Chapter 45
last update2026-01-22 22:40:52

The Cost of Silence

A woman near the head of the table tapped her pen once. “We cannot ignore what’s surfaced. If this becomes public, Nightingale suffers.”

“Only if mishandled,” someone else countered.

“Which is why we’re here,” she replied. “To decide how to proceed without causing panic.”

A folder was slid across the table.

Inside were copies of old records of the company.

“Manuel’s authority was once disputed,” the woman said quietly. “That fact alone changes things.”

They all murmured at
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  • Chapter 118

    Quiet AgreementsLaura adjusted her grip on the tablet again. “If there’s nothing else, sir, I should return to compliance review.”Manuel nodded, though something heavy settled in his chest as she walked toward the door.Her hand paused on the handle for half a second before she opened it and stepped out.The door closed softly behind her.Manuel stood alone in the office, staring at the place where she had been standing just seconds earlier.He exhaled slowly. His hand hovered over the document Laura had passed him earlier.His thumb traced the corner where her fingers had touched and he closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.____Back at her desk, Laura sat down quickly, opening her tablet and scrolling through compliance logs faster than necessary. Her eyes weren’t really reading anything now. Her fingers trembled slightly before she clenched them into a fist beneath the desk.“Get yourself together,” she whispered under her breath.Two staff members across the room exc

  • Chapter 117

    UNSTEADY SILENCE NEXAGEN ESTATESTommy stood at the head of a long glass table, his hands resting behind his back as he stared at a projection screen displaying Nightingale’s fluctuating stock behavior.His legal team sat silently, waiting.He smiled faintly. “Fear spreads beautifully,” he said softly, looking at the way the charts were acting up.One of his advisors adjusted his glasses. “The internal memo leak accelerated public speculation faster than predicted.”Tommy nodded slowly. “Manuel’s refusal to respond publicly is helping us.”“Should we initiate the next phase?” another lawyer asked.Tommy turned slightly, his expression calm. “Prepare the public announcement structure,” he said.The room went still. “We are not announcing removal yet,” he continued. “We are announcing our concern.”One advisor smiled slightly. “Which is worse.”Tommy nodded, a smirk spreading across her face. He stood at the center of it all, watching the whole preparations.He finalizes preparations

  • Chapter 116

    PUBLIC NOISE Laura turned the screen toward him and he saw it.Christopher walked closer and placed his both arms on the table, “that's the real sabotage!”Suddenly, Laura's eyes narrowed.“What is it?” Manuel asked, drawing closer to her.Laura didn’t answer immediately. She tapped into the server logs again, rerouting through several encrypted paths before opening a newly surfaced file.Her breath caught slightly. “Sir…” she said slowly.Manuel stepped around the desk, standing beside her. Christopher leaned closer from the opposite side, stealing glances at Manuel.The file displayed an internal memorandum. Official Nightingale formatting and board watermark. Subject line: Preliminary Review of Executive Legitimacy, Manuel Nightingale acting CEO of Nightingale cooperations Manuel’s heart thudded in his chest. Acting they said?! The media was risky for real. Laura opened the document fully. The memo didn’t accuse him directly. It questioned procedural gaps and suggested revalida

  • Chapter 115

    WHISPERS THAT TRAVEL FASTER THAN TRUTH Clara, the senior administrative coordinator appeared before Laura before she went inside Manuel's office.“Clara, have you noticed changes in document routing lately?” Laura asked immediately she stopped in front of her, like she has been expecting her.Clara hesitated before nodding slowly. “Certain approvals are being copied to departments they normally wouldn’t be.”“Without authorization?” Laura pressed.“Yes… and some files are returning with edited timestamps.”Laura’s stomach tightened. She thanked Clara and stepped back into Manuel’s office.He was sitting behind his desk now, staring at Dave’s framed photograph resting near the corner. His father's smile in the picture felt like a ghost watching over the room and then Manuel spoke up before Laura did.“Do you think I’m losing them?” he asked softly.Laura didn’t answer immediately. She walked closer, placing her tablet down carefully on his desk.“I think they’re scared,” she said. “A

  • Chapter 114

    SHIFTING GROUNDS Laura didn’t answer immediately. “That’s what I’m checking.”There was silence for a while before Manuel finally said, “Be careful.”Laura nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. “Always, sir.”When Laura left, Manuel stood and walked over the balcony, his both arms in his pocket as he moved.He stood and then pressed his phone to his ear. “Yes,” he said calmly. “I want background checks on every board member. Quietly.”He listened. “No. I don’t want suspicions confirmed. I want surprises prevented.”He ended the call slowly. Just then, behind him, the door opened softly and Laura stepped in, holding a tablet.“You’re still working,” she said quietly.Manuel didn’t turn around. “Yes.”She stepped closer. “There’s something else I found…”He faced his face quickly, turning to face her. “What?”She hesitated, then handed him the tablet. The screen displayed a confidential alert and unauthorized legal reconstruction requests tied to Nightingale ownership archives.Manuel’s

  • Chapter 113

    THE FORGERY BEGINS Tommy didn’t like repeating himself. So when he called for a meeting, people arrived early.“They're ready for you sir..” One of his men announced. He nodded, taking the final gulp of his liquor before heading to the door.The conference room at Nexagen sat at the top floor. Twelve chairs surrounded the long obsidian table, but only six were occupied. Those were the only six Tommy trusted.Tommy leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin. He wasn’t smiling, but there was something worse than a smile sitting in his eyes.“Tell me,” he said calmly, tapping the table once, “how long does it take to erase a man legally?”The head legal advisor, Mr. Kelvin Ward, adjusted his glasses nervously.“That depends… on the structure of the claim, sir.”Tommy nodded slowly, like he expected that answer.“And if the claim was built on decades of layered ownership, hidden investments, and silent transfers?”The room grew quiet. Kelvin cleared his throat. “Then you

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