Chapter 10 - The Fall of Vance Logistics
The video ended with a shot of Evelyn smiling, raising a gentle hand toward the camera before the screen faded to black.
Complete, deafening silence fell over the forty-second floor.
The foreign buyers immediately closed their leather portfolios. The lead delegate stood up, bowed politely toward Mason and Noah, and said in crisp, accented English, "We are withdrawing our offer of acquisition immediately. We will not be party to a criminal conspiracy. Good evening."
"Wait! No! Please!" Robert screamed, lunging toward the delegates. "We can renegotiate! We can cut the price by thirty percent! Don't leave!"
The delegates ignored him, walking past him as if he were nothing more than dirt on the floor.
Robert dropped to his knees, his hands clutching his head as the reality of his ruin crashed down upon him. "I'm ruined... I borrowed twelve million from private lenders against this sale... they'll kill me! Victoria, do something! You promised me I would be protected!"
Victoria didn't answer him. She stood frozen against the window, her knuckles pressed against the glass, watching her entire life's work dissolve into nothingness within a matter of minutes.
"You think you won?" Victoria whispered, slowly turning around. Her hair had come loose from its elegant bun, strands sticking to her pale, sweating face. Her eyes were manic, filled with the wild, desperate fury of a cornered predator. "You think you can take over Vance Logistics? This company has debts you can't even fathom! Creditors will swarm this building by nine AM! You'll be drowning in lawsuits before you even sit in my chair!"
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"Let them come," I said, stepping forward. "Because unlike you, we aren't afraid of hard work. We rebuilt our lives from nothing once. We can rebuild this company from the ground up."
"You won't get the chance," Victoria hissed, reaching toward her coat pocket with a sudden, violent motion.
