No soft, invisible presence moving around him, holding his life together in ways he had never bothered to notice.

He frowned.

“Sophie?” he called out.

No answer.

He checked the kitchen.

Empty.

The bedroom.

Still empty.

His irritation grew.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “She’s just being dramatic.”

He grabbed his phone.

No messages.

No missed calls.

Nothing.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

“She’ll calm down.”

At exactly ten in the morning, his assistant called.

“Mr. Daniel… there’s an urgent meeting scheduled.”

“I didn’t schedule anything,” he snapped. “Who set it up?”

There was a brief pause.

“Mr. Ethan Brooks.”

Daniel frowned.

“What does he want?”

“He said it’s not optional… and that you’ll want to hear it.”

Daniel hesitated.

Then scoffed.

“Fine. I’ll be there in an hour.”

When he arrived at the office, something felt… off.

The air.

The silence.

The way people avoided eye contact.

Employees who usually greeted him quickly looked away.

Others whispered behind his back.

A strange tension filled the space.

“What is this?” he muttered under his breath.

He walked into the conference room.

And froze.

Ethan sat at the head of the table.

Calm.

Composed.

As if he belonged there.

As if he had always belonged there.

Daniel let out a short, mocking laugh.

“Since when do you sit there?”

Ethan didn’t react.

He just looked at him.

“Sit down.”

The tone wasn’t loud.

But it wasn’t a suggestion either.

Something twisted in Daniel’s stomach.

Still, he pulled out a chair and sat.

“What is this about?” he demanded.

Ethan opened a folder.

And slid it across the table.

“Your reality.”

Daniel rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have time for—”

“You’re going to make time.”

There was something in Ethan’s voice that made him stop.

Reluctantly, Daniel opened the folder.

His expression shifted almost immediately.

Confusion.

Then disbelief.

Then something darker.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Company records.”

“So?”

“Read.”

Daniel flipped through the pages.

Financial statements.

Contracts.

Signatures.

Everything looked normal…

until it didn’t.

Until he saw the name.

The real owner.

Ethan Brooks.

The air seemed to leave his lungs.

“This… this is wrong.”

Ethan leaned forward slightly.

“No.”

A pause.

“It’s always been like this.”

Silence filled the room.

Heavy.

Unforgiving.

“You were just an investor,” Daniel said, his voice thinner now.

Ethan shook his head slowly.

“No.”

Another pause.

“I was the owner.”

The words hit like a blow.

Daniel’s mind raced.

“Sophie…” he whispered.