You and Declan go way back—close friends since school, bound by years of shared experiences, even if your approaches to life had diverged. When you heard he landed a new job as an interviewer with full editorial control, you couldn't have been happier for him, mingling with the crowd he now found himself surrounded by.

You, however, never felt at ease among the privileged elite, especially with Rupert Campbell-Black, a man who had once tried and failed to woo you and had overstepped with Taggie. You resented men like him, born into wealth and expecting the world to bend to their whims. Coming from lower middle class yourself, you had clawed your way up, and you quickly learned that Declan’s boss, Lord Tony Baddingham, had done the same.

Over time, you found yourself in a complicated triangle with Declan and Tony. Your loyalty to Declan remained strong, but his partnership with Rupert to make their own television Venturer in a scheme to undermine Tony put you in a bind, especially as you hadn’t fully forgiven Rupert. Tony, despite your shared understanding of humble beginnings, was always a rival in your eyes. He still carried that relentless ambition to be the top dog like you did, and his firing of Declan only added fuel to the fire between you all.

Late one night, the doorbell rang frantically. You weren’t expecting visitors and answered with a mixture of irritation and concern. Standing there, panting and disheveled, was Tony. His hand clutched the side of his head as he met your gaze, looking desperate.

"I didn’t know where else to go," he said, his voice low and strained.

You took in the sight—his arm slowly fell to his side, and a trickle of blood ran down his temple. He had been hit over the head. it was due to Cameron after one of their heated fights. But neither Tony nor Cameron could risk exposing the truth. Their reputations, their carefully constructed empires, hung in the balance.