*Runze's POV*
The relief of Bael's call carries me through the rest of the afternoon, but as the quiet hours stretch on, it fails to clear the cold dread sitting heavy at the back of my mind.
Winning the board was one thing. Executives with records to protect could be backed into a corner with facts, legal papers, and authority.
Bael has spent his life navigating boardroom politics. He knows how to strip men like Han and Song of their power before they realize they are caught.
But the media is a completely different beast. Out there, beyond the estate walls, headlines are already spiraling out of control. Rumors are solidifying into public truth, boldly declaring that Bael killed his uncle, Wuchen Ming.
The public doesn't need proof. They don't care about internal company audits or regulatory rules. They only need blood. They want a villain at the top of an empire to point their fingers at, and Bael is the ultimate target.
