Ten minutes later, the bank froze his commercial lines.

By two p.m., a primary enterprise client canceled their long-term infrastructure contract.

Dominic was shouting, slamming his fists against his mahogany desk, completely unable to comprehend the sudden failure of his network. Right then, his Chief Financial Officer walked into the executive suite, entirely bloodless.

“Dominic… this isn’t a market shift. This is coming from the very top of the financial structure. Someone with massive institutional leverage just completely pulled our floor.”

Dominic felt a sudden, empty void open in his chest. And for the very first time, though he still lacked the data to connect the lines, his mind flashed to me.

The moment his personal terminal began to vibrate, his mother’s name lit up the screen.