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"What?" Jenny asked in confusion. What did they all do? She hadn't done anything bad, had she?

Her mother stared at her with that unreadable expression that always made it hard to tell what she was thinking. What did she mean?

Her mother leaned forward and steepled her fingers, watching her daughter closely as if she could tell every thought that passed through her head.

Jenny felt as if she'd been sent back in time to when she was a teenager, sitting before a judge who already knew the verdict before she could even present her defence.

"Do you really think I wouldn't notice?" Her mother asked calmly. "I built Apex from the ground up. There's not a move made in this company that I don't see."

"And what are you talking about?" Jenny asked in confusion. "What exactly do you know?"

That was when a knowing smile appeared on her mother's face. "Everything."

"I know that you and Nico had a hand in driving up the price for NovaGen." She said and Jenny's heart skipped a beat. "I know exactly who is behind every rumor floating around the company and who spread them."

She straightened in her chair, her tone now sharper. "I know that Jasmine was behind the sabotage of your division's business deal with FleetForward."

"I know she leaked all of Apex's private information on the company to Harrington & Co, giving them the upper hand and costing the company a significant investment opportunity."

"Yes, I know it all."

Jenny couldn't help it as her jaw tightened and her hand clenched into fists. She gritted her teeth as she glared at her mother. She had expected Jasmine to be behind the loss of FleetForward but there was something else she hadn't expected.

"And you just let it happen?" She asked, incredulously.

Her mother raised a hand, instantly silencing her. "That's not all."

When Jenny was finally silent, she continued. "I also know that you have evidence of Jasmine's actions. Evidence that Nico provided you, which you're holding onto for a rainy day."

Jenny's eyes widened in shock. "How… how do you know that?"

Her mother's smile returned. "I have my methods, Jenny."

She leaned back in her chair, pride radiating from her very action. "Don't forget, I've been playing this game far longer than you or your sister."

Jenny had nothing to say to that. Nothing.

She'd thought she was careful enough, keeping her cards close to her chest, but her mother had seen right through her.

Her mother sighed and Jenny's brows rose. What was going on?!

Clarisse finally spoke, her voice softer. "I've watched the two of you battle for this position. And while I believe competition is healthy, there are lines that should never be crossed. Lines that could damage the company I've built."

Jenny's expression hardened. She could capitalize on this. "That's why I have the evidence. Jasmine may be my sister, but what she did wasn't just an attack on me. It hurt Apex's profits and growth. That's unacceptable."

"And I agree." Clarisse nodded slowly. "But that evidence… it doesn't just hurt Jasmine. It hurts the company as well. If word gets out about this, it would shake investor confidence. It would tarnish Apex's reputation."

"So you're protecting her?" Jenny accused, her voice rising slightly.

"I'm protecting Apex." Clarisse corrected, her tone sharp. "And by protecting Apex, I'm protecting both of you. The means must remain invisible, Jenny."

"If you were to use that evidence against Jasmine, it wouldn't just be her downfall, it would be yours too. The board, the media, the investors, they'd see this family as a liability. They'd see you as someone who can't be trusted to put the company first."

Jenny gritted her teeth. She understood what her mother was talking about. But why did she have to suffer for Jasmine's actions? "And what do you want me to do?" She asked her mother.

"Hand the evidence over to me." Clarisse said. "Let me deal with it."

Jenny hesitated, her grip tightening on the armrests of her chair. "And what happens next?" She asked. "Do you just sweep it under the rug and let Jasmine get away with it?"

Clarisse leaned forward, holding her gaze. "No. I'll take this event into consideration when choosing who will lead Apex."

"From today forward, you and Jasmine will be on equal footing. Her years of experience at Apex will no longer give her an edge, and your relative inexperience will no longer be held against you."

Jenny's eyes narrowed as she stared at her mother. "You're leveling the playing field?"

"Yes." Clarisse nodded. "I knew this battle between the two of you would not be without… some blood drawn. Metaphorically, of course."

"That's why I'm reining it in now. But don't mistake this for leniency. Every move you both make, every decision, every success or failure, I'm watching, and I'm using it to evaluate who deserves to lead Apex."

Jenny's heart was beating so fast, she was almost afraid it'll fly out of her chest. She couldn't believe her ears. "And Jasmine? What happens to her after this?"

"This… incident will count against her. I'm not choosing a leader based on who can tear the other down. I'm choosing based on who can build Apex up."

Jenny stared at her mother, her mind racing as she weighed her options. Defying her mother here would also count against her and that may be the most important metric for choosing who'll lead Apex. The person who would listen to her.

Finally, Jenny nodded. "Fine. I'll hand over the evidence."

"Good." Clarisse smiled at her daughter. "You've made the right choice."

"That's all well and good but I want something too." Jenny said.

Clarisse paused, staring at her daughter. "What do you want?"

"The audit. I want it stopped."

"That's… reasonable." Clarisse nodded. "Very well. I'll stop the audit. You may go."

Jenny nodded and stood, feeling like she'd just lost a very important weapon. But she also knew that she'd gained something just as important. A level playing field and the knowledge that her mother knew of all of Jasmine's transgressions.

As she moved towards the door, her mother's voice stopped her.

"Jenny?"

"Yes?" She paused, turning around to look at her mother.

"Don't forget what I told you." Her mother said seriously. "The means must remain invisible."

Jenny gave her a nod and left the office.

Now alone in the office, Clarisse leaned back in her chair and sighed. Both her daughters had good intentions. The execution was just the problem.

She sat up straight and picked up the phone on her desk, dialing Martin. The moment he answered, she gave her command. "Stop the audit. Effective immediately."

She was queen and only she would be the queen maker.