THE BILLIONAIRE TRADED HIS DYING SON’S BLOOD FOR A FIRST LOVE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY: The One Signature That Completely Destroyed His Empire!

Back in Baltimore, miles away from the quiet mountain hospital, another drama was reaching its boiling point in a sleek, glass-walled office downtown.

Victoria Vance—a disgruntled former junior partner at Vance, Sterling & Cole who had been fired two years prior for ethical violations—sat across a polished mahogany desk in a dimly lit office, sliding a thick manila folder across to her companion.

Seated opposite her was Marcus Sterling, Mara’s estranged cousin who had spent years nursing a bitter grudge after being cut out of the family estate.

"What is this?" Marcus asked, narrowing his eyes as he flipped open the folder.

"That," Victoria smiled coldly, her red lips curling into a sharp grin, "is a complete roadmap of Mara Sterling’s current forensic consulting assets, combined with leaked drafts of her upcoming state healthcare compliance audit."

Marcus scanned the pages, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "Where did you get this? If Mara finds out—"

"Mara won't find out until it's too late," Victoria interrupted, leaning forward. "With Grant dead in a federal hospital and the Whitmore estate completely liquidated, Mara thinks she’s untouchable. But she holds the keys to the state’s multi-million-dollar healthcare compliance database. If we leak these preliminary drafts to the press with a forged signature implicating her in a conflict of interest, her reputation will be destroyed overnight."

"And what do we get out of it?" Marcus asked, greed glinting in his eyes.

"Once the state suspends her consulting license and launches an investigation, her corporate clients will panic," Victoria said smoothly. "We swoop in, buy up her proprietary auditing software and client contracts for pennies on the dollar, and rebuild our own firm on the ashes of her reputation. She destroyed Grant’s empire; it’s only fair we destroy hers."