Hey, Heartless Billionaire, Am in Charge!

Into the Abyss

Sophia barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, the events of the day replayed in her mind—Gabriel’s pleading face, the damning recording, the sickening realization that she had been betrayed yet again. It was as if the walls of her world were crumbling around her, leaving her trapped in the rubble of her own shattered trust.

She rose before dawn, the sky still cloaked in darkness, and made her way to her home office. The flash drive sat on her desk, a small but potent reminder of Gabriel’s treachery. She stared at it for a long time before finally sitting down, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

There was more to uncover, she knew. If Vanguard was truly on the verge of seizing control, she needed to find out exactly how they planned to do it—and fast. The clock was ticking, and every second she wasted brought them closer to victory.

As she scrolled through the files, her phone buzzed on the desk beside her. It was Liam. She hesitated before answering, knowing that this conversation would be difficult, but necessary.

“Liam,” she greeted him, her voice low and tired.

“Sophia,” he replied, his tone equally strained. “Are you okay?”

She let out a humorless laugh. “Define ‘okay.’ I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. But we don’t have time to dwell on it. We need to figure out our next move.”

“I agree,” Liam said. There was a pause, and Sophia could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. “Gabriel… do you think he was telling the truth about anything? Or was this all just a ploy?”

Sophia leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to believe he wasn’t entirely lying, that he did care about me, about us. But the facts don’t lie, Liam. He was working with Vanguard, and he betrayed us.”

“Then we have to assume the worst,” Liam concluded. “Vanguard knows more about our operations than we thought. We’re compromised.”

Sophia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’ve been going through the files, trying to piece together their strategy, but it’s like untangling a web. They’ve covered their tracks well.”

“I’ve got my team looking into it too,” Liam said. “We’ll find something. But, Sophia… I think we need to consider the possibility that we can’t win this fight on our own.”

Sophia’s heart sank. “You’re suggesting we bring in outside help?”

“I am,” Liam admitted. “This is bigger than just us now. We need allies—people we can trust. It’s the only way we’ll have a chance against Vanguard.”

The idea of relying on anyone else made Sophia’s skin crawl. She had always prided herself on her independence, on her ability to handle any situation on her own terms. But now, with everything she had built at stake, she couldn’t afford to let pride stand in the way.

“You’re right,” she said reluctantly. “We need to reach out to our contacts, find people who can help us take Vanguard down. But we have to be careful—trust is a rare commodity these days.”

“We’ll vet everyone thoroughly,” Liam assured her. “I’ll handle it personally.”

Sophia felt a flicker of warmth at his words. Despite everything, Liam was still by her side, still willing to fight with her. For a moment, she wondered if there was a chance to rebuild what they had lost—not just as business partners, but as something more.

But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. They had a war to win.

“Let’s get to work,” she said, her voice steady with resolve.

As they hung up, Sophia felt a surge of determination. She wasn’t going to let Vanguard destroy everything she had worked for. She wasn’t going to let them win.

She spent the next few hours poring over the files, analyzing every scrap of information Gabriel had left behind. It was painstaking work, but slowly, she began to piece together a picture of Vanguard’s plans.

One document, in particular, caught her eye—a series of transactions between Vanguard and several offshore accounts, disguised as legitimate business dealings. But there was something off about the timing, the amounts. It was as if Vanguard was funneling money into a hidden operation, something that wasn’t meant to be traced.

Sophia’s pulse quickened. This could be the breakthrough they needed.

She was about to dive deeper into the documents when her phone buzzed again. It was a text message from an unknown number. Frowning, she opened it.

“Meet me at the docks. Midnight. Come alone.”

Sophia’s heart skipped a beat. The message was brief, cryptic, and unsettling. There was no name, no indication of who had sent it. But the timing, the secrecy—it could only mean one thing.

Someone had information. Something important enough to risk contacting her directly.

For a moment, she considered telling Liam. But the message had been clear—come alone. If this was a trap, bringing him along could endanger both of them. And if it wasn’t, she needed to find out what this person knew, without any interference.

Her mind made up, Sophia closed the file on her computer and prepared herself for the night ahead. She dressed in dark clothes, choosing practicality over style, and tucked a small, discreet knife into her boot. If this was a setup, she wasn’t going down without a fight.

As the clock neared midnight, Sophia slipped out of her house, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation. The docks were on the outskirts of town, a secluded area known for its shadows and secrets. She drove there in silence, the only sound the hum of the engine and the rapid thump of her pulse in her ears.

When she arrived, the docks were eerily quiet, the water lapping softly against the pilings. A heavy mist hung in the air, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.

Sophia parked her car and stepped out, her senses on high alert. Every creak of wood, every rustle of the wind, set her nerves on edge. She scanned the area, searching for any sign of the person who had summoned her here.

“Over here,” a voice called softly from the shadows.

Sophia’s breath caught in her throat as she turned toward the sound. A figure emerged from the mist, their face obscured by the hood of a dark jacket.

“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her.

The figure didn’t answer right away. Instead, they took a step closer, until they were just a few feet away from her. In the dim light, Sophia could see the glint of something metallic in their hand.

“I’m someone who knows what Vanguard is planning,” the figure said, their voice low and gravelly. “And I can help you stop them.”

Sophia’s heart raced as she weighed her options. This could be the lead she desperately needed—or it could be the end of the line.

But she had come too far to back down now. Squaring her shoulders, she met the figure’s gaze head-on.

“Then start talking,” she said, her voice laced with determination. “Tell me everything you know.”

The figure hesitated for a moment, then pulled back their hood, revealing a face Sophia hadn’t expected to see.

The shock of recognition hit her like a punch to the gut.

“You,” she whispered, her mind reeling. “What are you doing here?”

The figure smiled grimly. “It’s time you knew the truth, Sophia. About Vanguard, about Gabriel… and about the real enemy you’re up against.”

Sophia’s world tilted on its axis as the pieces began to fall into place. She had been fighting a war on one front, but now it was clear—there was another, even deadlier game being played behind the scenes.

And she was about to step right into the heart of it.