The morning sun rose over Bangkok like a blade of gold, slicing through the glass walls of C Group's towering headquarters. I stood at the top floor, facing the city that had buried me in silence for years. Now it was mine to command.
"CEO Fowler," my new assistant said, stepping into the office with a tablet. "Today's schedule. Department heads at nine, investment team at ten, then a lunch briefing with legal counsel. Also... Ms. Thanawan has requested a private audience."
I didn't look up from the skyline. "Decline it. I don't meet shadows in corners."
"Yes, Ma'am."
I turned. "And drop the 'Fowler.' It's Chao-fa now. Time to stop hiding."
He smiled faintly. "Understood."
---
The boardroom was full again. This time, not with skeptics—but with employees. Heads of innovation, cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, fashion, media, biotech—all the departments that made C Group a colossus. These weren't enemies. Not yet. These were professionals, watching me closely. Judging.
"I won't waste your time," I began. "You don't know me. You have every right to be wary. But I'm not here to play house with a title I didn't ask for. I'm here to make sure none of you get crushed under the weight of a legacy that's lost its edge."
They remained silent, respectful.
"Starting today, C Group will undergo a full internal modernization audit. Department by department. But not to replace anyone. Not to fire anyone. I want transparency. Efficiency. Fair pay. Ethical pipelines. We're no longer chasing profits blindly—we're building sustainability."
That raised some brows.
I walked around the table, slowly.
"I'm also unlocking the stalled tech initiative my uncle quietly buried last year. The one with the AI-powered cancer screening platform."
Gasps. Murmurs. One executive whispered, "That program could've saved lives—why was it shelved?"
"Because the return-on-investment forecast wasn't glamorous enough," I answered. "But we're bringing it back. Fully funded. And once it's ready, we're donating the software to five major public hospitals. For free."
A pause. Then the room broke into quiet applause—tentative but real.
One woman—Head of R&D—stood up. "You just made enemies out of the shareholders who buried that program."
I smiled. "Then they were never partners to begin with."
---
By noon, whispers were already traveling like sparks.
She's not just symbolic. She knows everything. She has the fire.
And just when I thought the day couldn't burn hotter, Ms. Thanawan barged into my office, face tight.
"You're overstepping," she hissed. "This company has investors. Board procedures. Legacies. You can't just undo years of order with one speech."
I stood from behind the desk, slow and deliberate. "Order built on buried potential isn't order—it's rot."
Her eyes flared. "You think you can change this system alone?"
"No," I said, walking past her. "But systems don't change with permission. They change with pressure."
I walked away before she could respond.
---
That night, I found a handwritten note waiting in my office.
Just four words.
"You've started a war."
No signature. No clue.
But I knew.
Whether it was from Thanawan… or Prasong… or one of their charming little snakes, it didn't matter.
Because war was already here.
And I wasn't afraid of fire.
I was the fire.
—---
The days following my announcement were a blur of board meetings, media interviews, and quiet whispers around the office. It felt like a game, but one where the rules hadn't been fully revealed yet. I knew my rise wasn't going to be easy. But I was starting to understand the game I'd walked into—and how deeply it ran through my blood.
In the silence of my office, as the sun dipped below the skyline, I let my thoughts run wild, plotting my next move. Grandfather was waiting for me to step up, and yet the real battles weren't with the board or investors. The real battles were with my own family—the people who never saw me as more than a nuisance.
Kylan.
I knew about him—more than anyone thought. Even though the truth reached lately to me— I already learned enough about– his raise to insults. I have seen through him like a transparent shield which never intended to help him out but ended up paying his hospital bills… because I saw what one couldn't. He will never reveal that either.
I only know— even when he doesn't accept me as his family. ….
About his late-night dealings, his soft addictions, the pressure he kept behind closed doors. The golden boy. The charming face. The man who could do no wrong in their eyes. But I knew the truth.
Kylan had built his empire on lies. He'd been skimming funds from C Group's biotech division for years—setting up dummy companies and redirecting money into personal accounts overseas. A simple audit would reveal everything.
And I had that audit on my desk—courtesy of a whistleblower within the company who didn't care for the Chirapaisarnsakul family's dominance.
It was time to start breaking them down.
---
The next morning, I summoned Kylan into my office under the guise of a casual meeting. The moment he walked in, he wore that signature smirk, confident in his ability to charm his way out of anything.
Not always, Kylan. As long as I know you.
"Well, if it isn't the newest CEO. How's the throne? Too big for you yet?" Kylan grinned, his tone oozing with condescension.
I didn't smile.
"I called you in, Kylan, because I think it's time we had a conversation about your... extracurricular activities."
His smile faltered, just a fraction. "What are you talking about?"
I slid a thick file across the desk. The label read: C Group Biotech Division – Unauthorized Fund Transfers. Inside was everything I needed to destroy him—bank statements, offshore accounts, unmarked transactions. The web of lies he'd weaved was sitting right in front of him.
His face was drained of color.
"Where did you get this?" Kylan's voice shook now, losing its usual arrogance.
"I have my ways." I leaned back in my chair, eyes narrowing. "You've been siphoning funds from the biotech division for years. And if I wanted, I could expose every transaction and make sure you go down for it."
He clenched his fists, stepping closer, trying to intimidate. "You think I'll let you get away with this? You think you can just... ruin me?"
"I'm not ruining you, Kylan." I stood, matching his anger with a calm that seemed to rattle him. "I'm giving you a chance to ruin yourself. All you need to do is keep pushing. Keep pretending you're above it all. And I'll make sure the world sees the real Kylan Chirapaisarnsakul."
His jaw clenched, his eyes flickering to the door.
"I'm the girl you lost at school fighting," I continued. "And I'm not afraid of making you lose to me for the second time, Kylan Chirapaisarnsakul."
Kylan took a step back, his bravado faltering for the first time in years. "You think they'll believe you? You're just an outsider to this family."
I smiled. "You think you've got the loyalty of this company's board? You think they'll protect you when they see the truth? Because you're right about one thing, Kylan—you're not the golden boy anymore."
With that, I stood up and handed him the file, letting him digest the consequences that now sat on his shoulders. He could go public and fight back, or he could cooperate—and lose his grip on everything. Either way, his power had just evaporated.
"Here's your choice: You can keep pretending like you have it all under control. Or you can come clean, save whatever dignity you have left, and try to survive this."
He stood motionless for a long time, but the cold sweat on his brow told me everything I needed to know.
---
By the end of the day, the weight of the decision was already pressing down on Kylan. I knew he wouldn't dare speak out against me—not now, not when the truth could destroy him in an instant.
As I sat in my office, watching the city fade into twilight, I couldn't help but feel a sense of power building inside me. My family's empire was crumbling from within, and I wasn't just the bystander anymore. I was the force that would burn it all down and rebuild it into something worthy of respect.
I was no longer Moon Fowler.
I was Chao-fa Chirapaisarnsakul, and I had just struck my first blow.