Chapter 4 - The Mask Slips"You arrogant bastard," Vivienne spat, her voice shrill and dripping with venom as she wrenched herself out of the guards' grip and smoothed her ruined designer dress. "You think you're untouchable, Dominic? You sit in your ivory tower, playing god with your billions, while real players move the pieces!"
She glared at Ella with murderous hatred. "And you! You filthy little piece of trash from the gutter! You ruined everything because you couldn't keep your ears shut!"
"Watch your tongue," Dominic warned, taking a slow step toward her. The sheer menace radiating from his frame made Vivienne step back, despite her bravado.
"Do you really think I acted alone?" Vivienne laughed hysterically, her eyes wild. "The Sterling Group already has your board members in their pocket. Half your overseas accounts are frozen as of midnight tonight. By the time the sun rises, Vance Industries will be a hollow shell, and you'll be begging me for mercy!"
Dominic didn't flinch. He didn't blink. He simply pulled a sleek, encrypted smartphone from his pocket, tapped the screen twice, and held it up.
On the screen, a live security feed played. It showed the executive floor of the Sterling Group's Manhattan headquarters, currently surrounded by federal agents and federal marshals, with handcuffs clicking onto the wrists of Vivienne's co-conspirators.
"You assumed," Dominic said, his voice terrifyingly calm, "that because I kept quiet, I was blind. I knew about the leak three weeks ago, Vivienne. I was simply waiting to see how deep the rot went. And congratulations—you led us right to the root."
Vivienne’s face drained of every drop of color. Her knees buckled, and she hit the marble floor with a dull thud, her manicured hands clawing uselessly at the polished stone. "No... that's impossible... we checked your security firewall..."
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"You checked my public firewall," Dominic corrected, stepping over her sprawling form as if she were nothing more than dust on his shoe. He walked straight up to Ella, stopping just inches away.
For a long moment, the billionaire looked down at the humble maid who had risked everything to protect his family. The cold armor he wore to face the ruthless business world melted away, replaced by an intense, burning respect.
