The Woman Who Chose the Crown Five years earlier, if someone had told Lucas Bennett that the woman he loved would one day destroy him, he would have laughed.

Clara’s composure faltered. "What are you doing here, Elias? If Richard finds you..."

"Richard is busy counting imaginary billions," Elias said, stepping toward her. The air between them crackled with years of unsaid venom. "You stole my life, Clara. You took my company, my patents, and my dignity."

Clara lifted her chin, trying to summon the ruthless CEO persona. "I outplayed you. It’s just business. Now leave before I call security."

"It wasn't business to me!" Elias barked, his voice echoing in the server room. He stepped closer, cornering her against the glass server racks. "It was love. And you weaponized it."

He looked at his watch. 11:59 PM.

"What did you do?" Clara whispered, finally seeing the true danger in his eyes.

"I fixed your legacy," Elias said softly.

Upstairs, the midnight bell rang. A cheer erupted from the penthouse. And then, silence. Elias and Clara walked out of the server room just in time to see the massive digital stock ticker in the lobby freeze. Every phone in the room buzzed simultaneously. The guests looked down at their screens.

Sarah Jenkins' article had gone live, backed by the data dump from the server. THE APEX ILLUSION: FRAUD AT 100 STORIES.

Chaos erupted. Richard Sterling was screaming at a frantic PR manager. Investors were rushing for the elevators. On the digital ticker, the newly minted IPO stock opened at $150 a share, and within thirty seconds, plummeted to $12. Then $8.