Chapter 25 - The Ghost in the Glass Room
I stood frozen in the velvet shadows, watching the tableau of betrayal play out on the gilded stage below.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Alexander’s voice cut across the room, booming with that same deep, gravelly authority that had shaken me over the satellite phone. The microphones picked up every rich, terrifying inflection. "For eight years, I allowed the world to believe I had perished in the southern hemisphere. A calculated withdrawal, necessary to restructure our global supply chains away from predatory regulatory interference."
The flashbulbs flashed like a synchronized lightning storm. Journalists were practically climbing over the brass railings, shouting questions in English, German, and French.
Alexander raised a single, scarred hand. The room fell into an obedient, absolute hush.
"During my absence," he continued, his eyes scanning the crowd with chilling superiority, "I left my daughter, Victoria, as custodian of Vance Global. I had hoped she would demonstrate the strategic brilliance, the stoic fortitude, and the emotional discipline required to command an empire of this magnitude."
He paused, casting a look of theatrical sorrow toward the cameras.
"Regrettably, she succumbed to petty jealousy, corporate sabotage, and emotional volatility. Her recent actions—liquidating historic real estate assets out of spite, weaponizing human resources to settle domestic grievances, and publicly humiliating my senior executives—have cost this company billions in enterprise value."
He gestured gracefully to his right. Ricardo stepped forward, his chest puffed out like a peacock that had narrowly avoided the butcher's knife, while Camilla looked on with dewy-eyed innocence.
"Effective immediately," Alexander announced, "by virtue of the 2015 foundational codicil, I resume the office of Executive Chairman. Victoria Vance is stripped of all operational authority, her shares escrowed pending a comprehensive mental competency audit. Furthermore... I am proud to announce the next generation of Vance leadership. Ricardo will be appointed Chief Operating Officer of our European division, and his unborn child—my grandson—will be established as the sole beneficiary of the newly chartered Alpine Trust."
The room erupted. Shouts, gasps, and the furious clicking of keyboards filled the air.
May you like
Behind the curtain, Sofia grabbed my arm, her nails digging through my wool coat. "Victoria... your father was sleeping with her. The baby isn't Ricardo's. It's Alexander's."
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