Chapter 8: First Corporate Revenge Move

The heavy oak doors of the boardroom slammed shut behind Adrian and Robert as security guards forcefully escorted them out of the forty-fifth floor, leaving them stranded in the desolate, quiet hallway of the Celestial Holdings tower.

Adrian stared blankly at the metallic elevator doors as they slid shut. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, his mind reeling from the absolute devastation of the past few minutes. The reality of what he had lost was finally sinking in, heavy and crushing. Without Celestial Holdings, BlakeTech wasn't just a struggling startup; it was a defunct entity facing millions in immediate liabilities and breach-of-contract penalties.

"Adrian... what do we do?" Robert whispered, his voice trembling as he clutched his leather briefcase like a lifeline. "If they liquidate our assets by tomorrow, our corporate accounts will be seized, and our personal assets will be dragged into bankruptcy court to cover the shortfall. We're ruined."

Adrian didn't answer. He turned on his heel and marched toward the elevators, pressing the down button with savage intensity. "We're going back to the office. Call the emergency investors. Call anyone who owes us a favor. There has to be a way to fight this."

Back inside the executive boardroom, Elise watched the security feed on her tablet screen as Adrian and Robert stumbled into the elevator. A faint, cold smile lingered on her lips, but her eyes remained dark and resolute.

"Well handled, Miss Wright," Harrison Vance murmured approvingly, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. "Should we anticipate any legal pushback from their secondary investors?"

"They have none," Elise replied smoothly, locking her tablet screen and setting it down on the table. "I spent the last three months quietly auditing every single secondary backer associated with BlakeTech. Most of them are small-time angels who invested purely on the hype of Adrian's inflated projections. The moment they realize Celestial Holdings has pulled out, they will run for the hills to protect their own portfolios."

Marcus Sterling nodded in agreement. "Indeed. In fact, I've already prepared the first wave of public notices. By noon today, the financial press will receive the official restructuring announcement regarding BlakeTech's debt default. By tomorrow morning, every major tech publication in the country will know that Adrian Blake is a fraud who built his entire empire on borrowed capital from a silent benefactor."

Elise stood up from her chair, smoothing down the immaculate fabric of her midnight-blue blazer. "Execute the press release at noon sharp. And Marcus? Make sure the Wright family's textile firm is notified as well. Let my father and Lillian see exactly what happens when they align themselves with a sinking ship."

"Right away, Chairwoman Wright," Marcus said, offering a respectful nod.

Meanwhile, across the city at the opulent Wright family mansion, Lillian was pacing frantically across the imported Persian rug of the grand living room. Her phone was clutched tightly in her hand, her nails digging into the plastic casing. She had tried calling Adrian a dozen times since he stormed out of the office, but every call went straight to voicemail.

Her mother, Eleanor Wright, sat nearby on the velvet sofa, sipping chamomile tea with a look of growing anxiety.

"Lillian, please stop pacing," Eleanor said, rubbing her temples. "You're making me dizzy. What on earth is taking Adrian so long? He said he was going to sort out the bank accounts this morning."

"I don't know, Mom!" Lillian snapped, her voice pitching upward in panic. "When I spoke to him earlier, he sounded like he was losing his mind! He kept rambling about Celestial Holdings... and Elise!"

Before Eleanor could respond, the television mounted on the mahogany wall—which had been playing a morning financial news broadcast in the background—suddenly switched to a breaking news banner.

BREAKING NEWS: Tech Unicorn BlakeTech Faces Imminent Liquidation Following Sudden Asset Recall by Majority Shareholder Celestial Holdings.

Both women froze, their eyes snapping toward the screen.

The news anchor, a sharp-faced woman in a navy suit, continued with a grave expression. "In a stunning turn of events for the local tech sector, multi-billion-dollar conglomerate Celestial Holdings has officially triggered a total credit freeze and debt foreclosure on BlakeTech, led by founder Adrian Blake. Financial analysts estimate the company's liabilities exceed eighty million dollars, with majority voting shares resting entirely under the private trust of E. Wright. Industry insiders are calling it the most brutal corporate dismantling of the decade..."

The remote slipped from Eleanor’s hand, clattering loudly against the marble floor.

"E... E. Wright?" Eleanor stammered, her face turning ashen. "That... that's Elise. That's your sister."

Lillian stared at the television screen, her mouth slightly open, the realization crashing over her like a tidal wave of ice. The sister they had locked in a storage room, humiliated, and cast aside on her wedding day wasn't just a quiet dependent. She was the titan holding the guillotine over their entire family's future.

"No," Lillian whispered, shaking her head in sheer denial as her knees wobbled beneath her. "No... this can't be happening."

Just then, the landline phone on the mahogany side table let out a sharp, piercing ring.

Both women stared at the ringing telephone as if it were a venomous snake, knowing instinctively that the bill for their betrayal had finally arrived.