PART 2: The silence that followed was suffocating. Adrian stood frozen in the middle of the foyer, his eyes glued to the glowing screen of his smartphone. The arrogant smirk that had defined his face for three years vanished, replaced by an expression of sheer, unadulterated horror. “What is this?” he muttered, his fingers trembling violently as he swiped through notification after notification. “This… this is impossible.” Vanessa’s smug smile flickered. She took a step toward him, trying to peer over his shoulder. “Adrian? What’s wrong? Is it just the media trying to get an exclusive on the divorce?” He didn’t answer her. He couldn’t. His phone began to ring loudly. The caller ID displayed the name of his primary venture capital backer—a man who had invested over two hundred million dollars into Vale Enterprises. Adrian pressed the phone to his ear, his voice cracking. “Marcus? What’s going on? I’m seeing news reports about—” He didn’t even get to finish his sentence. The voice on the other end was loud enough for the entire foyer to hear, roaring through the speaker with brutal intensity. PART 3
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