Fredrick's Betrayal

Chapter Four: Predators’ Feast

Victor Kane’s office was a jungle of steel and glass, the city glittering behind him like a thousand watchful eyes. The Titan CEO stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his silver hair gleaming under the recessed lights.

Victor: “So, Frederick. We stand at the crossroads. One contract could make you, or unmake you.”

Frederick leaned back in his chair, his calm expression masking the storm within.  “Funny. I thought Titans were supposed to fight gods, not beg for their scraps.”

A murmur of laughter ran through Victor’s advisors, but Victor’s smirk didn’t falter. He leaned across the table.  “Careful, boy. I eat men like you for breakfast. You’ve inherited a throne, but you haven’t learned how sharp the crown can cut.”

Harold, seated at Frederick’s side, whispered quickly. “Stay calm. Don’t let him bait you.”

Frederick’s jaw tightened.  “You want thirty percent of Corbin’s overseas assets. That’s not a merger. it’s robbery.”

Victor tapped the table with one finger.  “It’s leverage. Your board already doubts you. If I walk out that door, they’ll see you as reckless. Weak.  They’ll turn on you. And believe me, Richard is waiting for that moment.”

Frederick’s eyes narrowed. “Richard put you up to this, didn’t he?”

For the first time, Victor’s smirk faltered. “Ah. So you’re not as naïve as they think.”

Sonia sat in the backseat of her sleek sedan, her hands shaking as she clutched her phone. The screen displayed Frederick’s new corporate profile: President, Corbin Holdings. The words mocked her.

Her mother’s warning rang in her ears: He’ll destroy you. She bit her lip, dialing a number. It rang once, twice. Then a cool, familiar voice answered. “Frederick… it’s me. We need to talk.”

Silence. Her heart hammered. “I, I was wrong. About everything. I want to fix this. Please, let me see you.”

At last, his voice came through, deep and calm. but cold.

Frederick: “Now you want to talk?”

Sonia: “Frederick, I didn’t know who you really were. If I had”

Frederick: “If you had, what? You’d have treated me like a man instead of garbage? Sonia, I don’t have time for games anymore.”

Sonia: “I’m not playing! I made a mistake, but I love you. I do.”

Frederick: “You love my name. My power. But the man? You buried him long ago.”

Her throat tightened. She almost cried, but forced her voice steady.

Sonia: “Give me one chance. Tonight. Dinner. Just you and me.”

There was a pause, then Frederick’s voice hardened.

Frederick: “No. I have real battles to fight.”

The line clicked dead. Sonia stared at her reflection in the dark window. Her rejection wasn’t just a sting, it was a knife.

And she wasn’t the only one who heard. Across from her in the car sat Leonel Cruz, arms folded, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Leonel: “So, the golden boy isn’t so eager to crawl back, hm? Looks like your husband’s spine finally grew in.”

Sonia’s face burned. “Shut up, Leonel.”

Leonel: “Or what? You’ll run back to him and beg harder? Careful. You might find he prefers revenge to forgiveness.”

Back to Titan Headquarters.

Victor’s eyes gleamed as he poured two glasses of brandy, sliding one across to Frederick.  “Here’s the truth. Richard Corbin came to me weeks ago. He promised me influence inside Corbin Holdings if I helped destabilize you. Thirty percent was his idea.”

Frederick didn’t touch the glass. “So you’re not here to merge. You’re here to break me.”

Victor raised his glass. “Business, boy. Nothing personal. Still, I’ll give you one chance. Sign, and I’ll keep you as a puppet President. Refuse, and tomorrow your board will declare you unfit. Richard already has the votes lined up.”

Frederick rose slowly, palms pressed against the table. His voice was ice.  “You’ve miscalculated, Victor. Puppets don’t bleed when you cut them. They burn when you light them on fire. And I’m ready to burn everything you think you own.”

Victor’s grin widened. “Then let the games begin.”

Meanwhile, Sonia’s desperate gamble.

That evening, Sonia slipped into the Corbin skyscraper lobby, ignoring the stares of receptionists and photographers outside.

She wore her most elegant dress, diamonds glittering at her throat. She had rehearsed her lines, her tears, her smile. But as she reached the private elevator, two security guards blocked her path.

Guard: “Apologies, Mrs. Kingston. You’re not on the clearance list.”

Her cheeks flushed.

Sonia: “What? I’m his wife!”

Guard: “President Corbin left explicit instructions. You’re not permitted upstairs.”

The words struck like bullets. People nearby turned, whispering. Cameras flashed. Sonia’s humiliation went viral in seconds.

And as she stumbled out of the building, humiliated, Leonel’s car pulled up beside her. The window slid down, his voice mocking.

Leonel: “Careful, darling. You’re starting to look less like a wife and more like a headline.

Titan Boardroom, the twist deepens.

As the meeting broke into chaos, Harold slid a folder in front of Frederick.

Harold (whispering): “We dug deeper. Victor’s connection with Richard goes beyond business. Titan Industries secretly holds five percent of Corbin’s stock. Acquired quietly. If they reach ten, they can call for an emergency leadership vote.”

Frederick’s pulse pounded. “They’re trying a hostile takeover.”

Victor smirked across the table, as though he’d overheard. “Smart boy. Question is, how long before you run out of moves?”

Frederick’s lips curled into the faintest smile.  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Later that night.

Frederick stood at the skyscraper’s highest balcony, city lights stretching to infinity. Harold joined him, concern etched on his face.

Harold: “Richard won’t stop. He’s pulling Sonia into this too. There are rumors, she met Leonel today.”

Frederick’s hand clenched the railing. His voice was low, dangerous.

Frederick: “So she chooses my enemy over me again.”

Harold: “What will you do?”

Frederick turned, his eyes blazing with a fire Harold had never seen before.  “I’ll do what they never believed I could. I’ll fight them all, boardroom snakes, Titan wolves, even the wife who betrayed me. And when I win, they’ll learn what it means to forsake Frederick Corbin.”

A sudden buzz from Harold’s phone cut through the night. He glanced down, then froze.

Harold: “Frederick… you need to see this.”

He handed over the phone. On the screen was a breaking news alert, photos of Sonia being thrown out of the Corbin Tower, humiliated in front of the world.

And beneath it, a headline: “EXCLUSIVE: Sonia Corbin Seen Leaving in Leonel Cruz’s Car After Public Rejection by Husband.”

Frederick’s expression turned to stone. The city lights reflected in his eyes, sharp as blades.

Frederick (coldly): “Then she’s chosen her side.”