Chapter 4: The Demolition of a Dynasty

“Put the phones down! Turn the cameras off right now!” Richard shouted into his microphone. His voice cracked with a thin desperation that instantly stripped away every ounce of his formidable, carefully built CEO authority.

The crowd did not obey. If anything, more phones were immediately raised, the red recording lights glowing in the afternoon sun like hundreds of tiny, accusing eyes.

Richard seemed to shrink before the masses, his broad, commanding shoulders caving inward.

The powerful business leader, the man who had controlled my life with an complete control, was suddenly nothing more than a terrified, cornered old man.

“Maya…” he stammered, his chest heaving as he struggled for air. “Maya did more than save you from an accident, Chloe.”