That night, the Weasley Group headquarters was still brightly lit even though it was nearly midnight.

The usually quiet executive floor now felt like a silent battlefield.

The phones rang nonstop.

Incoming emails piled up.

Some staff members walked too quickly.

And everyone began to suspect one another.

Inside his office, Sean stood with his back to the room, gazing at the city of Texas through the tall glass windows.

He held a glass of whiskey in his hand.

But he hadn’t taken a sip yet.

His mind was too full. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly.

The head of the legal division entered with a tense expression, holding a tablet.

"Sir... there’s another problem."

Sean gave a hollow chuckle without turning around.

"Of course there is."

The man swallowed before speaking.

"One of the Houston branch directors has been secretly selling internal information to a competitor."

Sean’s gaze immediately turned cold.

"Who?"

"Mr. Howard."

Silence.

Then Sean slowly turned his head.

His gaze was so sharp that the man in front of him immediately grew nervous.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Probably since two months ago."

Sean immediately smiled slightly.

But that smile made the atmosphere in the room freeze.

"Funny."

"Sir..."

"When I was still in power, they were all sucking up to me." Sean walked slowly toward the desk. "Now that the company is starting to waver..." his laugh was low, "...the rats are scrambling to get out."

The legal man remained silent.

Because there was nothing to refute.

Sean’s scandal with Moana.

The media.

Investors.

Mr. Weasley’s illness.

All of it had opened a massive crack in the family’s business empire.

And now people were starting to think about their own safety.

Sean slowly sat down in his chair.

His gaze was vacant for a few seconds.

Then, softly...

"Force Howard to sign the NDA tonight."

"Sir?"

"If he refuses..." Sean slowly raised his eyes, "...destroy him."

His tone was flat.

Calm.

That was what made it terrifying.

The lawyer nodded quickly and left without daring to say much.

Click.

The door closed again.

Silence.

Sean was alone again.

But only a few seconds later...

His phone vibrated again.

The name that appeared made his jaw clench instantly.

Mr. Freddy.

Sean stared at the screen for a long time before finally answering.

"What do you want?"

A small laugh came from the other end.

"Wow... your temper’s gotten worse lately, hasn’t it?"

Sean remained silent.

Because he knew the man was deliberately trying to provoke him.

And Mr. Freddy was enjoying it.

"I just called to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me on what?"

"On your downfall."

Sean’s jaw clenched brutally.

But Mr. Freddy continued casually.

"I hear the commissioner is starting to waver." His laugh was small. "How pitiful. Your father’s in the hospital, the company is falling apart everywhere, and you..." he paused briefly, "...are busy chasing after your ex-wife."

Sean’s gaze darkened instantly.

"Are you watching me now?"

"No need." Mr. Freddy’s tone was full of mockery. "The whole city is already talking about you."

Sean clenched his phone tightly.

And unfortunately...

He knew it was true.

His reputation was shifting from that of an elite businessman to the subject of rumors.

An obsessive man.

Troubled CEO.

Failed husband.

Mr. Freddy chuckled again.

"You know the best part?"

Sean didn’t answer.

"Your own people are starting to fear you now."

Silence.

Then the old man’s voice dropped even lower.

"And when fear sets in..." he whispered, "...loyalty dies fastest."

Click.

The call was abruptly cut off.

The room fell silent again.

But this time...

The silence felt far darker.

Sean slowly bowed his head, clutching his own head.

His chest felt tight.

His head ached.

Everything was crumbling at once.

The company.

Family.

Reputation.

And in the midst of it all...

He still thought of Clara.

Always Clara.

Sean let out a small laugh.

Broken.

Tired.

"Why are you the only one still in my head..." he whispered hoarsely.

Even though Clara was already gone.

Had stopped loving him.

Had started living peacefully without him.

But precisely because of that...

Sean was losing his grip even more.

Because the more everyone drifted away...

The more Clara became the only thing that felt important to him.

And an obsession like that...

Usually doesn’t end well.

★

★★★.

★

It was two in the morning.

The Weasley Group building was nearly empty now.

Most of the lights on the executive floor had been turned off. Only Sean’s office was still lit at the end of the long hallway.

And the atmosphere inside felt like a small, slowly decaying hell.

Sean’s expensive suit jacket lay carelessly on the sofa.

His black tie had been removed.

Two buttons on his shirt are undone.

A half-empty bottle of whiskey sits on the desk.

Yet the man doesn’t look drunk.

In fact, he’s all too sober.

So sober that his own thoughts are beginning to devour him alive.

Sean sits hunched over in his office chair, staring at his laptop screen.

There, the company’s financial reports are starting to bleed.

Stock prices were falling.

Investors were pulling out their funds.

Contracts were being canceled.

And several board members’ names were highlighted in red in the internal audit report.

Betrayal.

Leaks.

Backroom deals.

It was all coming to light now.

But strangely...

Sean’s gaze slowly shifted to another folder on the screen.

The folder was named:

Clara.

His jaw tensed slightly.

His hand moved automatically to open the folder.

Photos of Clara immediately filled the screen.

Clara at the supermarket.

Clara entering an art gallery.

Clara drinking coffee.

Clara smiling slightly while talking to Mrs. Diana.

And the last photo...

Clara standing next to Leo.

Sean immediately shut his eyes tight.

His breathing was heavy.

He felt hot.

"I hate her..." he whispered softly.

Whether it was Leo.

Or himself.

He wasn’t even sure anymore.

Because the more Sean tried to pull Clara back into his life...

The further she drifted away.

And that made something inside him begin to crack slowly.

Knock.

Knock.

There was a careful knock on the office door.

"Come in."

His assistant entered with a tense expression.

"Sir... the board of commissioners is holding an emergency meeting tomorrow morning."

Sean let out a hollow chuckle without opening his eyes.

"Of course."

"They want to discuss your position."

Silence.

Then Sean slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was instantly icy cold.

"They dare?"

The assistant bowed his head.

"Some investors have started pressuring them."

Sean smiled faintly.

But the smile looked terrifying.

"My father isn’t dead yet," he said softly.

"Of course, sir. But his current condition has the board members feeling—"

"Feeling that I’m weakening?"

The assistant fell silent.

And that silence spoke volumes.

Sean slowly stood up from his chair.

The man’s aura immediately grew darker.

He walked slowly toward the large window in his office, gazing down at the city below.

The lights of Texas were still shining beautifully.

But it all felt distant.

Empty.

Sean suddenly spoke softly.

"You know what’s funny?"

"Sir?"

"Back then, everyone was afraid of me." He gave a small laugh. "Now they’re starting to count down when I’ll fall."

The assistant didn’t dare to answer.

Because over the past few weeks...

Everyone had indeed begun to see cracks in Sean Weasley.

And that crack was named Clara.

The man had been too broken since losing his ex-wife.

Too emotional.

Too obsessive.

Unstable.

Sean looked back at his reflection in the glass.

His face looked tired now.

His eyes were red.

His jawline was tense from constantly holding back his emotions.

And for a moment...

He almost didn’t recognize himself.

He used to feel like he had everything.

Money.

Power.

Women.

A big name.

Now?

He couldn’t even control his own thoughts.

His phone suddenly vibrated again.

A message came in.

From Clara’s supervisor’s number.

> "Miss Clara attended a family dinner with Mrs. Diana tonight. No suspicious activity."

Sean read the message for a long time.

Then slowly...

He chuckled softly.

Tired.

Broken.

"Family dinner..." he whispered softly.

As he sat alone in the empty office, looking lost.

Sean finally turned off his phone screen and leaned his head against the cold glass behind him.

His eyes slowly closed.

And for the first time that night...

The man looked completely empty.

Not angry.

Not arrogant.

Just... empty.

Because the more he tried to hold on to everything in his life—

The company.

Power.

Clara.

—the more it slipped away from him, one by one.

******

Dawn was approaching in the Texas city.

But the Weasley Group’s office was still dark and cold.

Sean hadn’t come home yet.

He stood alone in front of a large window, holding a glass of whiskey that had long since lost its chill.

His eyes were red.

Not just from the alcohol.

But from the exhaustion that was beginning to destroy him from within.

Down below, the city was still alive.

Streetlights.

Cars.

Skyscrapers.

Everything looked normal.

Only Sean’s life felt like ruins now.

The man let out a hollow chuckle as he looked down.

"How funny..."

His voice was hoarse.

"God, why are you being so unfair to me?"