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CHAPTER 35:"DECLARING WAR"
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2025-12-23 15:43:00"In exchange for what?" Collins asked, though he knew.
"In exchange for walking away from this investigation. From Jerome. From this foolish idea that you can have both the company and the boy." Takeshi's voice softened into something almost fatherly. "Choose the company, Collins. It's what you've always wanted."
Collins looked at Jerome, saw his own conflict reflected in those dark eyes.
A week ago, Takeshi would have been right. The company was what Collins had always wanted,his father's approval, his rightful place, the validation he'd been chasing his entire life.
But that was before midnight tea in the library. Before Jerome's hand in his. Before he'd learned that some things were worth more than approval.
"No," Collins said.
"Collins…"
"I said no. You're right about one thing,I did spend my life wa
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"It's fabricated," Jerome said immediately, his voice tight. "It has to be. My mother would never…""Look at the timestamps," Collins said quietly, scrolling through the documents. "Look at the details. These aren't crude forgeries."Akihito took the phone, examining the files with the practiced eye of someone who'd spent decades in corporate finance. His expression grew darker with each page."These could be real," he said finally."No." Jerome stood abruptly, pacing the small office. "No. My mother built her company from nothing. She's meticulous about legal compliance. She would never risk everything for illegal profits.""Unless she didn't think it was a risk," Collins said slowly, pieces clicking into place. "Unless someone convinced her these transactions were legitimate. Someone she trusted."They all looked at each o
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Senator Ishikawa's office occupied the top floor of a gleaming government building, with views that stretched across Tokyo like a promise. The Senator himself was in his sixties, silver-haired and sharp-eyed, with the bearing of someone who'd spent decades navigating political minefields.He greeted Akihito with genuine warmth, then studied Collins and Jerome with frank curiosity."So," Ishikawa said, settling behind his massive desk. "Akihito tells me you've uncovered corporate fraud. I'm listening."For the next thirty minutes, Collins and Jerome laid out everything,the photographs, the blackmail, the financial manipulation, and Takeshi's involvement. They presented evidence methodically, building their case piece by piece.Ishikawa listened without interruption, his expression giving nothing away. When they finished, he sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers.
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 36:"CALLING IN FAVOURS"
They worked through the night, dividing tasks with military precision. Collins called every contact from his years abroad—journalists in London, investors in New York, board members who owed him favors. Jerome reached out to his network in Southeast Asia, to competitors who would benefit from exposing corruption, to regulatory officials who took corporate malfeasance personally.By 4 AM, they had commitments from three journalists to run the story if they could provide solid proof. By 5 AM, they had two board members willing to call emergency meetings. By 6 AM, they had assembled a presentation that laid out Takeshi's conspiracy in painful detail.By 7 AM, Collins's phone was ringing off the hook.The first call was from his father's lawyer. "Mr. Tanaka, I'm calling to inform you that you've been placed on administrative leave from Tanaka Corp, effective immediately. All company access h
BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US Ā Ā Ā CHAPTER 35:"DECLARING WAR"
"In exchange for what?" Collins asked, though he knew."In exchange for walking away from this investigation. From Jerome. From this foolish idea that you can have both the company and the boy." Takeshi's voice softened into something almost fatherly. "Choose the company, Collins. It's what you've always wanted."Collins looked at Jerome, saw his own conflict reflected in those dark eyes.A week ago, Takeshi would have been right. The company was what Collins had always wanted,his father's approval, his rightful place, the validation he'd been chasing his entire life.But that was before midnight tea in the library. Before Jerome's hand in his. Before he'd learned that some things were worth more than approval."No," Collins said."Collins…""I said no. You're right about one thing,I did spend my life wa
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The name glowing on Jerome's laptop screen belonged to someone Collins had known his entire life.Takeshi Yamamoto. His father's right-hand man. Chief Operating Officer of Tanaka Corp for fifteen years. The man who had taught Collins how to read quarterly reports, who had attended his university graduation, who had been at his mother's funeral standing silent and supportive beside Akihito."It can't be him," Collins said, even as the evidence stared back at him. "Uncle Takeshi has been with my father since before I was born.""The shell companies trace back to his wife's maiden name," Jerome said, his voice tight. "And look at the timeline. The short positions opened the day after your father announced he was marrying my mother. Before anyone outside the inner circle knew about the merger."Collins felt betrayed in a way he hadn't even felt by his father's ultimatum. Takeshi had been constant, reliable,the closest thing to family Collins had after his mother died."Why would he do thi
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They ended up at Jerome's apartment, surrounded by laptops and printed photographs, trying to piece together who was orchestrating their destruction."The letter to your father," Jerome said, reviewing the copy Collins had photographed before they left. "It's written like someone who knows corporate politics intimately. Someone who understands exactly what words would trigger his suspicions.""And someone who had access to take all these photographs." Collins spread them out on the table. "Look at the angles. Some of these were taken from inside the mansion. From hallways, from the garden, from places only family or staff could access."Jerome's face went pale. "You think someone on the staff is working with the Matsuda Group?""Or someone in the family."They stared at each other as the implications sank in."Who would benefit from sabotaging both the merger and our relationship?" Collins asked.Jerome grabbed his laptop, pulling up financial records. "The Tanaka-LinĆØa merger is wort
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