Chapter 5: The Shadow in the Mirror**
The corporate purge made international headlines within hours: *TECH TYCOON EXPOSES MILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD FROM INSIDE HIS OWN FLEET.*
While the media clamored for exclusive interviews, Leo slipped out the back entrance of the tower. He didn't want the spotlight; he wanted fresh air. He walked through the bustling downtown streets, watching couriers weave through midday traffic on bicycles and battered vans.
They had no idea that the young man waiting beside them at the red light owned the company printed on their jackets.
His phone buzzed. It was an encrypted text from an unknown number:
*“You think you cut off the head of the snake, Vance? Mauricio was just the cashier. Check warehouse 4B in Newark. Look at the shipping manifests for Project Nightfall.”*
Leo’s brow furrowed.
*Project Nightfall* was an old logistics contract his late father had signed twenty years ago with a defense subcontractor before Vance Global went private. It was supposed to have been decommissioned a decade ago.
Could his father have been tangled in something darker than just corporate exploitation?
Leo immediately diverted his steps toward the garage where his bike was parked. He dialed Sarah. "Sarah, pull up all historical archival data on project code 09-Nightfall. And don't upload it to the cloud. Local servers only."
"Leo, that file was sealed under executive privilege by your father before he died," Sarah warned, her keyboard clattering rapidly. "Why are you looking into that now?"
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"Because someone wants me to know the rot didn't start with Mauricio," Leo replied grimly. "It started with my own blood."
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