Power did not announce betrayal.It disguised it as governance.Celeste sat at the Montaire boardroom table for the first time in weeks, posture immaculate, expression unreadable. The room smelled faintly of polished wood and ambition. Faces she had known her entire life studied her carefully—not with concern, but calculation.She recognized the shift immediately.They were no longer pretending she was protected.They were assessing damage.“Your absence has consequences,” one board member said smoothly, fingers steepled. “Brand confidence is fragile.”Celeste inclined her head slightly. “So is loyalty.”A pause.Somewhere inside that silence, the truth surfaced clearly: the scandal had not simply been tolerated by the board.It had been leveraged.Across the city, Arrow De La Vega sat in a closed executive session, the blinds drawn, the room sealed tighter than protocol required. His CFO spoke in careful language, eyes avoiding his.“There’s unusual movement among minority shareholde
Last Updated : 2026-01-09 Read more