I step back from the podium, my heels whispering against the polished marble as the tension in the room coils tighter. One subtle nod to Celeste.
She moves like a blade drawn from velvet.
Behind me, the towering screen embedded into the obsidian-glass wall flares to life, no longer idle. The logo of Vermillion Holdings fades into a black background. Then:
DOCUMENT SET: 01-A
CLASSIFIED INTERNAL REPORTS – SUBJECT: BLACKTHORN INDUSTRIES
The room stills.
Slide One: A financial statement from 2022. The figures are staggering—billions rerouted through off-shore accounts disguised under shell companies in countries with lax regulations: Virelia, Monteal, and Ghastan. At first glance, it seems normal, until Celeste's voice cuts through the speakers—pre-recorded, cool and precise:
"These transactions were never approved by the board. These are shadow accounts. Created, accessed, and drained repeatedly by Kade himself under pseudonyms—'A. Black,' 'WraithCo,' and 'LMD Holdings.'"
