2025-08-07 17:11:17
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Chapter 85 – The Vote That Changes Everything
Ethan's pov The boardroom was too quiet for what was about to happen. That kind of quiet that feels staged—like everyone already knows the ending, but they’re just waiting for you to walk into it blind. I stood at the head of the long mahogany table, the Carter Corp logo glaring back at me from the wall as if mocking my confidence. Every member of the board was in their place, faces blank, pens poised. I could feel the tension vibrating in the air, but beneath that, there was something else—calculated stillness. I’ve seen it before in predators waiting for the perfect strike.Chris sat three chairs down on my right, wearing the smug half-smile of a man who thought he’d already won. Next to him, Leonard’s shadow—Damien—leaned back casually in his chair, as if the vote wasn’t about the company my father built from the ground up. The company I bled for. I knew they’d been maneuvering behind the scenes, calling in old favors, planting doubts in the minds of weaker board members. I just h
Chapter 84 – Red on the Ledger
Alek's povPeople like Ethan Windsor think they understand leverage. They don’t. Leverage isn’t about who has the bigger gun or more money. It’s about knowing the one truth your enemy will never want the world to hear, and holding it like a blade over their throat until they beg to breathe. That’s what the Red Ledger is for—an underground compound, carved into bedrock beneath the coast of Varenska, where the dirtiest secrets of the world’s elite are kept alive. It’s a prison, yes, but not for punishment—for preservation. Everyone inside is a living insurance policy. And Elias Windsor… well, that boy is worth more than a dozen offshore accounts.I told them straight, no theatrics, no velvet diplomacy. “Your son is in Red Ledger.” Ethan stiffened instantly, shoulders tight like he wanted to break my jaw just for saying it. Zara’s eyes didn’t widen—no, she’s the type who goes still when the truth is bad enough to burn. But I saw the flicker, the smallest contraction in her breath. She kn
Chapter 83 – The Second Betrayal
Lisa's povThe hard drive in my coat pocket felt heavier than it should have—as if the data inside had weight, as if secrets could pull you down like stones in deep water. I’d been working for weeks, sifting through encrypted chat logs, fake invoices, and offshore routing numbers, piecing together a clean, irrefutable trail of Chris’s involvement with Leonard’s offshore network. This was the nail in his coffin, and I could already see Ethan’s face when I handed it over—cold, satisfied, ready to strike. But as I stepped out of the server room and into the dim hallway of the safehouse, something in the air shifted. It wasn’t sound exactly—more the absence of it. No clacking keyboards, no muted conversations. Just stillness, thick enough to coat the inside of my throat.It happened in a blur. A shadow moved in the corner of my vision, and before I could react, an arm snaked around my waist, the cold bite of steel pressed against my ribs. I caught the faint, familiar scent of bergamot an
Chapter 82 – Ties That Burn
Ethan's pov The air in Victoria’s penthouse was scented with roses, the expensive kind that came in a black velvet box and were meant to last for a year. A perfect metaphor for her—beautiful, preserved, but unnervingly artificial. She stood by the tall glass windows, backlit by the smoggy skyline, her silhouette poised like she’d been expecting me all along. “Ethan,” she greeted softly, voice honeyed but cautious. I didn’t return the courtesy. My mind had been gnawing at the evidence for days—messages traced, coded transfers, a trail that curved back to her. Now I was here, not for answers—I already had those—but for confirmation. I wanted to hear it from her lips, to see if she’d flinch when the truth hit daylight.“I know you’ve been feeding information to Leonard,” I said, each word deliberate, like a stone dropped into still water, rippling out with intent. Her face didn’t crumble the way I’d hoped—it remained eerily composed, but her eyes… they gave her away. A quick flicker of
Chapter 81 – The Woman from Zara’s Past
Zara's povI hadn’t seen Tatiana Morelli in six years, but her presence was still as potent as a knife at the throat. The Morelli estate in Florence had been her kingdom— halls, endless corridors, a place where loyalty was currency and betrayal was a death sentence. Tonight, though, we weren’t meeting under chandeliers and champagne flutes. I chose a quiet, shuttered wine bar on the far edge of the city, a place that smelled of damp oak and aged secrets. The rain outside clung to my coat as I stepped inside, and for a moment, I almost turned back. She was there already, leaning against the far booth like she owned the place, a glass of red in her hand, her eyes—those dark, bottomless eyes—fixed on me. Even from across the room, Tatiana radiated the kind of confidence that could make kings kneel. And me? I had to remind myself to keep breathing.“Zara.” She said my name like it was both a memory and a challenge, the corners of her mouth curving into something between a smile and a thre
Chapter 80 – No More Illusions
Ethan's pov The wind howled outside the study windows, dragging tree branches across the glass like claws. I barely noticed. I was staring at the surveillance board pinned to the wall, a disorganized chaos of photos, maps, and strings that connected dots only I seemed to see. My breath was shallow, my temples pounding. There were names—some crossed out in red, others circled. And in the center, three photos: Liv. Marco. And the latest—Alfred, the quiet chauffeur who had been with us for years. His face looked wrong now, like a mask I should have ripped off long ago. I didn’t hear Zara come in until her hand slid onto my shoulder. I flinched. My nerves were raw.“You didn’t sleep,” she said softly. Not a question. A statement.“Neither did you.”She didn’t argue. Just walked past me and sat on the couch, her movements careful, calculated. Something about her energy had changed. She was always strong, always composed—but this was different. There was steel in her now. Not the polished
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