The Billionaire's Brat Wants Me-Chapter 241: Shifting Thrones Advertisement

I got to the parking lot earlier than usual—first-day nerves, excitement, all of it. The morning air still felt cold, but not as cold as the grin waiting for me by my car.

Derrick.

He leaned against his own car like he'd been waiting. "Manager Tanaka," he called out, hands raised in mock celebration.

I laughed. "Don't start."

"No, no—this one I'll celebrate properly." He crossed over and pulled me into a quick, rough bro hug. "Congratulations, man. Seriously. You deserve this."

"Thanks." And I meant it.

He stepped back, expression softening just slightly. "Gonna miss having you around on the same floor, though. Now I'm gonna have to book appointments just to bump into you."

"You can still text me, you know."

"Oh, shut up," he snorted. "I'm happy for you. Even if it means I'll only see you before or after work… unless some higher-up decides we need to collaborate."

"You say that like you hate free time."

] "Buddy, all my free time's about to get stolen by a promotion. Just watch."

We both laughed at that. It felt good—normal. Like the ground under my feet wasn't completely new.

He clapped my shoulder once more. "Go. Don't keep your fancy new office waiting."

"Yeah, yeah."

We split, and I headed for the elevator.

My reflection stared back at me in the elevator doors as I climbed—hair neat, tie straight, expression… honestly? Proud. A little stunned. A little overwhelmed.

When the doors slid open, I stepped into a floor I rarely had reason to visit before. Everything looked shinier here—newer. Or maybe that was just me projecting.

And then I saw it.

Finance Manager – Urban Projects Division

My name right beneath.

"Kai Tanaka," I murmured under my breath. "Huh."

Seeing it printed… it hit deeper than hearing it. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

I pushed open the office door.

Spacious. Bright. A large desk. A screen mounted on the wall. Clean files stacked neatly. A small plant someone must've placed there this morning.

And right at the center of the desk:

A name plate. Same name. Same title.

I exhaled slowly as I walked in.

My office.

Before I could fully soak that in, the door opened again.

A woman stepped in—late twenties, crisp blazer, hair pinned neatly, expression sharp and focused the moment she saw me.

"Good morning, sir," she said. "I'm Ava Wilson. Finance Analyst and starting today, your assistant for Urban Projects."

Her timing was perfect. Like she'd walked in on her own cue.

"Oh," I said. "Good morning. You're… my assistant?"

She nodded professionally. "Yes. I'll be handling your scheduling, organizing team reports, filtering department requests, and assisting with financial analyses for the Urban Projects division."

"…Right," I said. "Assistant. That's... new."

"New for both of us, sir." She smiled lightly—polite, not too soft, efficient. "I've already gone through the documents the CFO forwarded to your office. I also scheduled your first meeting with the finance team at 2:00 p.m. today. They're expecting you."

I blinked. "Already?"

"Yes. I assumed you'd prefer to meet them early, considering the Meridian Project launch." She tilted her head. "And I took the liberty of reviewing the financial structure you submitted last quarter. It's very impressive."

"Uh—thank you."

Ava nodded once, as though filing my reaction into some invisible mental spreadsheet. "If you need anything, I'll be right outside. Shall I bring in the updated project briefings?"

"Yeah. That'd be great."

] "Right away, sir."

She left as quickly as she entered.

I watched the door close and let out another breath.

An assistant. Meetings. A whole team under me.

This… was real.

I turned to finally sit and immediately, as if also on cue, my phone buzzed.

Trent.

I answered immediately. "Yo."

His voice came in loud. "BRO. You guys won the Meridian project?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

I laughed. "The media just released it like an hour ago."

"Yeah, well my phone exploded. Half the guys at the office are talking about it." Then he added: "How did... Celestia take it?"

I leaned back in my new chair. "She took it well. Actually… really well."

"Good. That's good." Then a pause. "Wait. Why do you sound like you're holding something back?"

I smirked even though he couldn't see it. "Maybe because the company wasn't the only one that got good news."

] "…What? What happened?"

"You're talking to the new Finance Manager of the Urban Projects Division, Gray & Milton."

Dead silence.

Then—

] "SHUT. UP."

"I'm serious."

"BROOOO!" Trent practically screamed through the phone. "NO WAY! Holy—this is—Kai what the hell! That's huge! Manager?! Like actual manager?!"

"Actual manager."

] "My guy. My GUY. I'm bragging about this at work today. Don't stop me."

"Go ahead. I won't."

"No—seriously, Kai, that's incredible. I'm proud of you."

That one hit. More than I expected.

"Thanks, man."

We talked a minute more—mostly Trent still freaking out—then the call ended.

I sat back and breathed in slowly. The office felt a little warmer. A little more mine.

Yeah.

This felt good.

While I settled into my new office at Gray & Milton, I knew Val was on the other side of the city walking into hers for the first time.

Moreau Dynamics' COO office wasn't small. It wasn't modest. It wasn't anything short of executive-level luxury.

But it didn't feel light when Val walked in.

Not even a little.

She closed the door gently behind her and let out a slow, steady exhale. The plaque on the desk—Chief Operating Officer – Celestia Valentina Moreau—should've felt like a triumph.

Becoming COO should've been a victory. If this were any other company, any other family, any other context, she would've been glowing.

But this was Moreau Dynamics, and her father didn't promote her because she was next in line.

He promoted her because Lucien had messed up badly enough to shake the foundation of the company.

And now she had to clean it.

She moved around the room quietly, fingertips brushing the desk surface. No thrill. No excitement. Just responsibility pressing down, heavier than titles.

A soft knock followed by a familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

] "Permission to enter?"

Gianna.

"Come in," Val said.

Gianna stepped inside, smiling warmly. "Good morning, ma'am."

Val shot her a look. "Morning Gianna."

She'd been Val's assistant back when Val was Head of Corporate Strategy. And despite her new title, Val refused to replace her.

Gianna closed the door. "I wanted to say congratulations first. COO… that's—wow."

Val forced a small smile. "Thank you."

Gianna caught the strain but didn't push it. She simply set a stack of documents on the table. "These are the operations briefs your father asked to be forwarded to you. Also, your department heads are expecting updates on the Meridian situation. And there's a request from Security for a—"

"I'll handle it," Val said gently.

Gianna nodded. "If you need anything—anything—you know I'm here."

> "I do."

A softer silence followed.

Gianna hesitated once before speaking again. "You deserve this, ma'am. Even if the timing is… complicated."

Val's eyes flickered—just for a second.

Gianna caught the signal.

She didn't push further.

She didn't ask.

She simply nodded and excused herself.

When the office door clicked shut, Val let her shoulders drop.

She sat at her desk.

Then her gaze drifted, almost instinctively, to the picture frame near the corner.

The one of us.

Her fingers brushed the edge of the frame.

She thought about how I would tell her she could handle this.

How I always did.

She just wished, today of all days, she believed it as easily as he did.

And as Val sat in her new COO office trying to figure out her next move, someone else was realizing he'd already made the wrong one.

---

Lucien Moreau didn't breathe for a full three seconds after the realization hit him.

He stared down at the contract packet spread across his desk—pages he had signed with full confidence, pages he had believed were the best thing that could ever happen to him. Pages that, in hindsight, were too neat, too easy, too smooth.

Prometheus Acquisition Index.

He thought it was Vanguard Ark investing in him.

He thought he was securing strategic support.

He thought this was how he proved himself—how he stepped out of his father's shadow and finally became the Moreau who made the biggest moves.

He hadn't expected betrayal.

He definitely hadn't expected to be the cause of the company's greatest vulnerability.

By the time the sick feeling in his stomach turned into something sharp and violent, Lucien was already walking—fast, furious—through the halls of Vanguard Ark Investments headquarters.

Benjamin's assistant jumped to her feet as soon as Lucien reached the executive floor.

] "Sir, you can't just—"

Lucien shoved past her.

] "Mr. Otavio is in a meeting—"

"He'll end it," Lucien snapped.

Benjamin's office door flew open, and the assistant scrambled after him, voice rising in panic. "Sir, please—!"

Benjamin Otavio didn't look startled. If anything, his expression carried the same cool, lazy amusement Lucien had seen during their first meeting—like he had been waiting for this.

"Leave us," Benjamin said, flicking his fingers at his assistant.

She backed out reluctantly, closing the door behind her.

Lucien didn't sit.

He didn't greet him.

He didn't pretend.

"What did you sell me?" he demanded. "What the hell did you actually give me?"

Benjamin leaned back in his chair, completely composed. "An opportunity."

} "You lied."

"You assumed." Benjamin raised a brow. "I never said Prometheus was Vanguard Ark. You connected the dots incorrectly. Not my fault you can't read a room… or a contract."

Lucien slammed the papers onto Benjamin's desk. "You said you were giving me leverage. You said I'd finally outrank everyone who doubted me."

"And you did." Benjamin tapped one of the pages with complete indifference. "Just not in the way you thought."

Lucien's jaw clenched. "Did I sell my shares to you?"

"That depends." Benjamin's tone was infuriatingly calm. "If by 'sell,' you mean 'sign a perfectly legal transfer agreement,' then yes."

Lucien's heart stopped.

"You tricked me," he said quietly.

Benjamin chuckled. "Lucien… your desire to climb makes you predictable. Gullible. You practically walked into my hands begging to be useful."

Lucien shook his head. "Do you know what this means? If my father finds out—"

"Oh, he will," Benjamin said calmly. "A man like Charlie George Moreau doesn't miss movement. Especially not movement aimed at his company. The difference is—this time, he'll realize it a little too late."

The room suddenly felt too small.

Benjamin's voice dropped lower, crueler.

"Tell me—did Daddy never teach you that bleeding next to a shark doesn't end well? That when you enter deep water, you either know how to hunt… or you get eaten?"

Lucien swallowed hard. "I thought you were offering an alliance."

"You thought wrong." Benjamin's smile grew razor-sharp. "I don't make alliances. I collect leverage. And you gave me plenty."

Lucien felt heat rush to his face—anger, humiliation, fear, all tangled together in something heavy enough to crush bone.

} "You planned this. From the start."

"Of course I did." Benjamin didn't bother denying it. "The moment I saw you trying so desperately to prove yourself, I knew you'd be easy. A Moreau with ambition but no discipline? That's a gift."

Lucien took a step back.

He couldn't stay here.

He couldn't breathe here.

He certainly couldn't let Benjamin see him fall apart.

Benjamin's voice followed him as he turned toward the door. "And Lucien? Do try to keep this quiet. Public tantrums are bad for shareholder confidence."

Lucien didn't answer.

His hand hit the door.

He walked out without looking back.

Benjamin's assistant watched him hurry down the hall, eyes wide, but Lucien couldn't bother with her or anyone. He made it into the elevator before the full weight of it landed—before the adrenaline drained and the crushing reality replaced it.

He had been played.

Used.

And the worst part?

He had practically delivered part of his father's company straight to the enemy with a signature.

Lucien braced one hand against the elevator wall, breathing hard.

He had to tell his father.

He didn't know how.

He didn't know how Charlie would react.

He didn't know if he'd be fired, disowned, or thrown out of Moreau Dynamics entirely.

But he knew one thing with absolute clarity:

He couldn't let Benjamin be the only one holding the truth.

Whatever happened next, he couldn't hide anymore.

He had to face it.

Even if it destroyed him.

---

To be continued...