Chapter 44

• Under the cover of night, I slipped into Sterling Enterprises’ restricted records room. The break-in was almost too easy—security was lax, and the files were meticulously organized. I scanned the digital archive, quickly spotting what I needed: the confidential reports on the Victory acquisition, neatly categorized under high-priority mergers.
• Using the dim glow of my tablet screen, muted by a privacy filter, I crouched in the shadows and scrolled through the documents one by one. As I read, a cold shiver ran down my spine. My hands tightened around the device, and before I realized it, silent tears streaked down my face.
• Adrian and Vivian had been assigned to oversee the Victory acquisition, despite their glaring lack of experience. In the initial takeover, my uncle had lost his entire firm trying to prevent Adrian’s aggressive buyout. Another relative of mine—someone who had once been my mentor in the industry—hadn’t even lived to see the acquisition finalized. He had suffered a fatal heart attack from the financial stress before the deal was even signed. I could still picture his sharp, determined gaze, and now he was gone. Just like that.