CHAPTER 26: Checkmate Approaches

Marcus had been betrayed before.

But this felt different.

This felt orchestrated.

He stood in his penthouse office, the early morning skyline still cloaked in haze, as headlines flashed across the screens.

"Regulators Open Investigation into GNV Leadership Scandal."

"Anonymous Documents Spark Internal Review at GNV."

Each sentence was a nail.

And though no name was printed, he saw her in every word.

Anita.

He hadn't just underestimated her.

He had never truly understood her.

Down below, in a quiet executive suite at a private club, Anita sipped her espresso and reviewed the latest board count. Fourteen votes. She needed fifteen. Sixteen to make it impossible to contest.

The swing vote was Martin Lai—an old-school industrialist who believed in legacy and order.

He didn't like Marcus. But he didn't trust upheaval either.

Anita had sent word.

A personal lunch. No assistants. No handlers. Just truth.

And leverage.

Back in the tower, Marcus met with his last loyal advisor, Cameron, who now looked like a man under siege.

"This is bigger than bad press," Cameron said quietly. "This is surgical."

Marcus leaned forward. "How many have flipped?"

Cameron hesitated.

"Too many," he finally said.

And that's when Marcus knew.

This wasn't damage control anymore.

This was survival.

At the club, Martin Lai listened as Anita laid out not threats—but vision.

A clean board. A refocused GNV. A return to integrity—with evidence that proved Marcus had used the company like a personal vault.

Martin said nothing for a long moment.

Then he stood.

"I'll give you my vote," he said. "But only if you finish this quickly. The company can't survive a drawn-out war."

Anita nodded once.

She had her sixteen.

That night, alone in her apartment, she stood by the window, watching the lights flicker in Marcus's tower across the skyline.

Tomorrow, she would strike in the open.

But tonight, she allowed herself one small breath of stillness.

Not victory.

Not yet.

But the air of rising