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Chapter 1 - The Chairman’s Guest

The silence in the executive lounge was deafening. Richard’s fingers were still hovering in the air, his arrogant smile frozen as he processed my words. Daniel Cross, his sycophantic best friend, let out a nervous chuckle, trying to shatter the tension. “Come on, Elena. You’ve had too much champagne. Let’s get you a cab.”

I didn’t move. I kept my eyes locked on Richard. “I’m not going anywhere, Richard. But you are.”

Before Richard could grab my arm again, a slow, deliberate clapping echoed from the back of the room. The crowd parted instantly. Marcus Vance, the notoriously ruthless Chairman of Halcyon Dynamics, stepped into the light. He wasn’t supposed to be at this regional dinner.

Marcus looked at my bleeding lip, then at Richard. “Fascinating display, Mercer,” Marcus said, his voice like crushed ice. “Is this how you handle all your corporate negotiations?”

Richard’s face drained of color. “Mr. Vance! Sir, this is just a private matter. My wife is—”

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“Your wife,” Marcus interrupted, turning to me with a respectful nod, “is Elena Rostova. Senior Partner at Vanguard Compliance. And as of three weeks ago, she is the primary external auditor I personally hired to investigate the missing forty million dollars from your division.”

The room gasped. Richard staggered back as if the words themselves had physically struck him.

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