CHAPTER 9
Author: Victoria C
last update2025-09-13 19:11:55

The Boardroom Showdown

The Collins Group boardroom gleamed like a battlefield dressed in glass and mahogany.

The long oval table shone under the overhead lights, polished until it reflected the faces of the men and women who sat around it.

Shareholders in tailored suits lined the seats, their watches glittering with diamonds and gold, their expressions expectant.

This wasn’t just a meeting—it was a trial.

At the head of the room stood Brandon Collins, puffed up like a general before his army
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  • CHAPTER 195

    The King WatchesThe countdown pulsed across every screen, bright and merciless, dragging the entire room into a single moment no one could escape. Each number felt heavier than the last, pressing down on the board members, the legal team, and most of all—Emily. The air had thickened into something suffocating, as if even breathing required permission now. No one spoke, yet the silence was louder than any argument that had filled the room minutes ago. It was the kind of silence that waited for someone to break under it.Emily stood at the center of it, feeling every gaze settle on her like weight placed deliberately on her shoulders. She could feel their doubt, their skepticism, and their quiet anticipation that she would hesitate. Her fingers trembled slightly at her sides, but she didn’t let it show in her posture. Instead, she held herself still, forcing her breathing to remain steady despite the storm rising inside her chest. She knew this moment would define her—not just in

  • CHAPTER 194

    Her First StandThe message on the screen didn’t disappearEXECUTIVE AUTHORITY TRANSFER — UNDER REVIEWIt stayed there—bright, cold, and deliberate—like a challenge thrown directly at the center of the room.No one spoke for a moment.But the silence had changed.It was no longer uncertain.It was testing her.Emily felt it pressing in from every direction—the eyes, the judgment, the quiet expectation that she would falter now that the system itself had begun to question her authority.A few minutes ago, she might have.A few minutes ago, she was still trying to understand the rules of the world she had just been pulled into.But something had shifted.Not because she felt ready.But because she realized she didn’t have the option not to be.She took a step forward.Not hurried.Not hesitant.But deliberate enough that the sound of her heels echoed clearly across the polished floor.The room noticed.They all did.“Mrs. Collins,” the Chairman said, his tone calm but edged with something

  • CHAPTER 193

    The Room DividesThe boardroom no longer felt like a place where decisions were made—it felt like a place where power was taken.The long mahogany table stretched across the room like a fault line, clean and polished on the surface but quietly splitting everyone seated around it into opposing sides. Conversations moved in low, controlled tones, but beneath that restraint was something sharper—something dangerous that no one was pretending didn’t exist anymore.“This is reckless.”The words cut through the tension, firm and unapologetic.A senior executive leaned forward, his fingers pressed flat against the table as though grounding himself in the argument he was about to make. “What he’s done in the last twenty-four hours isn’t restructuring—it’s domination. We cannot allow one man to hold that level of control without oversight.”Across from him, another director let out a quiet breath, his gaze steady but unyielding. “Oversight failed long before he stepped in. What you’re calling

  • CHAPTER 192

    The TransferThe building came back to life in broken pieces.Red emergency lights blinked across the ceiling like a warning pulse, unstable and uneven, as if Collins Group itself had forgotten how to breathe. The silence from moments ago didn’t disappear—it only changed shape, turning into a tense hum that crawled through every wall.Emily stood still.Not because she was calm.But because movement suddenly felt expensive.Leon didn’t move from his position near the glass wall. His presence was the same as always—controlled, quiet, unreadable—but the atmosphere around him had shifted. Not outwardly. Not dramatically.Just enough to feel wrong.Like something had already been decided without anyone speaking.“Systems are restoring in layers,” security reported quickly. “But core access is still unstable.”Leon didn’t look at him. “Which core?” “Legal authorization… and financial command.”That made the room tighten.Because everyone understood what that meant.The legal team entered next

  • CHAPTER 191

    The Aftermath of ControlThe building felt different.Emily noticed it the moment she stepped out of the car.Collins Group had always carried an air of quiet power—controlled, polished, untouchable. But today… it felt colder. Tighter. Like something unseen had wrapped its grip around every glass wall and marble floor.Security had doubled.No—tripled.Men in dark suits stood at every entrance, their gazes sharp, their earpieces constantly buzzing. Even the usual front desk staff seemed on edge, voices lowered, movements precise.Controlled.Just like him.Emily exhaled slowly as she walked in, her heels echoing across the lobby. Heads turned—not in curiosity, but in recognition.Respect.Fear.She wasn’t sure which one unsettled her more.“Mrs. Collins,” the receptionist greeted quickly, almost too quickly, her posture straightening as if pulled by invisible strings.Emily gave a small nod, masking the unease curling in her chest.That name.It was starting to carry weight.Not just be

  • CHAPTER 190

    The reality itself.His hand shifted slightly at her back—not loosening, not releasing—just adjusting, as if ensuring she was still real beneath his touch.Then his attention snapped forward again.The attacker was already restrained, forced to his knees, blood at the corner of his mouth, but still conscious.Still alive.Leon stepped forward.Emily felt the loss of contact instantly, even though he hadn’t moved far.The air around him changed.Colder.Heavier.The operatives parted without needing instruction.No hesitation.No delay.Leon stopped in front of the man.I looked down at him.There was no rush in his movement.No outward display of anger.No raised voice.And somehow—That made it worse.The attacker tried to speak.A mistake.Leon didn’t allow it.His voice came low.Controlled.But carrying something far more dangerous than volume.“No one…”A pause.“…touches what belongs to me.”The words didn’t echo.They settled.Heavy.Final.The man’s expression shifted.Not fear.Not defian

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