Chapter 8 - THE SHADOWS FADE
The sun dipped below the Chicago skyline, casting long, golden streaks across the office floor as twilight settled over Westbridge Tower.
The cleaning crew had not yet arrived, and the hallways outside were quiet, wrapped in a peaceful, uninterrupted stillness.
Claire sat at her desk, finishing the final electronic signatures on the weekly payroll report. Her phone buzzed beside her keyboard—a simple text message from an unknown number.
The debt is settled. The old guard is dead.
Claire stared at the screen for a moment, then pressed delete. She didn't need warnings anymore. The ghosts of the past had finally been laid to rest, buried deep beneath the legal foundations of a new era.
Across the room, the private office door stood wide open.
Adrian Vale stood by the glass windows, looking out over the glittering lights of the city as they began to flicker on one by one against the gathering night. He wasn't wearing his watch. He didn't need to check the time.
For the first time in fifteen years, the dark empire his father had built was truly gone—replaced by something stronger, cleaner, and entirely unbreakable.
Adrian turned away from the glass, walked to his desk, and picked up a charcoal-gray folder waiting neatly in the center.
May you like
He didn't lock the door behind him as he walked out into the corridor.
The night was theirs.
