Twenty hours.
That was all that remained.
Alexander stood at the head of the conference table while the internal investigation team projected names across the screen.
Nine board members.
Three loyal to Catherine.
Three loyal to Alexander.
Two undecided.
One who had just withdrawn his support, claiming coercion.
"Show me financial anomalies," Alexander said.
The analyst hesitated. "From which accounts?"
"All of them."
Elena watched quietly from the corner of the room.
This was different from before.
Earlier, they were reacting.
Now, Alexander was hunting.
Two hours later, the first crack appeared.
"There," the analyst said, zooming in. "A consulting firm."
Alexander narrowed his eyes.
"Registered six months ago."
"Ownership?" he asked.
"Layered under three holding companies."
Elena leaned forward.
"Trace it."
Keys clicked rapidly.
Then—
The screen populated with a familiar name.
Marcus Vance.
Elena's stomach turned.
"Impossible," she whispered. "He disappeared after the investigation."
Alexander's jaw hardened.
"No," he said quietly. "He relocated."
The analyst continued.
"Funds from this firm were transferred to a private investment pool… which recently purchased minority shares in Hale Enterprises."
Silence filled the room.
"How many shares?" Alexander asked.
"Enough to influence swing votes."
Elena felt the pieces snapping together.
"Marcus couldn't take you down directly," she said slowly. "So he's buying influence."
Alexander nodded once.
"And using fear to destabilize the board."
David's scare.
The coerced withdrawal.
The sudden vote.
It wasn't Catherine tightening control.
It was someone exploiting the conflict between mother and son.
Daniel looked up from his tablet.
"If Marcus is backing opposition votes quietly, he doesn't need the full six."
Alexander's eyes darkened.
"He just needs chaos."
Night fell again.
Seventeen hours left.
Elena stood alone on the balcony outside Alexander's office.
The city lights shimmered below.
He joined her moments later.
"It's him," she said.
"Yes."
"And your mother?"
"Still dangerous," Alexander replied calmly. "But not reckless."
Elena exhaled slowly.
"So Marcus is using her move as cover."
"Yes."
She turned to face him.
"Then we expose him."
Alexander studied her carefully.
"That will drag the board into scandal."
"It's already there."
He didn't argue.
Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Schedule an emergency pre-vote session," he said when Daniel answered. "All members present. No exceptions."
Elena's pulse quickened.
"You're confronting this publicly?"
"Yes."
"That's risky."
"So is silence."
Fifteen hours left.
The board assembled earlier than planned.
Tension sat heavy in the air.
Catherine entered last.
Her gaze moved between Alexander and the rest of the room.
"You've accelerated the timetable," she observed.
"Yes," he replied calmly.
She took her seat.
"Very well. Proceed."
Alexander didn't sit.
Instead, he connected his tablet to the main display.
The screen lit up with financial records.
"Before we vote," he began evenly, "you deserve clarity."
The room shifted uneasily.
"Several of you have been approached," he continued. "Offered incentives. Pressured. Manipulated."
Murmurs broke out.
Catherine's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Explain," she said.
Alexander tapped the screen.
Marcus's image appeared.
Gasps echoed around the table.
"He resurfaced under shell corporations," Alexander said. "Acquired influence through proxy investments."
The member who had withdrawn earlier went pale.
"That's who contacted me," he admitted quietly.
Elena felt the momentum changing.
Alexander continued.
"This vote is not about stability. It is about engineered disruption."
Catherine's expression grew colder.
"You are accusing the board of corruption?"
"No," Alexander replied evenly. "I'm accusing an external actor of exploiting division."
Silence fell.
One of Catherine's confirmed supporters cleared his throat.
"You're certain of this evidence?"
"Yes."
"Why reveal it now?" another asked.
Alexander's gaze swept the table.
"Because if I lose leadership, control fragments. And that's precisely what he wants."
All eyes turned toward Catherine.
She remained composed.
"Is this true?" she asked the room.
No one answered immediately.
The weight of doubt had shifted.
Elena saw it clearly.
Fear was no longer centered on Alexander.
It had a new target.
Catherine finally spoke again.
"If Marcus Vance is manipulating shareholders, this is larger than succession."
Alexander met her gaze.
"Yes."
A long pause followed.
Then—
One of her loyal supporters spoke.
"I withdraw my support for the petition."
Another voice followed.
"Until this is resolved, I agree."
Elena felt her breath catch.
The numbers were collapsing.
Catherine watched the room carefully.
Then, slowly, she rose.
"The petition is suspended," she announced calmly.
Shock rippled through the board.
She turned to Alexander.
"This matter will be handled internally."
He didn't look relieved.
Only alert.
Because suspension was not defeat.
It was postponement.
The meeting adjourned.
Board members filed out quickly.
When the room emptied, Catherine remained.
She approached Alexander slowly.
"You played this well," she said quietly.
"You underestimated the enemy."
She studied him.
"No," she corrected softly. "I underestimated your timing."
Elena felt something uneasy beneath that statement.
"You still think I'm reckless," Alexander said.
Catherine's gaze shifted briefly to Elena.
"No," she replied. "I think you're evolving."
For a moment, it almost sounded like approval.
Then she added—
"Which makes you harder to control."
She turned and walked out.
Elena exhaled.
"It's over," she whispered.
Alexander didn't respond.
His eyes were fixed on his phone.
A new message had just appeared.
Unknown sender.
One sentence.
You think you won?
Elena felt the chill before he even showed her.
Below the message was an image.
A live photo.
Of the Hale estate.
Taken minutes ago.
Someone was still watching.
And Marcus wasn't finished.
To be continued…