Chapter 2 – The First Domino
Monday morning.
At exactly 9:00 a.m., the boardroom of Hartwell Global erupted into chaos.
Executives stared at the giant screen in disbelief.
Every offshore account.
Every hidden payment.
Every shell company.
Displayed one after another.
Someone had breached their private financial servers.
Lucas burst into the room.
"Who did this?"
No one answered.
Instead...
The company's Chief Financial Officer slowly slid an envelope across the table.
Inside was a resignation letter.
Then another.
Then another.
Within twenty minutes...
Five senior executives resigned.
Three government investigators arrived with federal warrants.
The company's stock dropped seventeen percent before lunch.
Lucas's father turned pale.
"This is impossible."
"It isn't."
The lead investigator placed another folder onto the table.
"We've been investigating Hartwell Global for eighteen months."
Lucas stared.
"Eighteen months?"
The investigator nodded.
"We simply needed one final witness."
Lucas suddenly remembered...
Isabella had handled every financial report.
Every acquisition.
Every international merger.
His stomach tightened.
"No..."
Meanwhile...
Across town...
Inside a quiet law office overlooking the river...
Isabella calmly sipped black coffee.
Her attorney smiled.
"They're panicking."
She looked out the window.
"They're only seeing the beginning."
The lawyer hesitated.
"Should we tell them who really owns Hartwell Global?"
May you like
She smiled.
"Not yet."
