My Boss Sent Me To Prison To Steal My Girlfriend — Until I Inherited A Rival Empire
Part 1
My Boss Sent Me To Prison To Steal My Girlfriend — Until I Inherited A Rival Empire.
Three years ago I sat handcuffed in the back of a prison transport van.
The steel chains cut deep into my wrists.
I watched the city skyline fade through the rusted mesh window.
I lost everything that day.
My freedom vanished behind concrete walls.
My reputation shattered under a mountain of fake embezzlement charges.
And worst of all, I lost Megan.
She was the only woman I ever loved.
We planned to get married by the lake.
Instead I got a thirty-six-month sentence.
My boss, Craig Mitchell, orchestrated the entire setup.
He wanted Megan for his spoiled son, Tyler.
Craig told Megan I would be killed in prison if she refused the marriage.
So she sacrificed her life to buy my safety.
She put on Tyler’s ring.
I spent my first year in a cell staring at the ceiling.
I wrote her letters every single week.
None of them ever reached her.
Craig paid off the guards to intercept my mail.
He wanted me completely erased from her world.
But the universe has a strange way of balancing the scales.
During my second year inside, I saved an old man from a yard shank.
His name was Arthur.
Arthur was not just another inmate.
He was the quiet architect of a massive shadow corporation.
When Arthur died of a heart attack six months later, his lawyer visited me.
Arthur left his entire empire to me.
He gave me the keys to a kingdom worth billions.
His final note told me to burn down the men who wronged me.
I didn’t just survive my sentence.
I spent every remaining day planning my return.
I memorized every weakness in Craig’s supply chain.
I bought up his debt through anonymous shell companies.
I legally changed my name to David Cole.
Now I am a ghost with unlimited resources.
Tonight is the annual Mitchell charity gala.
It also doubles as the public engagement party for Tyler and Megan.
I adjust the cuffs of my bespoke suit in the reflection of my tinted Maybach window.
The driver opens the door for me.
My polished shoes hit the wet pavement.
I walk past the massive fountain toward the ballroom entrance.
Security checks my platinum invitation.
The doors swing open.
Crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over hundreds of wealthy elites.
I scan the room until I find her.
Megan stands near the champagne pyramid.
She looks stunning but absolutely miserable.
Her eyes are empty.
Tyler grips her arm entirely too tight.
He laughs loudly at a joke someone just told.
I pick up a glass of bourbon from a passing tray.
I walk straight toward their table.
The crowd parts naturally for a man who carries himself like he owns the building.
Because tonight, I actually do.
Megan turns her head and her eyes lock onto mine.
All the color drains from her face.
The crystal flute slips from her fingers.
It shatters into a hundred pieces on the marble floor.
Tyler snaps his head around in annoyance.
He glares at the broken glass before looking up at me.
His smug grin falters for a fraction of a second.
He thinks he recognizes the man he ruined.
But the man standing before him wears a watch worth more than Tyler’s trust fund.
“Can I help you?” Tyler asks, stepping in front of Megan.
I take a slow sip of my bourbon.
“I believe you are standing in my spot,” I take a sip of my drink.
Megan lets out a choked gasp.
“David?” she whispers, using the name she never knew.
Tyler puffs out his chest.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Tyler steps forward aggressively.
Before I can explain exactly how much of his life I now own, the crowd goes silent.
Craig Mitchell steps out of the VIP elevator.
His sharp eyes immediately zero in on the commotion.
He marches over with his security detail trailing behind.
Craig stops dead in his tracks when he sees my face.
His jaw tightens.
The air in the room suddenly feels heavy.
I can smell the expensive perfume and fear radiating from the people nearby.
Every single person in this ballroom thinks Craig Mitchell is an untouchable god.
They have no idea I spent the last three years dismantling his foundation from a dark cell.
I do not break eye contact with Craig.
I do not flinch or step back.
I simply swirl the amber liquid in my glass.
A faint smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.
I lean in slightly so only the three of them can hear me over the string quartet.
“That is a very dangerous threat to make in front of your new majority shareholder,” I hold his gaze steadily.
Tyler lets out a confused bark of laughter.
“You are insane,” Tyler scoffs, looking at his father for validation.
But Craig does not laugh.
Craig recognizes the absolute certainty in my eyes.
He sees the ghost of the man he tried to destroy.
He also sees the monster I had to become to survive his betrayal.
Megan reaches out and lightly touches my sleeve.
Her hand is trembling violently.
I want to pull her into my arms and tell her everything is going to be alright.
But I cannot afford to show any weakness right now.
I gently brush her fingers away.
I pull a thick, sealed envelope from my inner jacket pocket.
I tap it twice against Tyler’s chest.
“I suggest you check your offshore accounts before you plan the honeymoon,” I tell Tyler.
Craig’s face turns a dangerous shade of red.
He steps closer, invading my personal space.
“You have exactly thirty seconds to leave my property,” Craig whispers, his hand sliding into his jacket, “before I have you buried for real this time.”
