Genesis sat on the edge of their bed, staring blankly at the wall, her chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven breaths. When Kieran had offered her revenge, she had said yes. Of course she wanted it—needed it—but she hadn't known where to start.
Now, he was giving her exactly what she had always wanted.
Her father's company.
Her company.
When she was little, Take Your Kids to Work Day was her favorite time of the year. It was one of the few memories that weren't blurry or painful. She remembered sitting in her father's chair, nestled between his legs as he typed and made calls, his voice calm and powerful. She would watch him work, completely in awe.
She had admired him. Wanted to be just like him.
He'd always smile at her and say, "You're my only child, Genesis. One day, all of this will be yours."
And unlike most kids, she had taken that seriously. She wanted it. She was proud of it.
But everything shattered when he died.
Her stepmother took over, and Genesis—his daughter, his legacy—was pushed to the sidelines. Treated like a burden. Like a maid. She watched helplessly as Monica and her family ran around like headless chickens, throwing money everywhere, dragging her father's company into losses. She had no idea what became of it.
In the years that followed, she never heard the company's name mentioned again. Only casinos. Always casinos.
She'd wanted to ask what happened. So many times. But she
But she never dared.
She had no idea her father left everything to her. Not until one night, when she overheard them whispering about it. She was supposed to receive her inheritance at twenty-three. She had clung to that knowledge like a lifeline, telling herself: When I turn twenty-three, it'll be mine. I'll get it all back. The company. Everything.
But then she came here. Married Kieran. Got swept into a life she hadn't expected.
And somehow... she forgot.
Genesis looked down at her hands, silently counting her fingers. She still had about two months before her birthday. Two months until she turned twenty-three.
If Kieran hadn't brought up the company today…
She might've forgotten completely.
Tears burned behind her eyes.
How could I?
She sniffled, trying to remember the word Melissa had taught her a while ago. It was on the tip of her tongue—then it clicked.
Legacy.
Something someone leaves behind when they die. A house. A name. A dream. A purpose. Even a person.
And she realized—she was the legacy.
Her father's only one.
The only thing he left in this world that truly mattered.
Everything he built, everything he believed in—it was all meant for her. It was hers. And now… she had to claim it. Carry it. Protect it.
Because she was the only one left who could.
Her first move against Monica and her sons… would be to take back what was hers.
Her father's company.
Genesis looked up, tears sliding down her cheeks just as Kieran ended his call and crossed the room. He crouched between her legs, hands gentle on her thighs.
"Did I upset you, princess?"
She shook her head and wiped her eyes quickly. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone.
"Do you want to know what happened to Caldwell Tech & Enterprises?" he asked softly.
Genesis took a long, shaky breath, then nodded.
Kieran's eyes locked with hers. His voice was calm, but beneath it ran a current of heat—anger.
"I just found out," he began, "that after your father's death, your stepmother Monica was given temporary control of Caldwell Tech & Enterprises. Just until you turned twenty-three. That was your father's arrangement—it's in his will."
He paused, his jaw tightening.
"You were his only heir, Genesis. Everything he built—every share, every patent, every single piece of that company—was meant to be yours."
Genesis blinked, her throat tight, heart pounding. She had known bits and pieces… but hearing it laid out so clearly?
It made everything feel terrifyingly real.
"But she didn't just manage it," Kieran continued, his voice low and controlled. "She bled it dry. Sold off profitable departments. Fired loyal senior staff. Pocketed investor money. And then used it to build her little casino empire." His lip curled in disgust. "She left behind the skeleton of a company."
Genesis reached for her notebook with trembling fingers, flipped to a blank page, and scribbled quickly.
"But… is it still there?"
She held the page up to Kieran, her eyes wide, searching.
He nodded. "Barely. It's no longer public-facing. They renamed it, buried it under a holding name, and kept just enough alive to prevent the inheritance clause from kicking in early. But it's still there. Monica still uses the company name on paper to access accounts and assets—things your father set up years ago."
Genesis's fists clenched, heat crawling up her neck. Her pen dug into the paper as she wrote again:
"They still do the work? But hide it?"
She showed it to him, brows furrowed in confusion.
"They did," Kieran said. "Because if they shut it down completely, everything would automatically transfer to you—even before your twenty-third birthday. But as long as it technically runs and they pretend it's being preserved for your future, they can keep using it to live like royalty. All under your father's name. Your name."
Genesis trembled, fury and betrayal rising like a tidal wave inside her.
She scribbled again.
"They use daddy's name for food… but throw me away."
Kieran waited patiently as she handed it to him. He nodded once, slowly, eyes hardening.
"And here's why taking it back will destroy them," he said, leaning closer, voice dropping. "Because every single thing they own—their houses, their businesses, their accounts—is tied to Caldwell Tech. All the loans they took, all the investor money they misused, every illegal transfer—they used your father's legacy as their personal ATM."
His eyes darkened. "Once you claim it—legally and publicly—it all collapses."
Genesis's breath caught.
"They'll lose everything," he said. "The casinos? Bought with your inheritance. The properties? In the company's name. Even their lifestyle—the designer clothes, their fake influence—it was all yours."
She stared at him, and he saw it—the flicker in her eyes that hadn't been there in a long time.
Fire. Resolve.
She picked up the pen and wrote:
"How? How do I get it back?"
Kieran stood, reached into his coat, and pulled out a folder. He placed it gently in her hands.
"We start here," he said. "This is the will. I had it pulled from the archives. I was going to show it to you today. From here, we go public. My legal team's already preparing to activate your full inheritance clause. When it hits—public reveal, legal filing, audit—it'll all come crashing down."
Genesis opened the folder slowly, her fingers trembling. Her eyes locked on the last page, where her father's signature stared back at her.
"They've been living off your name," Kieran said softly, brushing her cheek with his knuckles, "but they forgot one thing."
She looked up at him.
"You're still here. And now, you're ready to claim who you really are."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the estate grounds…
Revelation leaned against a stone wall, eyes fixed on her phone. Social media was already buzzing with news of Knight—or rather, Kieran—and Genesis.
Her grip tightened around the phone as her gaze landed on one word: Caldwell.
She swiped to the next image—a smiling Monica Caldwell posing at the grand opening of her newest casino.
Revelation scoffed. "How nice it would be to watch that smile vanish," she murmured.
A message notification popped up, partially covering Monica's photo. She tapped it.
We need to meet.
She stared at the words for a long second before typing back:
Noted.
Just as she was about to exit the chat, the sound of footsteps drew closer. Her body stilled. She stepped forward and turned the corner—then froze.
Damon.
Her entire posture shifted—guard up, spine straight. His eyes scanned her, slow and deliberate.
She didn't flinch.
A smirk curved his lips, and one eyebrow arched. Her eyes flicked to his mouth—and just like that, the memory rushed back: their lips, pressed together.
She groaned internally and clenched her hands at her sides.
She turned away and stepped past him, but his voice caught her mid-step.
"Leaving so quickly, thief?"
She stopped cold.
Her eyes widened, her heart stuttered in her chest.