Chapter 3: The Live Feed of Defeat
Julian held up his smartphone. The screen displayed a high-definition, real-time feed that was currently being broadcast to a private, encrypted server accessible by every major news outlet and federal regulatory body in the country.
"You’ve been talking for five minutes, Richard," Julian noted, tapping the screen. "Every insult, every threat, every confession of the illegal kickback schemes you orchestrated in the Pacific merger—it’s all on the stream."
Richard’s face drained of color. He lunged for the phone, but Julian side-stepped with a grace that spoke of years of training. "Don't bother. The metadata is already timestamped and off-site. The board of directors has already seen it. The shareholders are already dumping the stock."
The room grew suffocatingly quiet. In the distance, the faint sound of sirens began to pierce the Manhattan skyline—not one or two, but a symphony of them.
Richard looked from his son to his daughter-in-law. The "frightened" girl was gone. Standing before him was a woman with the cold, steely focus of a field commander.
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"You didn't marry him," Richard realized, his voice trembling. "You raided me."
"It wasn't a marriage, Richard," Elara confirmed, her voice smooth and dangerous. "It was an operation."
