Phoenix sat in her new office at U&K Clothing and Fashion, her hands running over the polished wood desk as she took in her surroundings. Although confident in her position, yet she felt an undercurrent of hostility from the people loyal to Fern and Berla. A sense of satisfaction filled her—this was her domain now.
But she knew that victory came with a price, and she couldn’t let her guard down, especially with Fern and Berla lurking in the background. She remained firm, driven by her determination to prove herself as more than just a placeholder in her father's company.
Today, with her new managerial role, she had full access to the company's resources—and the power to disrupt Fern’s influence. However, she noticed subtle resistance from employees who had long been loyal to Fern and Berla.
Knowing this loyalty could undermine her plans, she decided to take a calculated risk by calling a meeting with Fern’s closest allies in the company. Blodly stating out her leadership and slowly islolating Fern's influence within the company.
As she spoke, Phoenix felt a mixture of nerves and satisfaction. The tension in the room was almost palpable, but a small flicker of doubt remained—could she really win everyone over, or was Fern’s hold on the company too strong?
This and alot more kept haunting down her thoughts. Irish was the only one she could confine in at the moment. But in her moments of quiet, thoughts of Irish lingered. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his troubled past was far more complicated than he let on. 
She still hadn't penetrated through his thick fences of cover.She kept thinking. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was Irish, asking her to meet him in his office.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Irish had yet received another message from his blackmailer. This time, the message hinted at revealing details of Givonna’s murder to the local press. The image attached—a darkened photo of the very room where she had died—sent a chill down his spine.
The words “Your sins are crawling back” were scrawled across the image. Irish’s hand shook as he stared at the screen. He knew he had to act fast, but he couldn’t afford to involve Phoenix or Zaylee. Yet, he was losing confidence in handling this alone.
Just then, his phone buzzed again, and a cryptic message appeared: “Don’t worry, Irish. Help is closer than you think.” This sent his mind reeling—could someone know about his plans with Phoenix?
Phoenix walked in to find Irish tense, his jaw clenched as he stared at a small, ominous envelope on his desk. His face softened slightly as he saw her, but the worry didn’t fade from his eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly, nodding toward the envelope.
Irish gave a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah~ just a document i need to work on” he muttered, his voice breaking slightly as he quickly put it away. Trying to keep its content away from her but Phoneix unintentionally caught a glimpse.
A photo showing a lady's face marked with red ink, scrawled with the words “Guilty as sin.”
Phoenix’s expression turned hard. “ Is there something i need to know?~ we promised not to keep secrets.” Her statement caught him off guard as she settled down.
He hesitated for a moment but then Irish  finally nodded, visibly rattled. “It’s almost like they’re watching. They know exactly what’ll get under my skin. But I can’t afford for this to come out—it would ruin my father and…destroy everything I’ve built.”
Phoenix met his gaze, her voice firm yet quite confused. His eyes basically gave out everything but his mouth felt heavyweight. It seemed he had alot to share but still need time to pull his thoughts together.
“ I understand~ you can explain more further when you are ready. I can wait" She assured with an understanding smile. " ...but till then let’s find out who this is before they go any further, huh?.”
Irish was marvelled at her words and nodded with a smile. He felt sorry and apologetic but happy enough to have her on his side. Even though he didn't say much she understood him pretty well.
The two discussed the threat in low tones, but their conversation was interrupted by Zaylee, who entered without knocking. Her eyes flicked between Irish and Phoenix, taking in their closeness with a smirk.
“Am I interrupting something? I just came by to congratulate the new manager and check in with the boss,” Zaylee said, her words laced with sarcasm.
Phoenix kept her expression neutral. “We were just finishing up. But thank you, Zaylee. I’m sure we’ll be working closely on projects soon.”
Zaylee forced a smile but narrowed her eyes, clearly annoyed. As she left, Phoenix glanced at Irish. “She doesn’t trust us. We’ll need to keep an eye on her.”
Later that afternoon, Phoenix’s plan to unsettle Fern and Berla began in earnest. She instructed her assistant to circulate a memo about an “upcoming reorganization of teams and roles.” Fern’s name was conspicuously absent from the list of future leaders, while Berla’s was given a minor, almost insignificant role.
As Phoenix passed by their office, she caught sight of Fern and Berla huddled together, their faces pale and brows knitted with worry. Fern shot her a venomous look as she walked by, but Phoenix just smiled serenely. She had them right where she wanted them. 
Night soon came rolling down the sun. The office apartment was almost empty with just a few workers getting ready to clock out for the day. Zaylee and Phoneix were among the few.
Phoneix sigh in relief as she stepped out of her office. " Finally, a moment to rest." She smiled, heading off towards the elevator.
Just as she was about to step into the elevator, Phoenix was swept back into the corridors of the office. Her tone was sharp, and her eyes, filled with suspicion and jealousy.
" You again?~ What the hell do you want from me?" Phoenix angrily yelled.
“What’s really going on between you and Irish?” Zaylee demanded. “I see the way he looks at you. You’re using him, aren’t you?”
Phoenix’s eyes narrowed. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, Zaylee. Irish and I are…working together. That’s all.”
Zaylee scoffed. “Don’t act innocent. First Del, now Irish. Do you always manipulate people to get what you want?”
Phoenix held her gaze. “Maybe you should stop worrying about Irish and focus on your own life, Zaylee. I don’t owe you an explanation.” She walked past Zaylee, leaving her seething and even more suspicious.