The towering silhouette of the Samuel Estate loomed like a fortress at the edge of the city—a reflection of the legacy it safeguarded. It was not a place where voices were often raised. Silence, calculated and precise, ruled these halls. Every step taken within its marble corridors had purpose, every whisper weighed before it left a tongue.
But today, Katherine Samuel stormed through the main doors, her heels clicking against the floor like punctuation marks to her fury. Her eyes, usually cool and calculating, were burning with wounded pride. The moment she stepped into her father's study, the controlled façade cracked.
"Dad," she said sharply, voice brittle. "I need to talk. Now."
Heaven Samuel looked up from his vintage desk, a man of imposing charisma and unshakable calm. The patriarch of one of the country's most influential families, he was no stranger to politics, pharmaceutical empires, and the shadows that pulled strings in both. With one measured gesture, he dismissed the advisor seated beside him and turned his full attention to his daughter.
Kate Samuel entered a moment later, her gaze sharper than any scalpel, the strategist behind the Samuel name. She didn't speak, just observed her daughter with the gaze of a woman who never acted without knowing the entire battlefield.
"I gave my best to this project," Katherine began, pacing in frustration. "I was supposed to stand beside Davis—not be humiliated in front of the press by some orphan-turned-assistant who suddenly has the board eating out of her hand."
Kate crossed her arms. "Kiefer Samuel," she said softly. "The irony of her last name isn't lost on me."
"She doesn't deserve it!" Katherine hissed. "I was there from the beginning. I built rapport with every investor, crafted the network—"
"—And lost the narrative," Heaven interrupted calmly. "Emotion will not fix that. Tell me what happened. Every detail."
Katherine hesitated. Her father's tone was clipped, almost detached, and that made it worse.
"She came in with a smile and a sob story, claiming to represent something noble. Herbal innovation for the people. And then? She flips the board, the media, even Davis...against me," Katherine said, her voice thick with restrained tears.
"She brought evidence, didn't she?" Kate asked, her voice neutral.
Katherine paused.
"She did," she admitted. "Time-stamped files. Lab notes. A personal log from her mother. There's no way she could've faked it. Even Davis looked...guilty."
Kate glanced at her husband, her lips twitching into a thoughtful frown. "Then we've underestimated her."
"No," Katherine snapped, clenching her fists. "She's a nobody. You brought me into White Pharma for a reason. That chair beside Davis was meant to be mine."
Heaven finally stood, stepping toward the tall window behind his desk that overlooked the city. He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Do you remember what I told you when we first sent you to White Pharma?" he said.
"That I was to make the company ours."
He nodded once. "To embed yourself as a key advisor to Davis White. Marry if necessary. Control, not conquest. That was our strategy."
"I still can," Katherine insisted. "I just need time. I can frame her, destroy her public image—"
"No," Kate said sharply. "You'll do no such thing. We don't wage petty wars with ghosts. If this girl has substance, we adjust our approach. What we won't do is spiral into reckless damage control and make enemies of the Whites."
Heaven's voice followed: "What we need now is leverage. Influence. Not tantrums. Kiefer may have won this round, but you still hold a seat at that board table. Use it. Find her weak point."
Katherine's jaw clenched. Her pride warred with the order. "And if she doesn't have one?"
"She will," Kate said coldly. "Everyone does."
Heaven finally turned. "Make her indebted. Become her closest ally...then shape her decisions from within."
Katherine hated the thought. But even she knew better than to argue when the Samuels gave orders. The room grew silent for a long beat before Heaven added, "This is bigger than White Pharma. We want legacy. The future of synthetic biology, genetic therapy...everything is on that chessboard."
"And Kiefer?" Katherine asked quietly.
"A piece," Kate answered. "A queen now perhaps, but every queen can be sacrificed if the king is safe."
Katherine exhaled shakily, shoulders trembling from a mixture of rage and humiliation. But beneath it all, something darker stirred—determination laced with the cold edge of legacy.
"Fine," she whispered. "I'll play it your way. But one day...she'll know what it means to steal something from a Samuel."