Fredrick's Betrayal

Chapter Five: The Counterstrike

The boardroom of Corbin Holdings buzzed with tension the following morning. Cameras flashed outside the glass walls as journalists clamored for answers. Inside, the directors sat stiff, eyes glued to Frederick as though expecting him to falter.

Richard leaned back in his chair, smirk plastered across his face. “So, Mr. President, I trust you enjoyed your playdate with Victor Kane? Or should I say… your first and last taste of leadership?”

Laughter rippled across the table. Frederick’s expression was calm, unreadable. He folded his hands on the polished surface.  “Funny. I didn’t realize clowns were allowed in board meetings. Richard, you must have slipped past security.”

The chuckles died instantly. Richard’s face darkened.

Claudia Vale adjusted her glasses, voice sharp.  “Enough games. Titan wants thirty percent. If you refuse, they’ll walk. Do you understand what that means? Stock prices will plummet, investors will panic, and this company will crumble before your reign even begins.”

Frederick leaned forward, his eyes sweeping the room. “What it means is that some of you are so terrified of real leadership, you’d rather sell this empire piece by piece to vultures. But I am not here to surrender.”

Richard: “And what exactly will you do? Snap your fingers and make the wolves go away?”

Frederick’s voice was steel. “No. I’ll starve them.”

The directors exchanged uneasy glances.

Director Chen: “Explain.”

Frederick rose, striding to the head of the room where a digital screen displayed charts of Corbin Holdings’ global operations. He tapped the screen.

Frederick: “Titan thrives on oil and steel. But they’re drowning in debt. What they need is liquidity, fast. That’s why they’re desperate for our overseas holdings. So instead of feeding them, we’ll choke them. Starting today, we’ll cut off every joint venture we share with Titan. Shipping, logistics, banking channels. By next week, their cash flow will bleed dry.”

Gasps echoed.

Claudia: “That’s suicide! They’ll retaliate”

Frederick: “Let them. Because while they scramble, I’ll announce a new partnership. Not with Titan, but with their fiercest rival, Falcon Enterprises.”

Richard shot to his feet, face red. “You can’t, Falcon’s CEO will never”

The boardroom doors swung open. All heads turned. A tall, composed man in a gray suit strode in, flanked by assistants. His presence silenced the room.

Frederick (smiling): “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Mr. Adrian Cross, CEO of Falcon Enterprises.”

Adrian shook Frederick’s hand firmly.  “We’ve finalized preliminary terms. A strategic alliance between Falcon and Corbin. Effective immediately.”

The boardroom erupted in chaos. Richard’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

Frederick (calmly): “You see, Richard, while you were busy conspiring with wolves, I was hunting hawks.”

Sonia sat alone in her penthouse suite, her phone buzzing endlessly with notifications. The humiliation from the night before still trended online, hashtags mocking her desperate attempt to enter Corbin Tower.

She buried her face in her hands. Sonia (whispering): “I can’t lose him. Not like this. 

Her mother’s sharp voice rang from the doorway. Mrs. Kingston: “You already have. Frederick made a fool of you in front of the entire city. Crawl back if you want, but don’t expect sympathy when he slams the door again.”

Sonia shook her head, eyes wet. “No. I’ll prove I love him. I’ll show him I’m not just after his money.”

Mrs. Kingston snorted.  “And how do you plan to do that? Post another sob story online?”

But Sonia’s phone buzzed again. A message from an unknown number: “Meet me at the Blue Orchid Hotel. Midnight. If you want Frederick back, come alone.”

Her heart raced. Who would send this? Was it Frederick? Was it someone close to him? Against her mother’s protests, Sonia grabbed her purse and stormed out.

Back to Corbin Tower.

After the meeting adjourned, Richard stormed into his office, slamming the door. He jabbed at his phone.

Richard: “Victor! The boy blindsided us with Falcon. If this alliance sticks, our plan is finished.”

Victor’s low chuckle oozed through the line.  “Calm yourself. The game isn’t lost. Falcon may be with him now, but alliances are fragile. And I have a card left to play.”

Richard: “What card?”

Victor’s voice darkened. “His wife.”

Richard froze. “Sonia? She’s worthless. Desperate.”

Victor: “Exactly. Desperation makes for perfect leverage.”

Meanwhile, Sonia arrives at the Blue Orchid Hotel.

The lobby glowed with soft golden light. Sonia’s heels clicked nervously across the marble as she scanned the room. A man in a dark suit approached, tall and sharp-featured, his smile chilling.

Stranger: “Mrs. Corbin? This way, please.”

She hesitated.

Sonia: “Where’s Frederick? Did he, did he send you?”

The man didn’t answer. He simply led her into a private lounge. And waiting inside, lounging with a glass of wine, was Leonel Cruz.

Leonel (smirking): “Surprised?”

Sonia froze, color draining from her face.

Sonia: “You… you sent the message?”

Leonel: “Of course. Did you really think Frederick still cared enough to beg you back?”

Her voice cracked. Sonia: “You tricked me.”

Leonel rose, circling her like a predator. “Not a trick, darling. An opportunity. Stay with me. Forget him. With my influence and your name, we’ll crush him together.”

Sonia recoiled.  “No. I, I only want Frederick.”

Leonel’s smile turned cold. “Then you’ll be very disappointed when you see tomorrow’s headlines.”

He held up his phone, flashing photos, her entering the hotel with his man, sitting across from him, looking desperate.

Leonel: “One release, and the world will believe you’ve already betrayed your husband with me. His enemies will devour him alive. And you’ll have no one left.”

Sonia staggered back, horror twisting her stomach.

At Corbin Tower, Frederick’s war room.

Harold scanned reports from Falcon.  “The markets reacted fast. Stocks are stabilizing. Victor won’t be able to bleed us as easily now.”

Frederick nodded but his gaze was distant. “It’s not over. He’s planning something else. I can feel it.”

Just then, his phone buzzed. A new message. He opened it, and froze. The screen displayed a grainy photo of Sonia sitting with Leonel in the Blue Orchid Hotel, her head bowed, his hand resting suggestively close to hers. The caption read: “Mrs. Corbin finds comfort with Leonel Cruz while her husband plays king.”

Harold’s face paled. “This… this will go viral by morning.”

Frederick’s grip tightened around the phone until his knuckles whitened. His voice was a whisper, but it carried enough venom to chill the air.  “So this is their game. They want to use her to break me.”

Harold hesitated. “What will you do?”

Frederick’s eyes burned with fire. “I’ll show them I don’t break. I bury.”