CHAPTER 3 — THE COLLAPSE
By noon, the news broke.
“Cross Holdings Under Investigation”
“Luxury Empire Faces Sudden Financial Lockdown”
“Unknown Benefactor Revealed as Controlling Owner”
Phones rang nonstop.
Investors panicked.
Partners withdrew.
Within hours, Damian’s empire became a liability.
He stormed into the boardroom—
Only to find his own directors avoiding his eyes.
“You knew?” he demanded.
Silence.
One of them finally spoke.
“We… suspected.”
“You let this happen?!”
“No,” the man said quietly.
“You married it.”
The words hit harder than any slap.
Meanwhile, Vanessa packed her things.
No goodbye.
No loyalty.
Just survival.
And Evelyn…
May you like
For the first time in decades…
Had no one left to command.
