By morning, the expansion announcement had detonated across every major financial platform.
Thorne Industries to Acquire Valeris Global in Strategic International Expansion.
The headlines were aggressive, decisive, impossible to ignore. Investor calls flooded in before the market even opened. Analysts shifted from gossip to growth projections within hours. The narrative had pivoted exactly as Julian intended.
But redirection was not resolution.
I knew that the moment I stepped into the building and felt it—the hum beneath the surface. Controlled chaos. Anticipation. Something waiting to snap.
Elena intercepted me near the elevators. "The board has called a closed session at noon," she said quietly. "No observers."
"Vote?" I asked.
She gave a small nod. "It appears so."
My stomach t
