By nine a.m., the war had numbers attached to it.
Numbers with too many zeros.
Elena stood beside Adrian in the private conference room on the forty-second floor of Laurent Global’s headquarters. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline, but today the view felt distant.
The real battlefield was the long obsidian table between them.
And the screens glowing with projections.
“Say it again,” Adrian said calmly.
Marcus, Laurent Global’s CFO, adjusted his glasses. “Keller Industries is moving to acquire Whitmore Biotech. Fifty-one percent controlling interest.”
Elena’s stomach tightened.
“That’s impossible,” she said quietly. “Whitmore Biotech has always been independent.”
“It was,” Marcus replied. “Until Clara announced her engagement this morning.”
Silence fell like a blade.
