Chapter 41: The Grandview Charade
The crystal chandeliers of the Grand Hyatt ballroom cast a blinding amber glare over six hundred regional financiers, trade delegates, and provincial politicians. At precisely eight o'clock in the evening, the chatter died down as Harrison Drake walked onto the elevated stage.
Harrison was thirty-eight years old, tall and broad across the chest, wearing an Italian tuxedo with diamond cufflinks that caught the stage lights. In his left hand, he held a gilded leather binder stamped with a double-headed phoenix emblem that closely mirrored the ancient crest of Sovereign Global Bank.
Harrison raised his hand, gesturing toward the enormous digital display behind the podium:
"Esteemed partners and civic leaders of Grandview," Harrison spoke into the micropho
