Later that afternoon, Emily found herself alone in Alexander's office.
Not by accident.
She had asked for access.
He gave it without question.
That, in itself, said something.
The room felt different when he wasn't there.
Still powerful.
Still controlled.
But missing the weight of his presence.
Emily sat at his desk, reviewing the deeper intelligence files he had unlocked for her.
Encrypted reports.
Confidential acquisitions.
Historical conflicts.
Moretti history.
And then she found it.
A file buried deep.
Marked:
"Internal Conflict – HK Acquisition (Classified)"
Her heartbeat slowed.
Carefully, she opened it.
The report was ten years old.
Detailed.
Precise.
Cold.
A luxury hotel chain in Hong Kong had been acquired under aggressive conditions.
Hostile takeover.
Board replaced.
Assets absorbed.
Brand dissolved.
Standard business, on paper.
But the final page—
That was different.
A handwritten note, scanned into the file.
Only one line:
"Primary resistance neutralized."
Emily stared at it.
Neutralized?
That wasn't corporate language.
That was something else.
She kept reading.
Names listed.
Executives removed.
Shareholders displaced.
And one name—
Crossed out.
No explanation.
Just a line through it.
Li Wei.
Emily leaned back slowly.
Something about that felt wrong.
Not just the name.
The way it was removed.
Erased.
As if someone didn't want it remembered.
The door opened behind her.
She didn't need to turn.
"You found it," Alexander said.
Emily looked up.
"You knew I would."
He walked in calmly.
Closed the door.
"Yes."
Emily tapped the screen.
"Who is Li Wei?"
Alexander didn't answer immediately.
Then:
"The man who lost everything when we took that company."
Emily held his gaze.
"And now he's back."
Alexander's expression hardened.
"No."
A pause.
"Not him."
Emily frowned.
"Then who?"
Alexander stepped closer.
"The one he trained."