Derrick watched her for a moment, then looked ahead again.“We’ll find a way through it,” he said quietly without no hesitation or doubt.Just certainty.Ivy turned to him, studying his face as though weighing the sincerity behind his words. Then, slowly, she nodded.“I know,” she said.And for some reason, she meant it.A few steps later, Derrick’s fingers shifted, lacing with hers gently.She glanced down briefly, then back up, her expression softening as she let her hand rest in his.Together, they continued walking.It wasn’t long before figures appeared ahead, approaching from opposite end.Derrick squinted slightly. “Ivy?”She followed his gaze, and recognition dawned almost immediately. "Dora?”“And Frederick,” Derrick added.As the distance between them closed, smiles formed naturally on both sides."Long time no see!” Dora exclaimed, her voice bright as they met midway.She stepped forward, pulling Ivy into a quick, warm embrace.Frederick nodded at Derrick, extending a hand.

"No they won't," Derrick replied. "Not really though. We just need to convince them enough to stand against him today. Perhaps he'd be pressured to sell off some of the shares."Ivy frowned slightly. “That won’t be easy either. First off, if he’s leading, chances are he’s already spoken to some of them.”“Maybe,” Derrick said. “But not all.”He paused, his expression sharpening. “Even if he has… influence isn’t loyalty.”That hung in the air for a second.Ivy studied him, something about the way he said it made her think deeper.“You think we can turn them?” she asked.Derrick didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he turned back to the screen, zooming into the shareholder chart. He stared at the names, percentages and ratio differences."A faint smirk touched his lips.“Not all of them,” he said. “We don’t need all.”He pointed lightly at the screen. "We just the right ones.”Ivy stepped closer, her shoulder nearly brushing his as she followed his gaze.“Which ones?” she asked.Derrick’

"It is time," Mr. Elvis said with a smile. "Time to move this great company to the future." He said it in a manner that depicted that he only needed to believe it, and that was all. Derrick didn't indulge him on it. He simply moved past the statement as though it was nothing beyond background noise. He walked deeper into the room with unhurried strides, his attention shifting to the table and the arrangements of seats. He didn't even spare as much as a glance at Elvis' direction as he pulled out a seat and sat. Then he rested a hand lightly against the table as he adjusted his chair. He leaned back slightly and crossed a leg over the other, his gaze lowered just enough to suggest that Elvis didn't matter as much as the man thought he did. Ivy followed his lead without hesitation. She stepped forward and took the seat beside him, her movements measured, though the tension in her shoulders had not entirely faded. For a brief moment, her eyes flicked toward Elvis. But she quickly

Ivy instantly rose to her feet. "No," she whispered in complete shock. "This isn't...no." Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, as if her body needed something to anchor itself to while her mind caught up. Across the table, Ma Lorenzo rose to her feet as well. But the quiet composure that had defined earlier vanished as her eyes settled fully on her grandson. For the first time since she stepped into the boardroom, her control completely slipped. “No…” The word came low, almost involuntary, as though it had escaped before she could decide whether to allow it. “No, that is not possible.” The attention of the entire room shifted to Moses right then, as no one believed what was going on. He approached the head of the table and took the seat right at the vacant head chair. As he settled, his gaze lifted and found the eyes of his cousin. Then he deliberately smiled and winked at her. Ivy held his gaze, though the shock had not fully left her yet. "Right about time," Elvis sai

For a moment after the order was given—Nothing happened.The two security men stood at the entrance, shoulders squared out of habit rather than certainty. Their hands hovered near their sides, not quite clenched, not quite relaxed. Their eyes moved—first to Moses, then to Dominic, then, almost instinctively, to Ma Lorenzo.Back again.Moses.Dominic.Ma Lorenzo.The axis of power in the room had shifted—but not cleanly. Not in a way they could follow.Confusion sat plainly on their faces, unhidden, untrained.Because authority, to them, had never been a question before.It had always been her.And now—Now it wasn’t clear.Moses watched them hesitate.Watched the uncertainty ripple through the room again, softer this time, but no less dangerous.So he moved.Deliberate.Measured.He stepped away from the overturned chair, brushing an invisible speck of dust from his sleeve as though nothing of consequence had occurred. Then he turned—not to the guards—but to the projector still glowi