2025-11-01 21:34:31
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CHAPTER 145
Public Confrontation SetupThe announcement hit the global business world like a starting gun.The International Economic Stability Summit—a closed-door gathering of ministers, hedge fund titans, sovereign wealth managers, and corporate kings—would be held in Zurich in less than two weeks. Attendance was invitation-only. Speaking slots were guarded like nuclear codes.And for the first time in decades, the Collins Group had been pushed off the main agenda.Brandon found out from the news. He stood frozen in his penthouse office, tie loosened, jacket thrown over a chair, the city lights bleeding through the glass behind him. The television droned on, repeating the same headline in different accents.“…sources confirm Leon Gray will deliver the keynote address on strategic market stability…” “…a surprising but highly anticipated inclusion…” “…rumored to represent a private consortium with unprecedented reach…”Leon Gray.Brandon’s jaw clenched until it hurt.“They’re doing this on purpos
CHAPTER 144
Backlash BeginsThe backlash didn’t arrive with noise.It arrived with silence.Brandon felt it first in the pauses—those half-seconds too long before replies came. The unread messages. The calls that rang once, then died. The assistants who suddenly “needed to check schedules” before confirming meetings that used to be automatic.By noon, the cracks were visible.At Collins Group headquarters, the executive floor buzzed with forced normalcy. Screens displayed market tickers, analysts spoke in clipped tones, and assistants walked faster than usual, eyes down. But beneath it all, the air had changed.Brandon stood at the head of the boardroom table, palms pressed flat against polished wood.“Why hasn’t Kessler Holdings returned my call?” he demanded.No one answered immediately.Miranda shifted in her seat. A junior executive cleared his throat. Finally, the CFO spoke carefully. “They… postponed their position review. Indefinitely.” Brandon’s jaw tightened. “Postponed?” “Yes. They cite
CHAPTER 143
The Unexpected TwistThe first crack appeared at 6:42 a.m.It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic.It was a footnote.An investigative journalist in London—known for dismantling corporate fraud with surgical patience—published a twelve-paragraph analysis of the leaked material surrounding Leon Gray. Buried near the end was a single sentence that changed everything:Several documents attributed to offshore entities show formatting inconsistencies inconsistent with filings from that jurisdiction.Within minutes, another journalist noticed.Then another.By eight o’clock, the conversation had shifted.Not away from Leon—but toward the evidence itself. At Collins Group headquarters, Emily stood frozen in front of a wall-mounted screen as headlines updated in real time.“Questions Raised Over Authenticity of ‘Leon Gray’ Leaks.”“Experts Flag Possible Fabrication in Recent Corporate Documents.”“Who Really Benefits From the Exposure?”Her breath caught. “Run that again,” she said quietly. A juni
CHAPTER 142
The Media StormThe storm didn’t break all at once.It crept in quietly—like rot beneath polished wood.Leon first saw it on a muted television screen in the Collins Group executive lounge. A familiar anchor leaned forward, voice grave, eyes sharp with barely concealed excitement.“—unverified reports suggest that Leon Gray, the reclusive son-in-law of the Collins family, may be connected to a web of offshore investments and shell entities operating across Asia and Europe—” The screen cuts to images. Grainy photos. Red circles. Arrows. Headlines screaming words like Shadow Empire, Hidden King, Corporate Ghost.Leon didn’t move.Around him, however, the room tightened.Phones buzzed. Assistants whispered. A junior executive dropped his tablet, the clatter echoing far louder than it should have. Within minutes, the business channels followed.Then the tabloids.Then social media.#WHOISLEONGRAY#COLLINSSCANDAL#SILENTKINGEXPOSEDEmily burst into the lounge, her heels striking the marble
CHAPTER 141
The Plan UnfoldsBrandon Collins sat alone in his glass-walled office on the top floor of the Collins Group headquarters, the city sprawling beneath him like a living, breathing organism. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the polished mahogany desk, eyes fixed on a series of files spread before him. They were thick folders, heavy with documents, screenshots, and confidential reports — all carefully compiled to bring down one man: Leon Gray.For months, Brandon had nursed a growing resentment toward his brother-in-law, the man everyone in the Collins family openly mocked as the “useless parasite.” But behind that mockery simmered a dangerous truth: Leon was no fool. He was a silent predator, slowly dismantling Brandon’s power with unnervingly quiet efficiency.Now, Brandon had what he believed was his final weapon — evidence of Leon’s secret double life. It was a dossier of shadow investments, shell companies, offshore accounts, and discreet alliances with global power brokers. Som
CHAPTER 140
The Phone CallThe private conference floor of the Meridian Tower was sealed tighter than any courtroom Emily had ever entered.No assistants. No reporters. No announcements.Just silence, glass walls, and a city spread beneath them like a conquered map.Emily stood a step behind Leon as the last executive hurried into the room. They were men and women she recognized instantly—CEOs who appeared on magazine covers, ministers whose signatures moved borders, logistics chiefs who controlled ports, fuel, food, medicine.People who never waited.Yet now… they were all here early.And they were waiting for Leon.A tall man with silver hair cleared his throat. “Mr. Gray, all regions are online.”Leon nodded once. “Begin.”Screens lit up around the room—maps layered with color-coded supply routes. Shipping lanes. Rail networks. Air freight corridors. Numbers updated in real time, flickering like heartbeats.A woman gestured nervously. “The Southeast corridor is compromised. If we reroute, losses
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