That morning, the market was not yet open, but the war had already begun.
Ethan had been sitting in his office since five o'clock. His suit was still neatly draped over the chair, the coffee on his desk cold and untouched. On his laptop screen, overnight transaction reports lay open in layers. Names of shell companies, cross-border fund flows, movements too precise to be called coincidence.
Marcus was not just attacking.
He was testing.
Measuring how far Ethan could hold on.
The door was knocked gently.
"Come in."
The CFO stepped inside, his face tighter than the day before. "There's a development."
Ethan did not like the tone.
"Speak."
"Our two largest institutional investors sold off nearly all their holdings before the market opened."
"What percentage?"
"Eight point two."
It was a devastating blow.
