CHAPTER 3 — The Unraveling Empire
The executive began placing more files on the table.
One by one.
Acquisition records.
Banking structures.
Shell companies Damian had proudly called his “network.”
All signed.
All approved.
All routed through Voss Global Holdings.
Veronica stepped forward now, panic slipping through her polished composure.
“If this is true… then everything—our partners, our investors—”
“—belong to her approval system,” the executive finished.
Damian slammed his hand on the table.
“Why?” he demanded, voice shaking now. “Why let me run it?”
Elena finally faced him directly.
Her expression was unreadable.
“Because I needed to know what kind of man you were,” she said.
Damian froze.
Elena continued.
“Power doesn’t corrupt people. It reveals them.”
A pause.
“You passed for a while.”
That hit harder than any accusation.
Because it implied the truth:
May you like
He hadn’t been powerful.
He had been tested.
