Chapter 3 - The Frozen Empire
The black limousine sped away into the stormy night, leaving Nathan standing alone in the pouring rain.
He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed his corporate attorney's emergency number.
"I need you to freeze all merger negotiations with Victoria's family right now," Nathan demanded into the receiver.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line.
"I cannot do that, Nathan," the attorney replied nervously.
"Victoria presented emergency medical documents to the board of directors ten minutes ago."
Nathan felt a cold chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the freezing rain.
"What kind of documents?"
"They are psychological evaluations claiming you have suffered a severe psychotic break," the lawyer explained.
"The board has officially frozen all of your personal and corporate bank accounts."
Nathan realized Victoria had been planning this ruthless takeover for months.
She had intentionally lured him into the engagement just to steal his family's empire.
He hung up the phone and ran back into his empty mansion.
He needed leverage to fight back against a billionaire with the local police in her pocket.
Nathan remembered the blood-stained flash drive his late father's loyal attorney had given him.
He sprinted into his study and plugged the drive into his encrypted laptop.
A single video file popped up on the bright screen.
Nathan clicked play and watched the grainy security footage load.
It showed a dark parking garage on the night his father supposedly died in a tragic accident.
Victoria was clearly visible on the screen, handing a thick envelope of cash to a mechanic standing next to his father's car.
This was the absolute proof he needed to send Victoria to prison for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, the laptop screen flickered violently and went completely black.
A small red light began blinking rapidly on the side of the flash drive.
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Before Nathan could pull it out, the drive emitted a high-pitched whine and began smoking.
A customized computer virus had just permanently wiped his only piece of evidence.
