Chapter 2: The Empire Was Never His
By sunrise, the first domino fell.
Julian Grant woke up to seventeen missed calls.
Three board members.
Two investors.
His chief financial officer.
And one message from his legal team.
URGENT. CALL IMMEDIATELY.
Confused, he sat up in bed.
Serena slept beside him.
For a moment, he ignored the warning signs.
Until he opened the email.
His blood ran cold.
The Grant Meridian Foundation's funding had been frozen.
Several private investment accounts had been withdrawn.
Three major business partnerships had suspended negotiations.
All within a few hours.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
Then his phone rang.
It was Marcus Bennett, his CFO.
"Julian, we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The kind that could destroy us."
Julian's stomach tightened.
Marcus continued.
"Most of the intellectual property licenses we use aren't owned by Grant Meridian."
"What?"
"They belong to Ashborne Holdings."
Julian froze.
Ashborne Holdings.
Amelia's family company.
The company that had quietly supported his expansion for years.
"That's impossible."
"No," Marcus replied grimly. "What's impossible is surviving without them."
Julian ended the call and immediately dialed Amelia.
Straight to voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
Again.
Nothing.
For the first time in years, Julian felt fear.
Real fear.
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Because he finally understood something he should have realized long ago.
He had built the public image.
