That’s when I met Nathan Cole, the Chief Operating Officer — charming, ambitious, and quietly dangerous. “Welcome, Ms. Hayes,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I’ll learn,” I said simply.
The Fight for Respect
The next months were brutal. I studied financial reports until dawn, learned to read contracts, and asked every employee — from engineers to janitors — what needed fixing.
Nathan undermined me at every turn, leaking false stories to the media. Headlines called me The Accidental Heiress.
But slowly, something shifted. The employees who’d been ignored for years began to believe in me. They saw that I listened — and that I cared.
One evening, after fourteen straight hours, David showed up with coffee. “You look like you’ve been through a war,” he said lightly.
“I have,” I sighed.
“You’re winning,” he replied. “Half the board already respects you.”
“Half isn’t enough.”
He smiled. “Every revolution starts with half.”
