PRESENT

Kate was lying on her bed and thinking about all her childhood memories and how different she was back then when suddenly she heard her mom opening her bedroom door slightly. A sudden instinct of hers told her not to get up and she didn't.

After her mom left her room, Kate came closer to the door to check on her mother and heard her talking to someone on the phone.

(whispering)" I told you not to call me! Are you stupid! What if she hears us? I'm sending you money every month! What do you want now? So what if you have finished it? I am not supposed to take care of you."

"Fine. I'll wire it tomorrow. Get lost and do not call me again!"

After the call ended Kate quickly ran to her bed and pulled up the covers and acted as if she is sleeping. Her mom opened the door and checked if she was still sleeping. After observing her for a few seconds she closed the door and left.

Kate popped her head out of her covers and thought to herself about what she just heard. It was half past one and instead of sleeping her mom was on a call about which she didn't want Kate to know. Her mom's behavior had always been abnormal but it was getting weirder. She decided to investigate what exactly was going on instead of directly confronting her mom. Thinking this, she went back to sleep.

Kate got up in the morning, washed up, got ready and made herself some breakfast and then left for work. She was always on odds with her mom so she never used to bid her a goodbye and after what she heard the previous night, she would find it even more awkward. After graduating, she even thought of living away from her mom but her mom threatened to take her own life if she did so. Hence, she was stuck with her.

In twenty minutes, a sleek yet low key Bentley Continental GT pulled outside a building of one of the top corporations in the country, the Phoenix Corporation. The company came into existence only two years back but soared just like it's name. They invested in projects everyone thought would go in the drains but in the end always flourished. Initially, the company was just in the investment sector, but within a year, they expanded to IT, media and entertainment, retail and real estate. There wasn't a name in the industry that could offend them without wounding their own structure, and all of this was the brains of just a 21 year old, Kate Brooke, making her the youngest CEO in the country.

When she started off, a lot of people tried taking advantage of her and tried pulling her leg and shoving her aside thinking a woman wasn't meant to be in the business world and won't be able to handle the ruthlessness of the industry. Little did they know, she was already accustomed to it and ready to deal with it. Steadily yet lethally, she dealt with all her enemies, to the point that she was called 'The Ruthless Queen' and no one dared to stand in her path, for she would destroy them.

Kate stepped out of her car, wore her sunglasses, mask and her cap and went straight towards the private elevator. She always loved to stay low key and never liked to show her face in public. So even though everyone knew who she was, very few trusted people had seen her face. Not even her employees had ever seen her face and she preferred to stay like that - a mysterious person with just a name. A hat, sunglasses and a mask was like her copyright look and everyone would know it was her. Who would even want to copy the ruthless queen's look? No one wanted to die too early.

A person once threatened her by saying that he was Kate Brooke's brother and tried to get his way around her. What he didn't realize was that he was talking to Kate Brooke himself. Long story short, he was sent home where his wife lashed out on him showing him the contents she had received in an envelope when she came back home from work. It had nude photos of him with multiple women. She divorced him and as the house was under her name he was left on the streets. The next day, some men came and chopped off both his arms, the ones that wanted to get their way around with Kate and the entire matter was then covered up.

Kate entered her office on the 22nd floor, the topmost. Her office was simple yet elegant. The walls were made of ceiling to floor shatter and bullet proof glass which gave a beautiful view of the city. The other side of the office had mahogany colored walls with sound proofing. Another side had a large bookshelf made of pink ivory with books ranging from business to autobiographies. In the center was a large desk. A small plant on her glass table, some neatly piled documents in another corner. In the right corner of the table was a diamond encrusted gold plate which read 'Kate Brooke CEO'

Kate was watching the street outside through the window when her assistant Lyanna, came in.

"Good morning ma'am, a man came last night at the reception and told he wanted to see you. The receptionist denied to provide any information but he's being persistent and said he won't leave until he sees you. I spoke to him and he just asked me to tell you his name was Ken."

"Ken?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I see. I'll see to it. Let him stay there, I'll think whether I want to meet him or not."

"Okay ma'am. "

Lyanna was about to get back to her desk when Kate suddenly spoke -

"Lyanna, I have thought about it. Throw him out. If he still tries to get in, you know what to do."

A devilish grin came on Kate's face and Lyanna felt as if the temperature in the room suddenly dropped by a few degrees. She shuddered a bit even though she knew about this side of the ruthless queen.

"Yes ma'am. I do."

Lyanna left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Kate alone in her office.

Very few people knew what exactly happened to Kate and why she suddenly became so ruthless and cold hearted. The truth was she used to love everyone and have fun with everyone, help everyone, until the same people pushed her into a pit and made her life a living hell. She was still thankful to all those who helped her in those grave times. Those days were the final days of the sweet, happy-go-lucky Kate Brooke and the birth of the ruthless queen.

Ken. Ashton Ken, the person who ruined her seemingly perfect life but also the one because of whom Kate was who she was now, the only reason she didn't skin him alive till now. Him suddenly showing up at her door after all these years made her think of her high school days where it all started.