Liam stared at the headlines on the glowing tablet in front of him. His coffee sat untouched, growing cold.
“Hawthorne Empire Expands Into East Asia After Takeda Deal Collapse”
“CEO Called ‘Too American’ for Global Integration”
“Liam Hawthorne: The King of Nothing or the Next Global Warlord?”
The words crawled like vipers across the screen, each one sharpened to provoke. They weren’t just reporting facts — they were trying to write his downfall before it had even begun.
The board wanted calm.
The press wanted blood.
And Takeda?
Takeda wanted revenge.
The Japanese tech giant had once been a potential ally. Liam had extended his hand in good faith. Even flown to Osaka, sat across from him with translators and contract lawyers, outlining a partnership that could’ve pushed Hawthorne H
