Chapter 986

Josh's hands tightened into fists as he gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window.

The office was in a prestigious high-rise above a constant stream of traffic.

He had worked so hard to reach his current position, and now he was expected to leave in disgrace?

How could he accept that?

Suddenly, the office door slammed open, and Mason strolled in.

He was playing a game on his phone, thumbs flying as the sound of digital gunfire filled the room. He didn't even glance up. "Dad, I just found a limited edition car-literally one-of-a-kind. I want it. You'll have to pay."

Pausing his game for a heartbeat, Mason flicked his gaze up. "So the finance manager is here too. Dad, just tell him to send the money to my account, okay?" His attention snapped straight back to the glowing screen, oblivious to the tension swirling through the room.

Josh glared at his son, disappointment etched deep across his face, a vein pulsing angrily at his temple.Without warning, he snatched a folder from his desk and hurled it straight at Mason, striking him hard.

"Put that damn game down! Are you even aware the company's about to implode?"

Clutching the spot where the folder had struck him, Mason just stared at his father, dazed and speechless.Meanwhile, the friends playing online with Mason-an elite circle of rich guys-had all fallen silent on the other end of the phone.

For several seconds, nothing but the artificial gunfire and digital chaos from the game echoed through the speaker.

Finally, a shaky voice broke the silence. "Uh,Mason,was that your dad just now? Did he just mention there's trouble at his company? It can't be a problem with the investment, right? My family poured a fortune into that project. If anything goes wrong now, we're finished." Panic rising in his chest, Mason quit the game in a frenzy.

Hamilton, still in shock, barely noticed the city lights flickering past as he drove home. He hadn't even reached the villa when his phone began to buzz nonstop.

His secretary was calling.

Brad and Ethan kepot trying to call him too.

His inbox was a storm-acquaintances, old business contacts, even distant relatives all flooding him with messages.

Hamilton's nerves finally snapped; he pulled his car to the curb, his hands trembling as he tried to catch his breath. Just as he steadied himself, a notification flashed across his phone-a breaking news alert.

The headline burned straight through his daze: "A Shocking Scam?"

For a heartbeat, Hamilton's mind went completely blank.

His fingers hovered in midair. Then, pulse racing, he stabbed at the link and opened the article.

The audio played a heated voice. "Put that damn game dowvn! Are you even aware the company's about to implode?"

That voice crashed through Hamilton's mind like a thunderclap.

Numb, he ignored the barrage of incoming calls and messages. His fingers shook as he jabbed the ignition,flooring the gas pedal and racing through the city in a panicked daze.

When he finally/screeched to a stop outside McCoy Group, the distant thunder of a jet roared overhead, its sound rattling through his bones as if the whole world had been turned upside down.

Hamilton's gaze tracked the jet as it dwindled into a thin silver thread against the sky.

He slumped back into the driver's seat, wordless, watching a wave of people pouring toward the building.The place looked as battered and displaced as Josh himself-stripped of its former dignity.

Hamilton gripped the steering wheel, only now noticing the tremor in his own hands. After what felt like an eternity, he reached for his phone, moving as if pulled by invisible strings, and dialed Daniela's number.

When she answered, his voice emerged raw and hollow. "Daniela, I'm at outside McCoy Group. Could you come pick me up?"

Something about it felt off.

In that instant, Hamilton's thoughts sputtered to a halt, leaving nothing but a numb void behind his eyes.

The fortune he'd spent decades building vanished, and the company he'd painstakingly grown evaporated overnight.

Speech eluded him.

He glanced at his overflowing contact list-old friends, influential business partners, three younger brothers,five sons-six now-yet in this moment of ruin, he couldn't bring himself to reach out to a single one of them.

The only number his trembling fingers dialed was Daniela's.