roman. He looked impeccable in a charcoal suit, his presence instantly silencing the bustling office outside.
He didn't speak. He walked straight to her desk and leaned over, his hands gripping the edge of the wood.
“He’s finished,” Roman said. “The bank has seized the assets. He’s liquidating the firm within the hour.”
Harper stood up, meeting his eyes. “And Paige?”
“She left him twenty minutes ago. Took what she could carry.”
Harper felt a wave of relief so intense it left her breathless. It was over. The shame, the humiliation, the constant, low-level anxiety of the last few months—it was gone.
“Thank you, Roman.”
Roman reached out, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His touch lingered, his fingers tracing the line of her cheekbone.
“I told you I don’t like people who break things they don’t own,” he whispered. “I didn't tell you that I like to keep things that are precious.”
Harper leaned into his touch. The office around them vanished—the glass walls, the corporate logos, the endless files—and for the first time, the only thing that felt real was the man in front of her.
May you like
“What happens now?”
“Now,” Roman said, a slow, dark smile spreading across his face, “you help me run the city.”
