Chapter 8: The Awakening of an Empire**
For six years, Julian Vance had let the world pity him. He had hidden behind philanthropic galas and passive wealth management. But the man who had built Vance Industries from a garage into a global powerhouse was awake, standing, and ready for war.
At dawn, Julian made three calls on encrypted lines.
The first was to the Director of the Federal Trade Commission, a loyal friend from his Princeton days. Julian sent half the decrypted files, showing the illegal monopoly and corporate espionage conducted by Sterling Enterprises.
The second call was to his private head of digital security in Zurich, ordering an immediate freeze on all joint venture assets shared with the Sterling family.
The third call was to a retired Black Ops contractor who owed Julian his life.
“Gear up the bird,” Julian commanded. “We have an extraction in Massachusetts.”
Lily walked up beside Julian, holding his hand. “Are we going to wake up Mama?”
May you like
Julian knelt down to eye level with his daughter. “Yes, Lily. We are going to bring Mama home.”
---
