2025-09-11 22:05:31
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Chapter 67: The Cost of Trust
The decision to launch an internal investigation did not come lightly. Jordan signed the approval memo with a steady hand, but the weight of it pressed hard on his chest. This was not an enemy outside the gates.This was inside the house. People who had built the company with him. People whose names he knew, whose families he had met, whose loyalty he had never once questioned.By the next morning, the atmosphere at Jefferson Group had shifted. Nothing obvious. No panic. No raised voices.But there was a tightness in the air, a carefulness in how conversations began and ended. Smiles lingered half a second too long. Laughter sounded rehearsed. Everyone knew something serious was happening, even if no one said it aloud.Jenna took charge immediately.She structured the inquiry with calm efficiency, assembling a small, discreet team bound by strict confidentiality. There were no dramatic interrogations, no threats. Just questions. Timelines. Cross-checks. Access logs. Decision trails.S
Chapter 66: Trust - A New Battlefield
Pressure no longer announced itself loudly in Jordan’s life. It seeped in quietly, settling into his bones, disrupting his sleep, sharpening his thoughts until rest felt like a luxury he could no longer afford. Nights blurred into mornings.Even when he lay still in bed, his mind stayed active, replaying boardroom exchanges, market shifts, and decisions that carried consequences far beyond him.Ezra’s absence returned in fragments. Not in dramatic flashes, but in small, cruel reminders. An empty chair during late dinners.A voice he almost heard when faced with impossible choices. Leadership had cost him more than he ever admitted aloud. Winning had not erased the scars; it had only made them harder to explain.Jenna noticed before he did. She always did.“You didn’t sleep again,” she said one morning, watching him stir untouched coffee.“I’m fine,” Jordan replied automatically.She didn’t argue. She never did at first. Instead, she watched him more closely—his shortened temper during
Chapter 65: Pressure from All Sides
The attack didn’t come with noise or warnings. It arrived quietly, wrapped in legality and timing, the way real corporate wars always did.By the time Jordan’s phone started vibrating nonstop that morning, the damage was already unfolding.Jenna was the first to say it out loud. “They’re making a move.”Jordan stood in his office, jacket still off, staring at the screen on the wall where market activity scrolled endlessly.A rival conglomerate — older, broader, deeply entrenched, had launched an aggressive acquisition attempt against Jefferson Group.It wasn’t a hostile takeover yet, but it was close enough to send shockwaves through the market. Strategic share purchases. Public statements disguised as compliments.Analysts suddenly questioning Jefferson Group’s independence.“They waited for the right moment,” Jordan said quietly. “Post-Bennett collapse. Internal restructuring. Leadership transition still fresh.”“They’re exploiting uncertainty,” Jenna replied. “And they’re good at i
Chapter 64: A Question of Survival
Jordan felt the weight of his decision long before the boardroom doors closed behind him. Mercy had never been free; he had known that when he chose it. Still, knowing and feeling were two different things.As he took his seat at the head of the long polished table, he sensed the shift in the room — the careful looks, the restrained impatience, the unspoken question hanging in the air: ‘Was he still the right man to lead?’The chairman cleared his throat. “Jordan, before we proceed with the expansion agenda, there’s a matter we need to address.”Jordan nodded calmly. “Go ahead.”One of the senior board members leaned forward. “Your refusal to press further charges against Zoe Bennett has drawn public praise, yes. But privately, some of us are concerned. Jefferson Group is entering a critical expansion phase. Emotional decisions at this point could be… destabilizing.”The word lingered like an accusation.Jordan folded his hands on the table. “Mercy is not emotional instability,” he re
Chapter 63: What Remains of Us
Zoe returned without noise. No press statement, no lawyer-led theatrics, no social media confession.She walked into the authorities' office early on a Monday morning and turned herself in before the warrant could grow teeth.By afternoon, the news had reached Jefferson Group, spreading through the executive floors in hushed conversations and carefully worded emails.Jordan heard it from Jenna. She appeared at his office door just past three o'clock, her expression carefully neutral, and stepped inside without waiting for permission.She closed the door behind her, then stood by his desk, arms folded, studying his face with the attention of someone watching for any crack in his composure."She surrendered," Jenna said, her voice measured. "Voluntarily."Jordan looked up from the financial projections he'd been reviewing. For a heartbeat, his pen hovered over the page. Then he set it down carefully and nodded once, as if he had expected it all along.As if this particular piece of news
Chapter 62: Between Love and War
The office felt colder that morning. The moment Jordan walked in, every staff member knew something was off.His expression was calm, but his eyes carried that quiet storm, the kind that warned of an incoming reckoning. Jenna saw it too.She had seen it before, years ago, during the worst of the Bennett trial.He called for an emergency meeting with the executive team. The room filled quickly — department heads whispering nervously, laptops open, files spread across the long table.Jordan stood at the head, hands clasped behind his back. “The breach we faced last night was not random,” he began. “It was deliberate. Coordinated. And personal.”Silence gripped the room.“Evidence points directly to ZB Consulting,” he continued. “Which means Zoe Bennett has declared war again.”Murmurs erupted. Jenna’s sharp voice cut through them. “The security division is doubling our firewall defenses. Every internal device will be audited. Anyone found in contact with that firm, even casually will be
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