2025-08-07 22:22:21Jessica Benson walked into the boardroom with her heels clicking too loudly. Ten chairs. Two filled. And neither one looked pleased to see her.
“Where’s the rest of the board?” she asked, forcing her shoulders back. The CFO, Jeremy Lin, checked his phone. “Pulled out this morning. Said they weren’t confident with current leadership.” “I am current leadership.” He didn’t answer. The other man—an investor from Kensington Capital—sighed and stood. “Jessica, we’ve respected your family for years. But Benson Group has lost $8 million in assets in under a month. Your father is in the hospital. Your fiancé is unreachable. And now, someone’s buying up your company from the shadows.” Her hands tightened at her sides. “What do you mean someone’s buying—” “An anonymous investor acquired 8.1% yesterday,” Jeremy cut in. “Possibly more today. Through multiple shell companies. Someone wants Benson Group—and fast.” Jessica blinked. “That’s impossible.” “Nothing’s impossible when your books are bleeding,” the investor muttered. “Get your house in order. Or the house will fall.” They left. Just like that. Jessica collapsed into the nearest chair, legs shaking. Michael hadn’t returned her messages in three days. Her father was still unconscious. And now the company was slipping from her fingers like sand. Where the hell are you, Michael? ————- Outside the boardroom, her assistant approached nervously. “There’s a man waiting downstairs. Says he wants to discuss a silent merger.” “Who?” “He wouldn’t give his name. Just handed me this.” Jessica took the envelope. Inside: one sentence, typed on plain white paper. You’re being watched. ———— Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian sat quietly in a second-floor coffee shop above an antique store. The system pulsed softly in his head. Surveillance Access: Benson Group Intranet – 73% Synced. Board Meeting Audio Acquired. He listened to Jeremy Lin’s voice crackle through the feed. Heard the panic behind Jessica’s tone. The strain in her words. She was spiraling. But not from grief—from exposure. Michael hadn’t just used her. He’d abandoned her when the storm hit. “System,” Adrian said quietly. “Track Michael Kane’s last known location.” Tracking… Accessing public and encrypted data streams… Match found. Michael Kane: Booked a one-way ticket to Macau three nights ago. No return. Of course. “Coward,” Adrian muttered. New Mission Unlocked: Do Nothing. Reward: Legacy Patent Access (Unsealed). ———- In the hospital, Jessica stared at her father’s pale face. The monitors beeped steadily, but it felt more like a countdown. “I can’t lose you too,” she whispered. “Not now. Not when everything’s falling apart.” She reached for his hand. “Please… wake up.” Her phone buzzed. Another investor withdrawal. She opened her email to see two sponsorships canceled. Her inbox was turning into a battlefield of retreating allies. Suddenly, the door opened. Michael walked in. Jessica shot to her feet. “Where the hell have you been?” He didn’t meet her eyes. “Out.” “For three days?” “I had things to handle.” She stared at him like she didn’t recognize him. “You disappeared. Left me to face all of this alone. The board. The media. My father—” He cut her off. “Your father’s not my problem.” That stung. Hard. “You said you’d protect this company.” Michael shrugged. “It’s a sinking ship. I’m just not planning to drown with it.” Jessica slapped him. A sharp, echoing sound in the quiet room. He didn’t even react. “Go to hell,” she whispered. “You’re already there,” he said coldly, and walked out. Adrian heard the slap through the surveillance mic. For a second, his chest tightened. Not in sympathy—for her—but in memory. He remembered what it felt like to be discarded, underestimated. And now? Now she was the one being left behind. The system chimed again: Emotional Metrics Logged. Subject: Jessica Benson. Status: Breaking Point Approaching. He leaned back in his chair and opened a new folder. Inside: purchase orders, patents, and a single name highlighted in red. Jeremy Lin. CFO. Mole confirmed. Time to act. But quietly. ———— Jessica sat alone in her father’s office, the sun setting behind the glass windows. Everything looked gray. His suit still hung behind the door. Her hand touched the frame of a family photo—her father, her mother, and herself as a child. Smiling. Before all this. She remembered how often Adrian had warned her about Jeremy. About Michael. About blind trust. Back then, she’d told him he was paranoid. God, how wrong she’d been. She opened her laptop. A strange notification blinked on her dashboard. Warning: Internal access log breached from unknown IP. Her eyes narrowed. “Is someone watching me…?” Across the screen, Adrian’s system pulsed again. Surveillance Threshold Reached. Further activity risks exposure. Recommendation: Withdraw and consolidate. He exited the feed. Silence returned. Then the system delivered something new. Asset Update: 10% additional stake acquired in Benson Group via Shell Node 04. Current Ownership: 18.1%. Status: Undetected. He exhaled slowly. Jessica was still looking for a savior. But he wasn’t coming back to save her. He was coming back to take everything. Jessica sat in her car outside the hospital. Exhausted. Alone. Drenched in headlines and betrayal. Her phone buzzed again. An alert from the stock exchange. She opened it. Notice: An additional 10% of Benson Group has been acquired. Owner: Confidential. Her heart stopped. 18%. Nearly a quarter of her family’s company… gone. To someone she couldn’t see. Someone moving in silence. And for the first time, Jessica whispered aloud— “…Is it you, Adrian?”
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Chapter 79: Benson & Cole
Jessica froze in the middle of the lobby, her breath catching when her eyes landed on the new sign above the glass doors.Benson & Cole.The letters were bold, polished, and impossible to ignore. Her name…..her father’s name standing side by side with his.She froze right there for what felt like forever. Her heart pounded hard in her ears. It drowned out the receptionist’s cheerful greeting. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to run, laugh bitterly, or rip the whole sign down with her bare hands.Finally she made herself step in. Her heels hit the marble floor with a clack. Each one sounded sharper than the one before. The strap of her bag bit into her shoulder, but she held on tighter, as though that would keep her from falling apart. This was meant to be her big win. Her small brand, her hard earned independence, finally gaining traction. And now, overnight, it was swallowed whole merged with him. Adrian Cole.The elevator ride up felt endless. By the time the doors opened to his
Chapter 78: Jessica’s Father’s Letter
The rain kept coming down without a break all day.Jessica was right there by the kitchen window. She watched those water drops sliding down the glass. Things were quiet, too quiet. She usually liked it that way. Pregnancy had already changed her nights into long, restless hours where silence was all she had. But this night the quiet weighed on her, like it was waiting for something to happen.The knock at the door startled her.Her hand went straight to her belly, but she even moved. No one was supposed to show up. Most people always texted ahead. She paused, stared at the door for a second, then crossed the room slowly. Her apartment wasn’t big; Every step made the old floorboards groan.Another knock. Steadier this time.She pressed her palm against the wood. “Who is it?”A pause. Then a man’s voice……calm, professional. “Ms. Benson? I’m here on behalf of your late father’s estate. My name is Robert Hale. I was his attorney.”Jessica froze.For a moment, she didn’t breathe.
Chapter 77: System Reward Clarity
Adrian hated rooms like this.The penthouse was vast, glass walls stretching across the skyline, the city beneath him glowing like a sea of embers. People paid millions for views like this, but to Adrian it felt like a cage—walls of glass reminding him he was always being watched.The press conference was already over. Michael had been taken in handcuffs, screaming lies as cameras devoured every second. Jessica… Jessica had stood tall, spoken truth, and for once the world hadn’t torn her apart for it.Adrian hadn’t approached her. Couldn’t.Every word she said on that stage had struck him like a blade. Not because she exposed him—but because she remembered him. Not the man he’d become, but the man he had been before betrayal scorched everything clean.Now, in the silence of his apartment, he stood with his hands pressed against the window. The city glimmered back, hollow and distant.That’s when it came.A soft chime, cutting into the quiet.[System Notification: Emotional Test Comple
Chapter 76: Jessica’s Stand
The flashes came first and fast.Jessica hadn’t even reached the podium when the sea of reporters surged forward, cameras raised like weapons, microphones shoved into her path. Questions ricocheted across the hall, each one sharper than the last.“Jessica, did you know about Adrian’s plans before today?”“Why did you help Adrian Coke with the journal?““Are you benefitting from Quantum Holdings’ exposure of Michael Kane?”“Do you still have ties to Michael Kane? Were you complicit?”Each word hit like a stone. Her heart started beating faster. She held her chin up and her eyes stayed locked straight ahead. Her heels made a quiet click on the stage floor. She stepped right up to the podium made of wood.For a moment, her hand hung there over the microphone.Her breathing was shaky. Her voice came out steady when she spoke.She said, "I'll answer just one question." Her words were calm. They were careful too. "Why did I help Adrian Cole."The whole room froze up. It was like they all s
Chapter 75: The Press Conference
Cameras had been set up and ready by the time Adrian Cole made his way to the stage.Those flashbulbs started popping right away. It was like a sharp, quick beat trying to cut right through his quiet, but nothing showed on his face. He just stood there in the center of the stage, one black folder gripped in his hand. Reporters at his feet like some wild storm.Adrian had avoided moments like this for years, the public appearances, Interviews and words that could get twisted every which way against him. Basically, he put together his whole empire without much talk at all, let his moves do the shouting instead of any fancy speeches. But today was different.Today was about truth.Behind him, the screen loomed, dark for now. Waiting.He set the folder on the podium, adjusted the mic, and finally spoke. His voice carried like iron across the hall.“Thank you for coming.”The room hushed instantly.“I don’t usually do this. I don’t seek attention, and I don’t speak unless there’s somethin
Chapter 74: Public or Private
The ruins were quiet again, but Adrian’s chest wasn’t.He stood there, staring at the cracked floor where the fire had once consumed his mother, where the truth had finally been revealed. His hands trembled, not from weakness but from the sheer weight of choice pressing down on him.Michael Kane had destroyed everything. His mother’s legacy. His marriage. His trust. And for years, Adrian had let silence be his weapon, let patience become his armor. But now the truth was in his hands.The drive was heavy in his pocket. Too heavy.[System: Evidence secured. Multiple pathways available. Do you wish to act?]The words slashed across his vision. He didn’t answer. Not yet. He turned and walked out of the ruins, each step crunching against ash and broken glass. The sky outside was gray, storm clouds rolling in as if the world itself sensed the choice he had to make.By the time Adrian slid into the backseat of his car, his silence had sharpened into steel. He gave a single order to his drive
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