flash
Daniel’s feet met the cold linoleum floor of the kitchen. Outside, the rain beat a jagged rhythm against the fire escape, matching the sudden, erratic drumbeat in his chest. The smell of burnt sugar from the bakery downstairs felt thick, almost suffocating, as he stared at the woman standing in the sliver of light coming from the hallway. / Chapter 4 / 10

Chapter 4 - THE EMERGENCY BOARDROOMThe glass-and-steel monolith of Han Meridian Group loomed over Midtown Manhattan like a giant blade cutting into the grey afternoon sky.

Inside the 42nd-floor executive boardroom, the atmosphere was thick with expensive cologne, quiet panic, and suppressed malice.

Victor Han sat at the head of the massive mahogany table. He looked older today—the silver in his hair seemed sharper, his shoulders slightly more slouched, though his eyes remained as cold as Arctic ice. He hadn't slept either. The news of Daniel's banishment had sent ripples through the city’s financial columns, but that was nothing compared to the phantom discrepancies discovered in the morning audit reports.

"What do you mean, the liquidity is missing?" Victor demanded, his voice cracking like a whip across the silent room.

Marcus stood near the window, his tailored Brioni suit impeccably fitted, though a thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. "It's just a clerical delay, Chairman. The quarterly reallocations for the Pacific shipping lanes are tied up in regulatory clearance in Singapore. Bureaucratic red tape."

"Red tape doesn't move five hundred million dollars out of our primary operating account into an unlisted Cayman trust in forty-eight hours!" Victor slammed his palm against the mahogany table. Several board members flinched.

Ethan sat quietly near the back, his hands folded neatly over a leather-bound tablet, his face an impenetrable mask of serene indifference. "Father is right to be concerned," Ethan said smoothly, his voice soft, almost melodic. "Given current market volatility, perhaps we should look at emergency asset consolidation. We might need to... streamline certain holdings."

"Streamline?" Victor narrowed his eyes, staring at his middle son with sudden, dangerous suspicion. "What the hell does that mean?"

Before Ethan could answer, the heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open with a loud, echoing bang.

Security guards rushed forward, but they stopped dead in their tracks the moment they saw who was walking through the threshold.

It wasn't a corporate raider. It wasn't a federal prosecutor.

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The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, trapping the suffocating tension inside. Richard’s hands were shaking as he clutched the small, tarnished silver pendant. His knuckles were bone-white.

The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, t...

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply against the gold-rimmed porcelain of my dinner plate.

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply agains...

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a muffled, expensive thud.

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a...

It was Daniel Han.

And walking right beside him, wearing a sharp, charcoal-grey pantsuit that commanded the room instantly, was Lena Brooks.

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