The early morning sun shone down on Kendall as he stared up at your apartment, his chauffeur watching him from the SUV.

He had been up all night, plotting, scheming, thinking of every possible angle to secure the votes he needed to oust his father as CEO of Waystar Royco. There was just one last piece of the puzzle that needed to fall into place.

You.

You had always been the outlier, the one who drifted away from the family drama, keeping a safe distance from the toxic dynamics that plagued the Roys. Your seat on the board was more of a formality, a gesture of goodwill to maintain some semblance of connection with the family.

But now, Kendall needed you. And he was prepared to do whatever it took to get you on his side.

He walked up the steps to your apartment and rapped on the door. You opened it, and your confused gaze met his.

"Hey," Kendall started, his voice attempting a casual tone that didn’t quite mask the urgency beneath it. "It’s been a while, huh?"

You nodded, unsure of what to say. The distance between you and the rest of the family had been a source of pain, but also a form of protection. You knew how things worked in the Roy family, and you had decided that you didn’t want to be a part of it.

"Look, I know we haven’t been close… not in a long time. But that’s exactly why I’m here. Right now," he said, "there’s a chance for things to change. For us to be a real family again. But to do that, I need your help. We need to get Dad out, and you’ve got a vote on the board."

Your heart sank. Of course, it was about the vote. It was always about the company, about power, never about you.

Noticing the change in your expression, Kendall continued his manipulation. "Think about why you’ve been distant. It’s because of him. Dad’s the reason we’re all so messed up. He’s the reason you felt like you had to get away in the first place. If you vote with me, we can change things. We can finally be the family we always should have been. But if you don’t, we’ll never be close again."