The next day at noon, Joshua met Sherry and Kate at the project venue, a wide, open space still under construction, scaffolding and lighting rigs suspended overhead in various stages of assembly."There he is," Sherry said, waving him over with a bright smile. "We were starting to think you'd bailed on us.""Wouldn't dream of it," Joshua said.Their professional meeting quickly became lively as both women presented different ideas for the project."I think the opening sequence needs more energy," Sherry said, pulling up a storyboard on her tablet. "Something that grabs attention in the first ten seconds, or we lose half the audience before the real content even starts.""Or," Kate cut in, sliding her own folder across the table, "we lean into a slower build. Let the anticipation do the work instead of overwhelming people right out of the gate. Data shows audiences respond better to a controlled reveal.""Data from three years ago," Sherry said, arching an eyebrow. "Attention spans hav

She slid a page across the desk. Joshua glanced down at it, his expression shifting subtly as he read the name printed at the top."The Caldwell family," Joshua said quietly."Specifically, a private medical consultant retained by an associate close to Damien Caldwell," Monica confirmed.Before Joshua could investigate further, Monica revealed something even stranger."There's more," Monica said. "Adrian accessed your mother's records using an authorization code that belonged to a person who was no longer employed at the hospital.""Explain that," Joshua said."The code traces back to a physician who left the hospital's staff roster eight months ago," Monica said. "Which means either that physician's credentials were never properly deactivated, or someone deliberately kept them active for exactly this purpose."Joshua's jaw tightened. "Someone planned this carefully."Joshua's attention even shifted when Peter received a photograph from the security investigation at the venue."Joshua

Richard refused to accept the humiliation and accused Joshua of using Lorenzo's influence to secure the deal behind his back."This is Gatti's doing," Richard snapped, his face flushing red as several guests exchanged uncomfortable glances. "There's no way a company your size acquired those rights independently. Lorenzo pulled strings for you, didn't he? Made a few calls, greased the right hands."Joshua calmly denied the accusation and produced the official documents proving that the acquisition had been completed independently. "The filing dates, the signatures, the funding source," Joshua said, sliding a separate folder across the table. "Every step of this acquisition was handled by my company alone. Lorenzo wasn't consulted, wasn't involved, and wasn't even aware until after it was finalized."Richard snatched the folder, scanning the documents with visible frustration, his jaw tightening as he found nothing to dispute.Richard's face hardened when several executives began siding

A few days after Harrison Group officially moved forward with Joshua's company, Natalie was summoned to an executive meeting and publicly questioned about why she had repeatedly opposed the collaboration."Ms. Harrison," the lead executive said, addressing her directly in front of the assembled table, "I think it's worth revisiting your earlier objections, given how things have unfolded.""I don't see the need," Natalie said stiffly.Several executives reminded her that Joshua's company was already bringing new opportunities into Harrison Group, making her previous judgment look increasingly foolish."In the two weeks since the partnership began," another executive said, sliding a report across the table, "we've secured three new distribution channels and a technology license we couldn't have accessed independently. I'd say the need is quite relevant.""You objected to this collaboration three separate times," a third executive added, not bothering to soften his tone. "I think the res

The next morning, Mark's attempt to obtain information about Joshua unexpectedly backfired. The contact he had paid was caught trying to access restricted business information and, under pressure, revealed Mark's name."He gave up your name within ten minutes," the security officer reported to Peter, sliding a printed transcript across the desk. "Didn't even try to hold out. Said Mark Sullivan paid him for internal reports on Joshua's company."Joshua's security team quietly brought the matter to Peter, who chose not to expose Mark immediately."Should we bring him in?" the officer asked. "Formal charges, maybe a public statement?"Peter considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "Not yet. Let me talk to Joshua first."Instead, Joshua was informed and ordered them to keep watching. "Let him keep digging," Joshua said, once Peter had relayed the report. "He's not smart enough to be dangerous alone. I'd rather see who he leads us to next.""You're awfully patient about this," Pete