2026-03-08 23:09:20
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 92
Two weeks had passed since Vivian's accident. The public outrage about the fake article had died down. Sterling Global's stock had recovered slightly. But the board was not satisfied. They called another emergency meeting. Claire sat at the long conference table. Gerald was at the head. Patricia and Howard sat on either side. Five other board members filled the remaining seats. All of them looked at Claire like she was the problem. Gerald cleared his throat. "Miss Sterling, we have been patient. Very patient." Claire said nothing. "We gave you time to deal with the media scandal," Gerald continued. "We gave you time to stabilize the stock. But now it is time to address the real issue." "Which is?" Claire asked. "The chairman." Patricia leaned forward. "This company has been without official leadership for too long. You have been acting CEO, but the chairman position is still vacant. And it needs to be filled." "I have told you before, the timing is not right—" "The timing
CHAPTER 91
Vivian could not take it anymore.She got into her car. Started driving with no destination in mind.She just needed to get away.. From everything.Her hands gripped the steering wheel too tight. Her foot pressed the gas pedal harder than it should.The speedometer climbed. 50. 60. 70.She did not care.The streets were empty.. Just her and the road and the anger burning in her chest.Everything had fallen apart.Marcus hated her. The public hated her. She had no money. No friends. No future.And Ethan was still walking around like nothing had happened.Vivian's vision blurred. Tears. She wiped them away with one hand.The car swerved slightly. She corrected it.80 miles per hour now.She thought about everything she had lost. Her marriage. Her reputation. Her life.All because of him.All because Ethan refused to stay down...and be destroyed.The light ahead turned red.Vivian did not slow down.She ran through it.Horns blared. Headlights flashed.A truck came from the left. She did
CHAPTER 90
The article stayed trending for six hours.Then everything changed.At 3 PM, Military Intelligence released a public statement.It was short. Direct. And it destroyed Vivian's story completely.*"Lieutenant Morrison, Military Intelligence Division, issues the following statement: Ethan Cross is a valued consultant who has been assisting this division with ongoing national security operations. The recent allegations published regarding Mr. Cross are false and defamatory. We stand by Mr. Cross and his contributions to this country."*The statement was posted on the official Military Intelligence website. Shared by government accounts. Picked up by major news outlets within minutes.People started questioning the article immediately."Wait, he works with Military Intelligence?""So the story was fake?""Who published this?"Within an hour, the Cole family released their own statement.Harrison Cole's official account posted a message written by James.*"The Cole family stands with Ethan
CHAPTER 89
Vivian had one card left to play.She sat in her motel room with her laptop open. On the screen were dozens of photos. Some real. Some fake.She had spent three days creating them.AI-generated images of Ethan signing documents. Documents that looked official but were completely fabricated. Documents showing transfers of millions of dollars from Sterling Global accounts to offshore holdings.The images were good. Really good. They looked real enough to fool almost anyone.She also had real photos. Photos of Ethan at the villa. Photos of him with Claire Sterling. Photos of the black card he used at the hospital.She mixed the real with the fake. Created a story that sounded believable because parts of it were true.Then she called a journalist.His name was Derek. He ran a small online news outlet that specialized in exposing corporate corruption. He had a reputation for publishing stories that bigger outlets would not touch.Vivian had contacted him once before, months ago. He had tur
CHAPTER 88
Vivian's phone rang at 6 AM.She was still asleep when it started buzzing on the nightstand. She grabbed it without looking at the screen."Hello?""Vivian." Marcus's voice. Weak. Shaking.She sat up. "Marcus? What is wrong?""I am in the hospital."Vivian's heart stopped. "What? What happened?""They came for me. The loan sharks. They..." His voice broke. "They took my fingers.""What?""Three of them. They cut them off."Vivian could not breathe. "Marcus—""You need to come. Please. I do not... I cannot do this alone."The line went dead.Vivian sat there for a moment, staring at the phone. Then she jumped out of bed and started getting dressed.---She arrived at the hospital thirty minutes later.The nurse at the front desk directed her to room 304. Vivian walked down the hallway quickly. Her hands were shaking.When she pushed open the door, she froze.Marcus was lying in the bed. His face was bruised. Swollen. His right arm was resting on top of the blanket, wrapped in thick whi
CHAPTER 87
They came for Marcus on a Thursday night.He was leaving a bar downtown. Drunk. Stumbling. He had been drinking all day trying to forget about the debt. About the phone call from Military Intelligence. About everything.He did not see them until it was too late.Two men stepped out of a black van parked on the corner. They walked toward him quickly. Purposefully.Marcus looked up. "Who—"One of them grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. The other one punched him in the stomach.Marcus doubled over, gasping.They dragged him into the alley beside the bar. No one on the street noticed. Or if they did, they did not care.The bigger man shoved Marcus against the wall. "You owe Tony money."Marcus tried to breathe. "I know. I am working on it.""Two weeks. That is what you had. Two weeks are up.""I need more time—"The man punched him in the face. Marcus's head snapped back against the brick wall. Blood poured from his nose."Tony does not give more time," the man said.The seco
You may also like
Becoming A Trillionaire After Divorce
Esther Writes72.9K viewsI Married a Beautiful Boss After the Breakup
Seafarer's Strike196.3K viewsThe Indestructible Alexander
Adam Aksara109.8K viewsThe Rise Of The Unknown Zillionaire Heir
Gem Lynne162.3K viewsUPRISING GENERAL
Healing-Pen381 viewsEx Husband Returns: The Martial Arts Godmaster
Moody 14.2K viewsFROM ASHES TO EMPIRE
Lugard fine444 viewsThe Silent Billionaire Heir Son-in-law
Edidiong Andrew673 views