The dining room was still littered with shards from the rage-fueled outburst of the previous night. The smell of spoiled wine and food mixed with the coldness of the morning air. Charles Marshall had not slept a wink. He sat in his private office, a space once meant to exude power but now had become a prison of panic.
The only light in the room came from the massive TV screen. He was watching the morning financial news.
The news didn’t explicitly mention Charles, but the collapse of the Thomas Corporation was now the centerpiece. Analysts were discussing the unprecedented investigation into financial crimes and the secretive dealings with business partners. Although his name wasn’t directly mentioned, Charles knew—Thomas, the man now arrested, was the final piece. Investigators were only
