The conference room on the forty-second floor of Harrington Tower had never felt so claustrophobic.
Lucas Harrington stood at the head of the polished obsidian table, palms braced against its surface, his posture rigid with restrained fury. Around him sat his legal team—six of the sharpest minds money could buy—none of them daring to meet his eyes for longer than a second.
"You're telling me," Lucas said slowly, each word clipped and precise, "that Victor Hale legally acquired a controlling interest in one of my subsidiaries without triggering a single alert."
The room was silent except for the faint hum of the city outside.
Finally, Martin Kessler, head of legal affairs, cleared his throat. "The acquisition was… layered. Hale used shell companies, offshore holdings, and intermediaries. By the time the shares were consolidated, the transaction was already complete."
Lucas straightened, his expression darkening. "So you failed."
