Chapter 444

Chapter 444:

But Victoria had discovered something else. Richard Pierce had found evidence that the equipment failure was due to cost-cutting measures approved by…

Meridian’s board had approved measures that violated safety protocols. Richard had been preparing to go public with this information, to accept responsibility for the deaths and implement industry-wide safety reforms.

Victoria had somehow learned of Richard’s plans. The memo showed her authorizing a campaign to destroy Richard’s credibility before he could reveal Meridian’s culpability. False accusations of financial misconduct. Planted stories about his mental health. A systematic character assassination designed to make Richard appear unreliable, unstable, and untrustworthy.

The second file contained Richard’s personal notes, apparently recovered from his home computer after his death. Page after page of anguished writing, describing the pressure from Kane Industries, the threats to his family, the choice between revealing the truth about the factory accident and protecting his nephew from retaliation.

“They’ve made it clear that Alexander will pay the price if I speak.” One entry read. “Victoria Kane has the power to destroy his future, his career, his life. I cannot be responsible for that. But how can I live with the blood of those workers on my hands?”

The final entry, dated the day before his suicide, was barely coherent: “No way out. Truth buried forever. Three families destroyed for corporate profits, and I am too weak to fight. Alexander must never know. He must never carry this burden. Better that I die a coward than live knowing I chose his future over justice for the dead…”

Alexander stared at the screen until the words blurred. His uncle hadn’t died because of business failure or financial ruin. He had died because Victoria Kane had threatened Alexander’s life to keep him silent about a cover-up that had cost three workers their lives.

All these years, Alexander had been the unwitting weapon used to destroy the only man who had ever truly loved him.

His phone buzzed with a text from Camille: Dinner at home tonight? I have news about the Chicago implementation.

Alexander typed back automatically: Looking forward to it. Love you.

But love wasn’t enough anymore. Not when it was built on a foundation of lies and blood. Victoria Kane had murdered his uncle as surely as if she had tied the noose herself. She had manipulated Alexander’s love for Richard to ensure her secrets stayed buried.

Now it was time for those secrets to see daylight.

Alexander opened a new browser window and logged into his private trading account. Kane Industries’ stock was currently trading at $247 per share, riding high on news of the Phoenix Grid expansion. A strong, stable stock, backed by investor confidence in Victoria Kane’s leadership.

That was about to change.

Over the next hour, Alexander executed a series of carefully planned trades. Shell companies he had established months ago began short-selling Kane Industries’ stock in coordinated waves. Anonymous tips were sent to financial bloggers about “concerns regarding Kane Industries’ historical acquisition practices.” Carefully worded questions were planted on investor forums about the sustainability of the Phoenix Grid’s ambitious timeline.

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