Liquidating the assets?A frown appeared on Rosalind’s face.She hadn’t expected something this severe. An internal dispute was one thing, but liquidating assets, this was far worse than she’d imagined.Rosalind leaned back, the leather of her chair creaking as her thoughts shifted from the ghost of her ex-husband to the cold reality of a boardroom mutiny.“Give me the name, Chloe. Who’s burning down the house to spite the neighbors?”“It’s Cruz Ashby,” Chloe replied, her fingers swiping rapidly across the tablet. “He’s been with the company since the merger, but in the last seventy-two hours he’s dumped nearly forty percent of his holdings through offshore brokers. The volume is staggering.”Rosalind’s eyes narrowed.Ashby was a shark, but a predictable one.He didn’t move like this unless someone had promised him a bigger ocean, or a way off a sinking ship.“Ashby isn’t just backing out; he’s being extracted,” Rosalind said. “Someone is paying him to leave a mess behind. I want a f

Sean pulled the matte-black Spectre into a reserved spot in front of The Collector’s Vault. He didn’t turn the engine off immediately. Instead, he sat in the cabin's quiet, eyes fixed on the side-view mirror.He had seen her.Even through the filtered glass of two high-end vehicles, he would recognize the curve of Rosalind’s profile anywhere.“Rosalind,” he murmured, his grip tightening on the steering wheel for a fleeting second.He watched the silver sedan disappear around the corner toward the main Acheron lobby.Part of him wondered what she was doing in this part of town; it wasn’t her usual territory. Then he shook his head, clearing the thought.He didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on his ex-wife’s business. Whatever had brought her here, she could handle herself.“Well,” Sean sighed, relaxing his shoulders, “I didn’t come here for her. I have a mission from a much more demanding boss.”He stepped out of the car, the butterfly door closing with a soft, expensive hiss. His

Inside the soundproofed office, the air felt thick and stagnant, charged with the static of a brewing storm.Rosalind held her ground, spine rigid as the steel beams of the building itself.Across from her, Cruz Ashby leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin, watching her with the predatory patience of a man who believed he held all the high cards.“Rosalind, look at the bigger picture,” Cruz said, his voice slipping into a smooth, practiced cadence meant to soothe. He tilted his head, faint, synthetic concern etched across his features.“The Springfield name is tarnished. The market is already reacting to rumors of Nate’s departure. If you fight me, you only accelerate the collapse. But if you walk away now, I can ensure a soft landing for your personal accounts. Think of your mother… she’s always bragging about you. Think of the lifestyle your brothers are accustomed to.”Rosalind’s upper lip curled in pure disgust. She didn’t blink, her gaze boring into his wit

Sean stood on the corner of the industrial block, his eyes scanning the storefronts, a frustrated tightness coiling in his chest. He had already checked three different shops, and the limited edition was nowhere to be found. Every clerk had offered the same sympathetic shrug: “Sold out within the first ten minutes of the drop, man.”He pulled out his phone, hovering over a second-hand marketplace app. A few listings appeared, but the prices were inflated, and the boxes looked worn. He shook his head, dismissing the idea instantly. Liana’s immune system was still fragile, her body recovering from the neurological bridge; he couldn’t risk bringing a used, dust-caked item into her sterile environment. She deserved something pristine. Something new.‘I’ll have to try the warehouse districts further north,’ Sean thought, tucking the phone away. ‘Or maybe call in a favor from the Shell’s procurement line.’He began walking back toward the matte-black Spectre, his mind already calculat

He accelerated, the car gliding toward the edge of the block. He could drive away, find that Star-Gazer figure, go home to Liana, and let the Springfield empire burn.It wasn’t his burden anymore. But then the image of Rosalind flashed in his mind, not the cold CEO, but the woman who had once been his wife. Despite the bitterness and distance, his internal compass hadn’t shifted. He wasn’t doing it for the company, and he certainly wasn’t doing it for Chloe. A person was being hunted in the dark, and only he could stop the predators. He didn’t turn back, refusing to give Chloe the satisfaction of seeing him return.The car banked hard to the right, cutting through a narrow service alley behind the Acheron complex.He killed the lights, and the matte-black Spectre vanished into the shadows of towering concrete walls.The vehicle came to a silent halt near the industrial waste units.Stepping out, he closed the door with a muted click, eyes immediately scanning the vertical face of th