The Assistant

My brother Liam, always looking out for me, took a side gig at a Hamptons party to help with my college tuition. Now, he's just a footnote in some socialite's messy life. They called it an accidental drowning.

Brittany, the hostess, shoved him. Her rich family swept it under the rug with their money. I stood in our crummy apartment, his work boots mocking me. It wasn't sadness I felt, but a cold, hard rage. He deserved justice.

I researched Brittany: spoiled, cruel, and obsessed with Chad, a tech guru in Silicon Valley. He was her ultimate prize, her weakness. The news stories about Liam were sanitized garbage; Brittany's name barely mentioned. The injustice burned me.

Then, Innovatech, Chad's company, was hiring. An executive assistant position. A long shot, but Brittany living her life consequence-free fueled me. I packed a bag, leaving Philly behind.

I landed the job. Executive Assistant to Chad, CEO.

Now, Brittany's constant presence, her manipulations, was clear. She found fault with everything I did. Criticized me through Chad, workplace bullying 101. I took it, silently, waiting.

Then, the slap. "He's mine," she hissed. Everything suddenly escalated. When Brittany tried to humiliate me, Chad finally saw her for what she was.

But Brittany was not one to go quietly. She wanted Chad so bad. When I decided to get my revenge, I knew that, in turn I am playing with fire.

What I did not know was that getting revenge would have me find the real cause of my brother's death and some unexpected helpers on the revenge journey.

1

The Hamptons air, usually crisp with salt and money, felt thick, suffocating Ava.

Liam, her brother, her rock, was dead.

He'd been working a side gig at one of those lavish parties.

Extra cash for her college tuition, he'd said, always looking out for her.

Now, he was a line in a socialite's messy narrative.

Brittany. The name tasted like ash in Ava's mouth.

Witnesses, hushed and bought, spoke of a drunken argument. Brittany, in a fit of pique over a spilled drink on her expensive dress, had shoved Liam. He'd stumbled, hit his head, and fallen into the pool.

The official story? Accidental drowning.

Brittany's powerful East Coast family had seen to that. Their money washed away uncomfortable truths like the tide.

Ava stood in their small Philadelphia apartment, Liam's worn work boots by the door. Grief was a cold, hard knot in her chest. It wasn't just sadness; it was a burning rage.

Justice. Liam deserved it. Brittany would pay.

Ava spent weeks in a daze, then a cold clarity settled in.

She researched Brittany. Lavish lifestyle, impulsive, cruel. And obsessed with one man: Chad, a tech CEO in Silicon Valley.

Brittany saw Chad as her ultimate prize.

He was Brittany's weakness. Ava's way in.

The newspaper clippings about Liam's "accident" were sparse, sanitized. Brittany's name was barely a footnote, protected.

Ava learned Chad's company, "Innovatech," was hiring. An executive assistant position.

It was a long shot, a desperate leap. But the thought of Brittany living her life, consequence-free, fueled Ava.

She packed a single bag, leaving behind the life Liam had worked so hard to help her build.

Philadelphia's familiar streets faded behind her; California's uncertainty lay ahead.

Silicon Valley was a different world. Sleek, fast, impersonal.

Ava polished her resume, practiced her interview answers. She highlighted her organizational skills, her quick learning, her discretion.

She poured over Innovatech's public records, Chad's interviews. She learned his preferences, his work style, the company culture.

Luck played a part. The previous EA had quit abruptly.

Ava, calm and prepared, aced the interview. Mr. Thompson, a senior executive, conducted the final round. He was older, sharp, with eyes that seemed to see more than he let on. He asked pointed questions, testing her resolve.

She got the job. Executive Assistant to Chad, CEO. Step one.

The first few weeks were a blur of meetings, schedules, and Chad's relentless pace.

He was charismatic, a golden boy of tech, but emotionally reserved. Used to admiration, used to getting his way.

Ava was efficient, almost invisible. She anticipated his needs, solved problems before he knew they existed.