Chapter 179
Chapter 179:
Liam went to Skye’s old bedroom. He lay on her bed, burying his face in her pillow. It still smelled like her—roses and rain.
He wept. He cried until he threw up.
In the mirror, his reflection mocked him. He had everything he thought he wanted—the company, the heir, the control.
And he had absolutely nothing.
The funeral was black. Black umbrellas, black cars, black souls. The casket was empty, buried in the family plot. A massive marble angel wept over the grave.
Liam stood there, hollow. He hadn’t slept in three days.
The crowd parted. Arthur Sterling marched through the rain. He didn’t look sad. He looked predatory. He stopped in front of Liam.
“You killed her,” Arthur spat, loud enough for the press to hear. “You and your incompetence p>
“I did everything I could,” Liam whispered.
“You failed,” Arthur announced, turning to the cameras. “This is negligence. Sterling Corp is pulling all contracts with Kensington Global effective immediately. We are suing you for wrongful death. We will bury your company just like you buried my daughter p>
Liam didn’t fight back. He felt like he deserved it.
Arthur knelt by the grave, placing a single white tulip on the wet earth. It was a performance—a calculated move to tank Kensington stock so he could buy back shares cheaply.
High above the city, in the penthouse of the Oracle Tower, the real war was beginning.
Skye stood by the window, wearing a blood-red silk robe. Her shoulder was bandaged. Her face was untouched, but her eyes were different—harder, colder.
“Is the acquisition ready?” she asked.
Alistair sat at the computer array. “The algorithm is primed. Sterling stock is plummeting due to Arthur’s announcement of the split. He thinks he’s hurting you, but he’s driving his own company’s value down p>
о𝗋𝘨𝗮n𝘪𝘻𝘦 your 𝘳𝗲𝖺𝗱𝗶𝗻𝘨 l𝗶𝗌𝘵 о𝗇 𝖻𝗲𝘭ո𝘰𝘷𝗲𝗅𝘀.𝗰o𝗺
“Perfect,” Skye said. “Buy it. All of it. Hostile takeover p>
“And Kensington p>
“Short it,” Skye commanded. “Bleed them both dry p>
Alistair hit enter.
Billions of dollars moved through the fiber-optic cables.
At the funeral, Liam’s phone buzzed. Then his assistant’s. Then every phone in the crowd.
“Sir,” his CFO ran up, pale as a sheet. “Someone is buying Sterling. It’s a massacre. They’ve acquired 51% in three minutes p>
Liam looked at the grave. “Who p>
“A shell company,” the CFO stammered. “Oracle Holdings p>
Liam looked up at the sky. He felt a chill that had nothing to do with the rain.
“The Oracle,” he murmured.
Skye watched the numbers turn green on her screen.
“Rest in peace, Skye Kensington,” she whispered, raising a glass of wine. “Long live Ms. S p>