Chapter 173

• Ivan's POV
• I sat still in the dark, barely blinking as I stared into nothing. The corners of my room were cast in shadow, the curtains drawn shut even though morning must’ve arrived hours ago. Light felt like a mockery lately—too bright for someone whose entire life was slipping through his fingers.
• The floor was littered with yesterday’s newspaper headlines, all screaming the same thing in different fonts: scandal, betrayal, legacy crumbling. My name was no longer associated with sleek innovation or brilliant boardroom deals—it was now synonymous with lies and disgrace. Meredith Walter’s death hadn’t even cooled before the world decided to take bites out of my reputation like vultures at a feast.