Chapter 21Victor shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with rage. A storm of anxiety and fury surged through him as he locked eyes with Alex… only to freeze when he saw the ring raised high in Alex’s hand.He slowly glanced down at the one on his own finger, the same one he had proudly flaunted all this while, and his face flushed with fury as the bitter realization struck. It wasn’t as authentic as the one Alex was holding. It wasn’t even close.“That bastard,” he hissed under his breath, his anger boiling over. His eyes darted again to his ring. “He’s been lying to me all along. How the hell didn’t I see through it?”Alex’s voice rang out again, sharp and commanding, cutting through the tension in the hall.“This ring I hold is the true Wellington heirloom. What he’s wearing is a cheap imitation. And I’m ready to prove it.”Gasps rippled through the room as stunned murmurs spread like wildfire.Victor couldn’t contain himself any longer. He stormed up to the podium, ripped the mic fro

Chapter 23Alex dashed into the basement, but what he didn't expect was to see Marcus standing there, with a girl bound with thick ropes round a chair.He stepped forward, his jaw tight as he aimed towards Marcus, his gun already positioned towards him.But before he could get any closer, two men cornered him, their guns positioned at his head. Then Marcus turned, and that was when he saw Alex standing there, with his men gathered around him.He smirked, approaching him slowly. “Well, well, well,” he drawled. “Look who we have here. The almighty Golden boy is here in our territory.”“You… you also have a hand in this?” Alex's eyes widened as he raised his head up towards Marcus.Marcus's grin spread wider across his lips. He marched forward, his smile fading to a cold glare. “Surprised, aren't you?” He circled him slowly, running a hand through his hair. Then he stopped in front of him, just enough to lock eyes with him. “Now, what brings you to my territory?”Alex clenched his teet

Chapter 25Alex darted towards the door. “Board meeting. Now!” he called over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hallway.By the time he arrived at the boardroom an hour later, everyone was already seated… waiting.Low murmurs echoed through the room the moment he stepped in, dozens of eyes following him like a predator.He strode to his seat and sat down, his gaze immediately locking with Reginald Hale, the senior board member seated beside him. Then he looked ahead at the rest of the board, his expression hard and composed.“I called this meeting to address the chaos we've been experiencing across the empire recently,” he began, his voice steady as his eyes scanned the room. “We all know this is nothing but sabotage… lies planted by a rival. It's no cause for alarm, I can…”“If anyone here’s lying, Alex, it’s you.” Reginald cut in, leaning forward with a cold glare. “We can’t sit by while this company bleeds. Our stock value is plummeting by the day. Investors are walking away.