2026-07-31 10:00:03
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Chapter 100
Ace’s POVThe numbers on the screen didn’t lie.I sat at the head of the conference table, sleeves rolled up, jaw tight, watching the same red line dip for the third time that morning. Not a crash. Not a disaster. Just a slow, deliberate bleed in three mid-tier contracts that should have been locked weeks ago. Someone had been whispering in the right ears. Quiet. Professional. The kind of move that didn’t leave fingerprints.Jonathan’s fingerprints, if I had to guess.“Talk to me,” I said, not looking up from the tablet.My CFO cleared his throat. “We lost the Henderson renewal and the Eastgate logistics package overnight. Both cited ‘shifting priorities’ and ‘internal restructuring.’ No formal complaints. No public statements. Just… gone.”I finally lifted my eyes. The room was quiet. Six people who had ridden every wave with me for years sat waiting for the version of me that used to lose his temper in these moments. The old Ace would have slammed a hand on the table and demanded
Chapter 99
Lena’s POVI stood in the kitchen long after Karl left, staring at the half-finished meal on the stove like it had answers I didn’t. The smell of garlic and oil still hung in the air, but my stomach was in knots. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I pressed them flat against the counter and forced myself to breathe.He had been soft tonight. Too soft. That was worse somehow. When Karl raised his voice or put his hands on me, at least I knew where I stood. When he kissed me like that, claiming, almost gentle and called me good girl, it felt like the walls were closing in slower. .My phone buzzed on the counter. Natasha.I snatched it up. “Nat? You okay?”Her voice came through rough, tired. “I’m fine. Stop asking every five minutes. It’s just a cut. Stitches. I’ve had worse.”“A cut?” I laughed once, but it came out broken. “You almost got caught. That wasn’t just a cut. That was too close.”“Lena—”“No. Listen to me.” I paced the small kitchen, free hand pressed to my forehead. “I c
Chapter 98
Karl’s POVI leaned back in the leather chair and watched the smoke curl from my cigar toward the low ceiling of the private room. Inside, it was quieter. Just me, Jonathan, and the low hum of the ventilation system.Jonathan sat across from me, phone in one hand, a glass of something dark in the other. He always looked too clean for this place. Tailored shirt, polished shoes, the face of a man who could walk into any boardroom and no one would smell the blood underneath.“You still watching Sinclair’s numbers?” I asked.He nodded once. “Every day. His Japanese deals are holding. Stock recovered faster than expected after the last dip. The man’s harder to shake than he looks.”I took a slow pull on the cigar and let the smoke sit in my lungs. “Then shake him softer. I don’t want noise. I want pressure. Quiet, steady pressure until something cracks.”Jonathan set the glass down. “What kind of pressure?”“Business. Subtle. Something that looks like market movement, not a hit. Divert a
Chapter 97
Ace’s POVMorning at the office started with the kind of ordinary work I used to take for granted. Signatures. Approvals. A logistics delay that needed a direct call instead of another email chain. For a couple of hours I almost looked like a man whose biggest problem was still quarterly targets.Nadia stepped into my office just before ten. “The Japanese consortium is on the line. Senior liaison plus one legal. They’re nervous about the partner noise and want reassurance from you personally.”I nodded and reached for the phone. “Put them through.”The connection clicked. “Mr. Sinclair. Thank you for making time.”“Of course,” I said, leaning back in the chair. “I understand there are concerns. I want to address them directly.”A polite pause, then the liaison’s carefully measured English. “There have been reports of delayed partnerships and competing activity in your market. Our board is sensitive to instability.”“Those delays are isolated and already being managed,” I answered. “W
Chapter 96
Tamara’s POVJohnson’s hotel suite was dim and expensive, the kind of place that smelled like money and temporary decisions. He poured two drinks without asking and handed me one as I sat across from him.“Clara’s public push is cooling,” I said. “I told her to pull back after the board started reading her as desperate instead of wronged. She’s listening. For now.”He took a sip. “Good. Desperation makes people unpredictable. We need her focused, not frantic.”“She’s still fixated on Ace. If she can’t own him emotionally, she’ll try to own the crisis around him. Corporate pressure, family influence. Anything that makes her useful again.”“Then keep feeding her the version of useful that serves us.” Johnson leaned forward. “Walk me through the next two weeks.”I set my glass down. “We pause the heavy sympathy posts. No more camera-ready wounded-wife moments. I plant quieter concerns about Marcus instead, about his sudden interest, his private coffees with board members. The language s
Chapter 95
Lena’s POVKamsy’s campus café smelled like sugar and cheap coffee. She was already at a corner table when I arrived, backpack at her feet, scrolling through her phone with the easy distraction of someone whose biggest problem was still an assignment deadline. For a second I just stood there watching her. Normal looked almost foreign.She glanced up and grinned. “You’re late. I already ordered you the sweet one you pretend not to like.”I sat across from her and forced a smile. “Long morning.”“You’re always having long mornings lately.” She pushed the cup toward me. “Mom’s nurse said the readings were steadier yesterday. I told her you’d come by before the weekend.”“I will.” My fingers closed around the cup. “Kamsy… I’ve been thinking about your next term. Maybe you should do the exchange semester. The one out of state. Get a change of scenery.”She blinked, then laughed. “Out of state? Since when do you want me gone?”“Since I want you focused,” I said carefully. “You’re doing wel
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