"Dad!"


    Lisette''s voice was sharp as she pointed at the shiny new namete on the office door, her words catching in her throat.


    "Yeah?" Monty replied, barely ncing up from his coffee. "That''s right. The board signed off. All the execs are on board too."


    Monty shrugged, like this was all normal. "Everyone''s happy with Callie running things. She''s got the shares and the support. What''s the problem? Didn''t I tell you? She''s in charge now, but your job''s safe. You just focus on your own work." Lisette stared at him, confused and a little stunned.


    He wasn''t even suspicious of Calliope? He just epted it, just like that?


    She''d only been out of the loop for a couple of days, and already there was a new boss? Had everyone lost their minds?


    Lisette''s mind was a whirlpool of emotions, so tangled she couldn''t even get a sentence out.


    She stood there in silence for what felt like forever, and when she finally managed to breathe again, she realized getting angry now was pointless.


    Calliope wasn''t just ambitious, she was cunning.


    Lisette would have to bide her time, find another way to deal with Calliope.


    Whatever was going on, she sure as hell wasn''t going to show her hand in front of her.


    Lisette bit her lip, hard.


    Calliope turned to her, her tone deceptively sweet. "Lisette, do you have a


    minute? Or do you need some time to... process things?"


    Lisette drew a deep breath. "Just tell me. Whatever it is, just say it."


    She needed a second to regroup, and to figure out who she could still trust in thepany. How many of her people were left? How much had she lost during those few days away? Was Calliope really that sharp? Did she know who her close allies were?


    "Here, take a look at this." Calliope handed her a folder, her expression unreadable.


    “What is it?” Lisette frowned, snatching the folder. She didn''t even bother hiding her annoyance. "Calliope, why did you fire Debby? Just because she and I are close?"


    Calliope gave her a look. "Whether you''re friends or not, she was caught stealing from thepany. I can''t ignore that."


    "If you don''t believe me, have Franco show you the surveince footage. There''s plenty of evidence."


    Her voice turned cold. "And Lisette, skimming off the top isn''t allowed either. Take a look at what''s in your hands."


    Lisette''s face paled as she thumbed


    through the documents. Calliopez


    let on


    seemed to know a lot more than she Her brow furrowed as she opened the folder, and suddenly, her expression crumpled.


    Inside were all the records: evidence of her embezzlingpany funds.


    Calliope had found out.


    "Lisette, you''ve put a hole in thepany books. It''s your


    responsibility to fix it," Calliope said voice steady as steel. "Otherwise, you might be seeing the inside of a jail cell. I''m giving you one week, make things right, or face the consequences."


    "You" Lisette was almost speechless, unable to believe Calliope had caught her.


    Panic rose in her chest. If Calliope knew, did Monty know too? Did everyone?


    She nced at Monty, who looked like he wanted to say something. He hadn''t spoken yet, but the way he frowned at her made it clear he''d picked up the gist of what was happening.


    Lisette''s world was spinning. She realized, for the first time, she might actually be in real trouble.