After that, the Thorne family found themselves at the center of even more scandals. Every shady business Cole had uncovered in his earlier

investigations was now dragged into the light, especially those

connected to Fortune’s operations.

In less than a month, half the Thorne family was behind bars. The rest, faced with ruin, had no choice but to flee the country and live abroad under assumed names.

The once–glorious Thorne dynasty copsed overnight, quickly bing the hottest topic of conversation among industry insiders.

Meanwhile, Alessia and Cole’s reputations soared, and their influence only grew stronger thanks to the downfall of their rivals.

Anyone with even a hint of a questionable past quickly cleaned up their act, terrified of ending up like the Thornes. But far more people scrambled to cozy up to Alessia and Cole, hoping to get a piece of their

pie.

You don’t reach the top of this world by being foolish. Rather than making powerful enemies, everyone knew it was safer–much more profitable, too–to strike up mutually beneficial alliances.

The Thorne family’s demise, paired with the meteoric rise of Alessia and Cole’spanies, sent a clear warning throughout the industry. Everyone kept their guard up, watching and waiting, but no one dared make a reckless move.

In the blink of an eye, four years of college hade to an end.

Alessia graduated with a double major, but she wasn’t ready to stop. She’d secured a spot in a prestigious graduate program and nned to keep pushing forward.

Esme decided to return to her hometown to be a teacher. She had no grand ambitions–just a desire for a simple, steady life, close to her parents, giving back in her own quiet way.

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Mia, on the other hand, had switched majors during sophomore year, pursuing her passion for digital media. She put her skills and personality to work byunching a beauty channel online, quickly amassing a loyal following. By a twist of fate, an agent from A&C Entertainment spotted her, though Alessia herself only heard about itter.

But Mia turned the offer down–even knowing it was Alessia’spany.

Her reasoning was simple: “Every employee eventually resents their boss, no matter how nice. Let’s stay friends instead.”

Alessia respected her choicepletely. She even joked that when Mia started her ownpany one day, she hoped her first coboration would be with one of Alessia’s artists.

As for Joyce, she had hoped to continue her studies, but reality got in the way. Her family’s situation made it impossible for her to afford grad school. Even though she’d never taken a dime from home during college–in fact, she’d sent money back from her internships–it wasn’t enough to change her circumstances.

After graduation, she chose not to stay at Quantum Flux. Instead, she joined Lillian White’s team–a decision the three friends carefully weighed together.

Since the debacle with Candace, Lillian had given up on training new talent, taking on nearly all the work herself to avoid being betrayed again. Alessia was also on the lookout for a reliable second–inmand, but trustworthy candidates with enough experience were hard toe by. Eventually, her attention settled on Joyce, though she kept her thoughts to herself and quietly watched Joyce grow.

Thanks to Alessia’s mentorship and her internship at Quantum Flux, Joyce was no longer the shy, uncertain girl fresh from a small town. She’d be confident, meticulous, and reliable. Even when she made mistakes–as everyone does–she never made the same one twice. In many ways, she reminded Alessia of Vera at the start of her own career.

When the moment was right, Alessia made her move. After a series of

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thoughtful discussions, Joyce agreed to join Lillian.

Lillian trusted Alessia’s judgment implicitly and invested a great deal in Joyce’s development. Joyce, in turn, never let them down. She never itook /iadvantage of her friendship with Alessia, staying humble and

professional, drawing clear boundaries between their personal and professional lives. Even within thepany, her attitude toward Alessia was always respectful but appropriately distant, maintaining a healthy line between friendship and work.