Damian collapsed onto the gold-trimmed sofa. His breath came in ragged, desperate gasps.
His public empire was gone. But he wasn’t entirely stupid. He had a contingency. In his inside breast pocket was a silver flash drive holding half a billion in untraceable offshore crypto. He just had to get out of this room.
His trembling hand darted into his jacket.
Empty.
He frantically patted his pockets. “Where is it?” he hissed, his eyes darting wildly.
“Looking for this?”
The voice didn’t belong to Elena. It belonged to Veronica.
Damian’s head snapped up.
Veronica wasn’t cowering anymore. The panic had vanished from her face, replaced by chilling composure. She walked right past the security officer, who immediately stepped aside, and casually dropped a small silver drive into the Asian executive’s waiting hand.
Damian’s mind short-circuited. “Veronica… what are you doing?”
She didn’t even look at him. She looked straight at Elena.
“Offshore accounts secured, Ms. Voss. He never suspected a thing.”
Elena nodded. “Flawless work, Vance. Keep the ring as a bonus.”
Veronica smirked, twisting the massive ruby diamond on her left hand—the very ring Damian had bought her yesterday.
“You set me up!” Damian lunged, but two guards instantly slammed him back down into the tufted cushions.
The Asian executive stepped forward, his expression stone-cold.
“Damian Thorne,” the executive said smoothly. “Under Section 4 of the Voss Global Charter, unprovoked physical assault on the majority shareholder constitutes an immediate, unappealable breach of contract.”
He tapped his tablet once.
“Your immunity is nullified. Your hidden assets are legally seized. And the police are waiting in the lobby.”
Elena stepped into the foreground, her smile now absolute, dangerous, and radiant.
“I didn’t just destroy your empire, Damian,” she whispered. “I bought the cage you’re going to live in. Get him out of my house.”