Chapter 4: The Collapse
Julian looked at the audience. His father, the man he feared most, was standing in the front row, his face a mask of cold, calculated fury. He knew what corporate espionage meant for the family name. The empire Julian thought he was inheriting had already begun to distance itself from him.
"You ruined me," Julian whispered, his arrogance finally giving way to genuine, hollow terror.
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"I didn't ruin you," Elena said, stepping closer until she was inches from his face. "You built a house of cards on a foundation of greed, and you handed me the match. I just lit it."
The projector continued to play—showing a second video: Julian admitting to framing his own brother for a hit-and-run three years prior. That was the final nail. The city’s elite, who had been his allies, were now looking at him like he was a contagion.
