Her mother's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Fine. But if you're leaving, you're leaving everything behind. Most of what you own was bought with MY money anyway."Sarah set down her bag without argument."And I mean everything, Sarah. Don't think you're taking anything that belongs to this family."Her mother's eyes fell on Sarah's jewelry—simple pearl earrings and a delicate necklace."The necklace was from Michael," Sarah said quietly, touching it protectively."Then the earrings and those expensive shoes better come off. Now."Sarah removed the earrings and slipped off her shoes, setting them on the floor."And that jacket. That was a birthday gift from me two years ago."Sarah took off the jacket, standing in just her jeans and shirt."Everything, I said." Her mother gestured to the shirt. "That blouse cost a hundred and fifty dollars. I paid for it."Sarah's hands moved to the hem of her shirt, and Grandmother finally stood up."Tina, that's enough.""It's not enough! She's choosing

Within thirty minutes, Michael's hospital room had been transformed into a makeshift war room. The manager had brought in a portable whiteboard, several laptops, and stacks of investor profiles. Sarah sat in a chair beside Michael's bed, her own laptop open, while the manager stood by the whiteboard with a marker."Alright," the manager began, writing names on the board. "We have six major investors who are wavering after the scandal. These are the people we need to reassure if we want to stabilize the stock price and maintain confidence in the company."He pointed to the first name. "First is the Chen Group—they hold about eight percent of our shares. Then we have the Blackstone Alliance at twelve percent, followed by—""Wait," Michael interrupted. "What about the anonymous investor? The one my uncle could never reach?"The manager looked uncomfortable. "You mean the royal family connection? Sir, that one is basically off the table. They're notoriously private, almost impossible to c

"Perhaps. But my investors are becoming nervous. If the value continues to drop, we will need to renegotiate our price. Substantially downward.""That won't be necessary. I'm handling the situation.""I certainly hope so, Mr. Thompson. Because if the depreciation continues, we may need to reconsider the entire arrangement. My investors don't purchase failing enterprises.""The company is not failing. I'll prove it to you within the week.""Four days, you said? Until your board meeting?""Yes.""Then I will wait four days. But Mr. Thompson? If the company's value drops any further, or if this scandal grows worse, I walk away. And I take my fourteen billion dollar offer with me. Understood?""Understood."Isaac hung up and resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. Everything was falling apart. The stocks weren't crashing like they should be. Michael had somehow stabilized investor confidence with his pathetic press conference performance. The foreign buyer was getting cold f

Sarah burst out of the manager's car before it had fully stopped, her heart pounding with worry."Mrs. Thompson, wait! Your phone—"But she was already running toward the house, too frantic to hear him. The manager watched her disappear through the front door, then glanced at the back seat where her phone and handbag lay forgotten. He'd give her a few minutes, then bring them to her.Inside, Sarah found her mother in the living room, doubled over with tears streaming down her face."Where's Grandmother? What happened?"Her mother looked up, her face contorted with grief and anger. "This is all your fault, Sarah! All of it! Your grandmother is in this condition because of you and that husband of yours!""Just tell me where she is!""Upstairs—no, wait. We had to move her to the spare room down the hall. She needed fresher air."Sarah didn't wait for more explanation. She rushed toward the hallway, her mother following close behind. The spare room door was slightly ajar, and Sarah could

Michael slowly lowered the phone from his ear, a smile playing across his lips like a predator who'd just cornered his prey."Excellent work, Santiago. The tip-off was perfectly timed."Santiago leaned forward with obvious curiosity. "Was Isaac caught?""No. Isaac isn't someone who can be caught alive—he'd rather die than surrender. But that wasn't the point. This was about reminding him that there are two players in this game, not just one. He's been on the offensive for too long. It's time he remembers what it feels like to be hunted.""He sounded rattled on that call.""Good. Desperate men make mistakes."Alex, the young programmer, looked up from his laptop with an excited expression. "Mr. Thompson! I found it!""The video source?""Yes, sir. It was leaked to an anonymous underground site, but I introduced a virus that let me hack into their backend system. I traced the original upload."Michael sat up straighter despite the pain in his ribs. "Where did it come from?""A hospital