At a private exclusive club, Mr. Hayes placed a thick folder on the mahogany table. “Richard, Eleanor, this is the final outline. The ceremony logistics are aligned with the merger contract and nothing deviates.”Richard Sterling leaned forward. “Our political allies are briefed. Once the vows are exchanged, the government contract will flow directly to us. The timing is exact.”Eleanor adjusted her notes. “Cassandra has been directed to follow the script without resistance. She will not deviate from the lines Liam rehearsed.”Hayes gave a single nod. “Good. Once the signatures are exchanged, the financial press will be notified, and the Sterling-Hayes alliance becomes irreversible.”At the opposite end of the club, Marjorie leaned against the bar, speaking to two senior members. “Nathan’s absence guarantees everything. He’s not here for the wedding, not here for the board. It’s proof he no longer stands with us.”One member frowned. “So he abandoned the company?”“That’s what everyon

Cassandra approached with a velvet box. “The jeweler delivered the rings.”Eleanor gestured sharply. “Show us.”Cassandra opened the box carefully. Two bands rested inside—one gold, one platinum.“This is the final selection,” Cassandra said. “Simple, discreet, exactly as requested. No engraving, no personalization.”Richard leaned forward. “Appropriate. The symbolism is corporate, not sentimental.”Hayes inspected them briefly. “Approved.”Eleanor fixed Cassandra with a hard stare. “You’ll carry them to the registrar without question.”Cassandra nodded. “I will. The wedding rings are finalized.”The chandeliers blazed above the crowded ballroom as Mr. Hayes lifted his glass.“Tonight,” he said, voice cutting across the applause, “we celebrate not only family but progress. This pre-wedding reception marks more than our children's marriage, it marks the completion of the Hayes–Sterling merger, ensuring the future of Hayes Telecom.”Guests raised their glasses, murmuring approval. Eleano

Two days later at the Hayes library, the doors shut with a soft thud, the mahogany table in the center, stacked with contracts, laptops glowing with charts and figures. Mr. Hayes stood at the head.“Gentlemen,” he said, glancing around at the directors before locking eyes on Liam, “we begin the future here. The merger has been celebrated, but now it must be executed. Liam will assume leadership of our next billion-dollar expansion in telecom. Integration of regional carriers, deployment of new satellites, and absorption of infrastructure—all of it falls under his authority.”There was a rustle of approval. A director whispered, “The right choice.” Another nodded, already recalculating shares in his head.Liam straightened, forcing his shoulders not to sag under the weight. “I’ll deliver, sir.”“You must,” Mr. Hayes said flatly. “This is not symbolic. This is war disguised as business. Fail, and our competitors will tear us apart. Succeed, and we dominate communication across the conti

The private club had been chosen precisely for its neutrality. Discreet, luxurious, and tucked away in the city’s old district, it carried the kind of quiet opulence that promised both anonymity and influence. Liam sat alone in a corner booth, a leather folder open before him. He had been staring at the contracts for half an hour, eyes lingering on one particular clause—another adjustment that tilted advantage subtly, but undeniably, toward the Sterling suppliers.At first glance it was ordinary: a vendor exclusivity clause framed as “stability assurance.” But reading it in the silence of the club, without Cassandra’s patient explanations distracting him, it gnawed at his instincts. Why did it always seem to come back to Sterling partners?He rubbed his temple, replaying Cassandra’s voice from earlier in the week.“It’s standard practice, Liam. Ensures smooth logistics. You don’t want bottlenecks at this scale.”It had sounded reasonable then. Now, he wasn’t so sure.The folder snapp

The Sterling mansion’s library was a cathedral of old wealth—floor-to-ceiling shelves of leather-bound volumes, gilt-framed portraits of ancestors glaring down, and the faint aroma of tobacco woven into the oak paneling. It was here, in the shadow of such legacy, that Eleanor conducted her most delicate work.Cassandra sat opposite her at the long mahogany table, a slim laptop open, the glow reflecting off her pale face. She had just finished walking Eleanor through the latest revisions.Eleanor leaned forward, glasses perched low on her nose, as she scanned the clauses.“Excellent,” she murmured, tapping the screen with a manicured nail. “You’ve learned subtlety at last. No one could accuse this language of favoritism, yet the outcome is inevitable. Sterling maintains supplier exclusivity, disguised as operational stability. Beautiful.”Cassandra lowered her gaze. Praise from Eleanor always felt like a double-edged sword. “I tried to make it less obvious. Liam has been… paying closer