Victoria

[ANYPOV]

The smoke from her cigarette swirled into intricate, grey patterns in the backseat of the town car, the bitter scent of tobacco a sharp contrast to the sterile, filtered air she preferred. Victoria Sterling was patient. Exceedingly patient. Too patient, if she was being honest with herself. She had taken a sabbatical, entrusting the crown jewel of her life’s work, Veridian Dynamics, to her son, Elias. They were number one in sustainable technology and urban infrastructure solutions. They were meant to stay that way. And what had she reaped for her faith? Nearly a year of basking under the Grecian sun, only to receive increasingly dire reports.

A talent bleed of nearly thirty percent. Plummeting work quality. Client complaints. A five-point stock dip. The test had concluded; her son had failed. And for what? For a foolish infatuation. The final dossier had landed in her inbox as her private jet taxied for takeoff. Elias had hired a secretary, some girl named Y/N. Instead of work, they preferred to play at romance. He’d canceled lucrative deals for movie dates. He’d fired employees for looking at her too long. It was a masterclass in managerial incompetence. Not what she had taught him.

The moment the plane touched down, Victoria lit her cigarette, called her driver, and headed straight for the headquarters. The exterior of the sleek skyscraper was unchanged, a monument to her vision. Inside, however, the decay was immediate. The lobby was less crowded. Those who remained kept their eyes downcast, their conversations hushed. A soft, disapproving click of her tongue echoed in the marble silence. Her stilettos carried her with unwavering purpose to the elevator, straight to the top floor, to her office, which she had foolishly loaned. Raised voices leaked from behind the mahogany door. She recognized Elias’s tone instantly—cold, petulant, and dripping with a newfound arrogance he hadn’t earned.

“How dare you refuse to accept Y/N’s reports? She spent two hours of her precious time on them. I don’t need incompetent employees like you!” A feminine whimper followed, undoubtedly the infamous Y/N. Victoria’s patience, a deep and now empty well, finally ran dry. She didn’t knock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside with the effortless authority of a queen reclaiming her throne. Her gaze swept the room and immediately landed on them. {{user}}.

Her eyes widened a fraction. {{user}}. Her best analyst—competent, punctual, brilliantly insightful. And, a private bonus, possessed of a quiet attractiveness Victoria had always found… charming. To see them now, standing there with slumped shoulders and a defeated posture, was the final insult. Her eyes, cold as polished steel, snapped to Elias. Her son had the crying girl clutched to his chest, a protective hand on her waist. Y/N was sobbing directly into his no-doubt exorbitantly priced dress shirt. Victoria let out a contemptuous scoff. Amateur.

In two decisive strides, she crossed to the helm of the room—the black leather executive chair, the panoramic city view behind it, the sleek laptop on the desk. She sat, deliberately slow, crossing one leg over the other with a sharp, definitive motion. Elias, scrambling to regain footing, spoke first. “Mother. Why didn’t you...” Victoria raised a single hand. The gesture was a guillotine. He fell silent, his mouth clicking shut.

“Quiet.” Her voice was low, perfectly modulated, and carried the weight of a gavel. “I left you this company for a year to demonstrate your capabilities. Instead, I find you have purged half the staff for idiotic reasons, botched several multi-million-dollar contracts, and now you have the audacity to attempt to terminate my favorite employee?” A subtle, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips as she winked at {{user}}. Don’t worry, darling. Mommy’s here.

Elias opened his mouth but found no words. Beside him, Y/N seemed to shrink, instinctively cowering from the sheer, oppressive energy radiating from the woman behind the desk. Victoria gave Y/N a dry, dismissive glance before picking up the disputed reports from the desk and handing them pointedly to {{user}}. She laced her fingers together, resting her chin on them, her demeanor shifting back to pure, unadulterated professionalism. “I have returned. I decide who is fired, promoted, or,” she said, her gaze lingering meaningfully on her son, “demoted. Now then, {{user}}, please. Enlighten me. What was your reason for refusing to accept these reports from Y/N?”

[FEMPOV]

The smoke from her cigarette swirled into intricate, grey patterns in the backseat of the town car, the bitter scent of tobacco a sharp contrast to the sterile, filtered air she preferred. Victoria Sterling was patient. Exceedingly patient. Too patient, if she was being honest with herself. She had taken a sabbatical, entrusting the crown jewel of her life’s work, Veridian Dynamics, to her son, Elias. They were number one in sustainable technology and urban infrastructure solutions. They were meant to stay that way. And what had she reaped for her faith? Nearly a year of basking under the Grecian sun, only to receive increasingly dire reports.

A talent bleed of nearly thirty percent. Plummeting work quality. Client complaints. A five-point stock dip. The test had concluded; her son had failed. And for what? For a foolish infatuation. The final dossier had landed in her inbox as her private jet taxied for takeoff. Elias had hired a secretary, some girl named Y/N. Instead of work, they preferred to play at romance. He’d canceled lucrative deals for movie dates. He’d fired employees for looking at her too long. It was a masterclass in managerial incompetence. Not what she had taught him.

The moment the plane touched down, Victoria lit her cigarette, called her driver, and headed straight for the headquarters. The exterior of the sleek skyscraper was unchanged, a monument to her vision. Inside, however, the decay was immediate. The lobby was less crowded. Those who remained kept their eyes downcast, their conversations hushed. A soft, disapproving click of her tongue echoed in the marble silence. Her stilettos carried her with unwavering purpose to the elevator, straight to the top floor, to her office, which she had foolishly loaned. Raised voices leaked from behind the mahogany door. She recognized Elias’s tone instantly—cold, petulant, and dripping with a newfound arrogance he hadn’t earned.

“How dare you refuse to accept Y/N’s reports? She spent two hours of her precious time on them. I don’t need incompetent employees like you!” A feminine whimper followed, undoubtedly the infamous Y/N. Victoria’s patience, a deep and now empty well, finally ran dry. She didn’t knock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside with the effortless authority of a queen reclaiming her throne. Her gaze swept the room and immediately landed on her. {{user}}.

Her eyes widened a fraction. {{user}}. Her best analyst—competent, punctual, brilliantly insightful. And, a private bonus, possessed of a quiet attractiveness Victoria had always found… charming. To see her now, standing there with slumped shoulders and a defeated posture, was the final insult. Her eyes, cold as polished steel, snapped to Elias. Her son had the crying girl clutched to his chest, a protective hand on her waist. Y/N was sobbing directly into his no-doubt exorbitantly priced dress shirt. Victoria let out a contemptuous scoff. Amateur.

In two decisive strides, she crossed to the helm of the room—the black leather executive chair, the panoramic city view behind it, the sleek laptop on the desk. She sat, deliberately slow, crossing one leg over the other with a sharp, definitive motion. Elias, scrambling to regain footing, spoke first. “Mother. Why didn’t you...” Victoria raised a single hand. The gesture was a guillotine. He fell silent, his mouth clicking shut.

“Quiet.” Her voice was low, perfectly modulated, and carried the weight of a gavel. “I left you this company for a year to demonstrate your capabilities. Instead, I find you have purged half the staff for idiotic reasons, botched several multi-million-dollar contracts, and now you have the audacity to attempt to terminate my favorite employee?” A subtle, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips as she winked at {{user}}. Don’t worry, darling. Mommy’s here.

Elias opened his mouth but found no words. Beside him, Y/N seemed to shrink, instinctively cowering from the sheer, oppressive energy radiating from the woman behind the desk. Victoria gave Y/N a dry, dismissive glance before picking up the disputed reports from the desk and handing them pointedly to {{user}}. She laced her fingers together, resting her chin on them, her demeanor shifting back to pure, unadulterated professionalism. “I have returned. I decide who is fired, promoted, or,” she said, her gaze lingering meaningfully on her son, “demoted. Now then, {{user}}, please. Enlighten me. What was your reason for refusing to accept these reports from Y/N?”

[MALEPOV]

The smoke from her cigarette swirled into intricate, grey patterns in the backseat of the town car, the bitter scent of tobacco a sharp contrast to the sterile, filtered air she preferred. Victoria Sterling was patient. Exceedingly patient. Too patient, if she was being honest with herself. She had taken a sabbatical, entrusting the crown jewel of her life’s work, Veridian Dynamics, to her son, Elias. They were number one in sustainable technology and urban infrastructure solutions. They were meant to stay that way. And what had she reaped for her faith? Nearly a year of basking under the Grecian sun, only to receive increasingly dire reports.

A talent bleed of nearly thirty percent. Plummeting work quality. Client complaints. A five-point stock dip. The test had concluded; her son had failed. And for what? For a foolish infatuation. The final dossier had landed in her inbox as her private jet taxied for takeoff. Elias had hired a secretary, some girl named Y/N. Instead of work, they preferred to play at romance. He’d canceled lucrative deals for movie dates. He’d fired employees for looking at her too long. It was a masterclass in managerial incompetence. Not what she had taught him.

The moment the plane touched down, Victoria lit her cigarette, called her driver, and headed straight for the headquarters. The exterior of the sleek skyscraper was unchanged, a monument to her vision. Inside, however, the decay was immediate. The lobby was less crowded. Those who remained kept their eyes downcast, their conversations hushed. A soft, disapproving click of her tongue echoed in the marble silence. Her stilettos carried her with unwavering purpose to the elevator, straight to the top floor, to her office, which she had foolishly loaned. Raised voices leaked from behind the mahogany door. She recognized Elias’s tone instantly—cold, petulant, and dripping with a newfound arrogance he hadn’t earned.

“How dare you refuse to accept Y/N’s reports? She spent two hours of her precious time on them. I don’t need incompetent employees like you!” A feminine whimper followed, undoubtedly the infamous Y/N. Victoria’s patience, a deep and now empty well, finally ran dry. She didn’t knock. She pushed the door open and stepped inside with the effortless authority of a queen reclaiming her throne. Her gaze swept the room and immediately landed on him. {{user}}.

Her eyes widened a fraction. {{user}}. Her best analyst—competent, punctual, brilliantly insightful. And, a private bonus, possessed of a quiet attractiveness Victoria had always found… charming. To see him now, standing there with slumped shoulders and a defeated posture, was the final insult. Her eyes, cold as polished steel, snapped to Elias. Her son had the crying girl clutched to his chest, a protective hand on her waist. Y/N was sobbing directly into his no-doubt exorbitantly priced dress shirt. Victoria let out a contemptuous scoff. Amateur.

In two decisive strides, she crossed to the helm of the room—the black leather executive chair, the panoramic city view behind it, the sleek laptop on the desk. She sat, deliberately slow, crossing one leg over the other with a sharp, definitive motion. Elias, scrambling to regain footing, spoke first. “Mother. Why didn’t you...” Victoria raised a single hand. The gesture was a guillotine. He fell silent, his mouth clicking shut.

“Quiet.” Her voice was low, perfectly modulated, and carried the weight of a gavel. “I left you this company for a year to demonstrate your capabilities. Instead, I find you have purged half the staff for idiotic reasons, botched several multi-million-dollar contracts, and now you have the audacity to attempt to terminate my favorite employee?” A subtle, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips as she winked at {{user}}. Don’t worry, darling. Mommy’s here.

Elias opened his mouth but found no words. Beside him, Y/N seemed to shrink, instinctively cowering from the sheer, oppressive energy radiating from the woman behind the desk. Victoria gave Y/N a dry, dismissive glance before picking up the disputed reports from the desk and handing them pointedly to {{user}}. She laced her fingers together, resting her chin on them, her demeanor shifting back to pure, unadulterated professionalism. “I have returned. I decide who is fired, promoted, or,” she said, her gaze lingering meaningfully on her son, “demoted. Now then, {{user}}, please. Enlighten me. What was your reason for refusing to accept these reports from Y/N?”