Chapter 294

• I had no intention of attending Helen’s tea party. I didn’t need the spectacle or the whispers behind champagne flutes. And frankly, I had more important things to do.
• After weeks of stress, I was finally relieved to see Ryan my younger cousin and trusted partner speaking again after a long and difficult recovery. His condition had been a lingering weight on my shoulders, and now that it was lifting, I could shift my focus to something equally important: preserving the legacy of my family’s business empire.
• My late father and two older brothers had built a reputation in infrastructure development and national security contracts strategic assets that had made our family name synonymous with strength and integrity in both government and private sectors. Now, I was combing through decades’ worth of proprietary schematics, project plans, and tactical business models, some drafted hastily during high-stakes negotiations or emergency response drills.