Se connecterCharles Whitmore did not answer immediately.He sat at the head of the boardroom table, his fingers resting against the edge of the document Nathan had placed before him.Twenty-nine years of records.Twenty-nine years of transactions.And one name appearing where it shouldn't.His name.Damian watched him carefully.“Would you like to explain?”Charles lifted his gaze.“Explain what, exactly? You've presented a collection of old transactions without establishing that any of them were illegal.”Nathan opened his laptop.“We traced the disputed transfers through three investment companies. All three were connected to an account managed by a firm that represented you twenty-nine years ago.”Charles barely glanced at the screen.“Represented me professionally. That proves nothing.”“Agreed,” Damian replied.Charles seemed surprised by the answer.Damian leaned forward.“Which is why we haven't accused you of anything.”“Then what is this meeting about?”“Access.”Damian slid a document a
Damian stared at the name.For several seconds, he did not move.The room seemed to become unbearably quiet.Amelia watched his face carefully.“Damian?”He folded the paper once.Then again.His jaw tightened.Nathan stepped closer. “Who is it?”Damian looked at him.“It’s Daniel.”Nathan frowned. “Daniel Mercer?”Damian nodded.Victoria immediately shook her head.“No.”Everyone looked at her.“That doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Daniel was investigating the theft.”“He was,” Damian replied quietly.“Then why would your father write his name?”Damian placed the letter on the table.“Because my father knew Daniel was involved.”Amelia picked up the letter.The handwriting was unmistakably old, but the words were clear.If anything happens to me, do not accuse Daniel.She looked up.“Wait.”Damian pointed to the next line.He knows who did it. He was forced to work for them.Victoria's expression changed.“Forced?”Nathan took the letter from Amelia and read the remaining lines.His
Vale Grand looked different at night.The abandoned hotel stood beneath the darkness, its broken windows reflecting the faint glow of the streetlights.Damian's car stopped several meters from the entrance.Two security vehicles arrived behind them.Adrian stepped out first.He looked around.“Nothing.”Damian got out.“That's what worries me.”Amelia joined him.Victoria followed, clutching her father's letter.Nathan remained in the second vehicle with the documents.Damian looked at everyone.“We stay together.”Adrian nodded.They entered the hotel.The lobby was silent.No footsteps.No movement.No sign of Edward.Then Amelia noticed something.“Look.”A light was on at the far end of the hallway.Damian walked toward it.The light came from the old conference room.He opened the door.Empty.Except for a table.And a single chair.On the table was an envelope.Damian picked it up.His name was written on it.DAMIAN VALE.He opened it.Inside was a photograph.The same four men
For several seconds, nobody spoke.The name at the bottom of Marcus's letter seemed to hang in the air.Damian stared at it.He had seen it before.Years ago.In his father's old business records.A name connected to a man everyone believed had died.But now,Marcus had written it.Jonathan had a photograph of him.And someone had just been ordered to bring him back.“What are you thinking?” Amelia asked.Damian folded the letter carefully.“That this is bigger than Jonathan.”Adrian nodded.“I agree.”Victoria looked between them.“My father said someone destroyed our families.”She swallowed.“But he didn't say who.”Damian looked at the house.“Maybe he couldn't.”“Why?”“Because he knew the person was still powerful.”Adrian's expression hardened.“Then we need to find him before they do.”Damian shook his head.“No.”Adrian frowned.“No?”“We need to find out who we're looking for first.”Amelia nodded.“Otherwise we're walking into another trap.”Victoria looked at the letter.“
The drive to Vale Grand was silent.Damian kept both hands on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road.Amelia sat beside him.Victoria was in the back seat, holding the small key her father had left behind.Adrian was following them separately.Nobody knew who had entered the hotel.Nobody knew what they were looking for.But Damian knew one thing.They had to get there first.When they finally arrived, the old hotel stood exactly as they had left it.Dark.Silent.Abandoned.Except for one thing.A light was glowing on the third floor.Damian stopped the car.Amelia stared at the building.“Someone is inside.”Victoria swallowed.“My father used to bring me here when I was a child.”Damian looked at her through the mirror.“Did he ever mention an underground room?”“No.”She looked at the hotel.“But he always told me never to go below the ground floor.”Adrian pulled up behind them.He stepped out.“I've already contacted security.”Damian nodded.“Let's go.”---The front do
Damian read the message again.WHEN THE VALE FAMILY COMES LOOKING FOR ITS SHARES, GIVE THEM TO JONATHAN.He couldn't stop staring at the words.Amelia stood beside him.“Damian.”He finally looked up.“If Marcus Hale transferred his shares to Jonathan, then Jonathan isn't trying to steal Vale Group.”Daniel nodded.“He's trying to restore the original ownership.”Damian's jaw tightened.“Then why threaten me?”“Because you weren't listening.”“Listening to what?”Daniel pointed at the document.“The agreement.”Damian looked down.“Which agreement?”“The one your father signed before Meridian was dissolved.”Daniel pulled another document from the box.“This.”Damian took it.His eyes moved across the page.Then stopped.THE ORIGINAL SHAREHOLDERS MAY RECLAIM THEIR ASSETS IF THE COMPANY IS EVER CONTROLLED BY A SUCCESSOR WHO WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.Damian's expression hardened.“I'm the successor.”“Yes.”“And because I wasn't part of the original agreement…”“Jonathan c
The words slammed into Damian like a physical blow.“Don’t touch her.”For a second, nobody moved.Amelia’s body trembled weakly in Adrian’s arms, her face pale enough to terrify everyone in the room.“Move aside,” Damian said coldly.Adrian ignored him completely.“Get water,” he told Sophie calml
Amelia’s heartbeat stopped for a second.No.Not now.Not tonight.Sophie looked between the door and Amelia in confusion before opening it wider.Standing outside was a tall man dressed in a dark coat, rainwater still glistening faintly on his shoulders. His sharp features carried the calm confide
For one terrifying second, Damian thought he misheard.The noise of the ballroom faded into the background.“What did you say?”On the other end of the call, the hotel manager sounded nervous.“Mrs. Vale collapsed near the west entrance. Security said she nearly fainted in the rain.”Damian’s grip
Damian Vale did not sleep that night.By three in the morning, the entire top floor of Vale Corporation remained brightly lit while executives and assistants moved nervously through the hallways like soldiers preparing for war.Nobody dared ask questions.Nobody dared mention Amelia.But everyone c







