Chapter 304

Morning broke over the Jones Group's headquarters, where the top-floor conference room buzzed with tension.

Vincent hadn't caught a wink of sleep. He sat at the head of the long table, pressing his fingertips to his temples, exhaustion etched across his face.

Board members filled the room, every one of them frowning. The air crackled with barely contained outrage.Among them, Liam Aldridge looked like he might burst a blood vessel-his hair wild, his hand slamming the table as hedemanded, "Vincent, what the hell was wrong with you last night?"

Liam raised his voice and thundered, "Because of your single order, the downtown hotels alone hemorrhaged tens of millions overnight! The company isn't your personal experiment. How do you plan to make up for that loss-and fix the Jones Group's image?"

He hurled a thick stack of loss reports onto the table. Each page was packed with staggering figures.

Another board member, Keenan Castillo, wasn't about to let up. "And what's with this 'emergency safety investigation' excuse? What kind of safety threat warrants shutting down every hotel at once? It's totally reckless-like you're gambling with the very foundation of the company. The shareholders want real answers, and so do we."

Vincent didn't flinch. He sat silent at the head, his expression carved from stone, eyes glinting with icy resolve. With a sharp motion, he brushed aside the pile of documents in front of him. His reply was quiet,but his tone sliced through the uproar like a blade. "Are you done yelling?"

His gaze swept the table, daring any challenge from the enrage board members. "Last night, there was an assault on the very heart of this company. If we'd hesitated even a moment, we wouldn't just be talking about the financial loss-we'd be talking about the fate of the company."

He rapped his knuckles hard on the tabletop. "You're complaining about losses now? Where were you all last night when security should've been airtight? Who was sealing off those vulnerabilities?" His eyes snapped to Derek. "Did you track down those offshore IPs from last night's illegal intrusion?"

Derek shot to his feet. "Yes, Mr. Jones. We've identified the culprits. The linked financial accounts are already being frozen with police cooperation. We expect to reclaim about seventy percent of the losses. Full asset recovery report will be ready in an hour."

Nervously, Derek wiped his brow. He'd watched Vincent storm in after midnight and single-handedly hunt down several of the intruders before passing the case on.

"Did everyone catch that?" Vincent's gaze swept back to the board, sharp enough to cut.

But Liam wasn't backing down. "Even so, you had no right to bypass the board. Major decisions like this require consultation. Acting alone is dictatorship."

Vincent's presence intensified, commanding the room. "By the time your endless emergency procedure is in motion, the enemy would've already stripped us bare. The damage wouldn't stop at numbers on a spreadsheet."

He let his eyes sweep the table, making sure every director felt the weight of his words. "We faced a crisis,and I made a call. If anyone has to answer for it, I will bear the full responsibility."

A thick silence settled over the room.

Still, the faces of the senior board members stayed shadowed with doubt and frustration.

Vincent was just about to move forward with the audit when the doors swung open.

An elderly woman made her way inside at ameasured pace. Sharon had arrived.

Liam's eyes sparked with hope, as if rescue had finally come. He rushed to her side. "Ms. Jones, you got here just in time! Please, you have to see what Vincent-"

Sharon held up a hand, cutting himn off, and made her way directly to the head of the table."Vincent,haven't I always told you to act with caution? Look at the chaos you've stirred up."

Her words were chiding, but when she reached for Vincent's hand, her support was unmistakable. Vincent remained composed. "Come, have a seat, Grandma," he said, guiding her gently to a chair.He'd planned to keep things civil-but now that his grandmother was pulled into the fray, he had no intention of holding back.

Liam jumped at the chance to make his case. "Vincent's gone way over the line. He needs to be held accountable. Running things solo can't continue-some of his power has to be delegated-he needs checks and balances."

A few board members murmured their agreement, nodding along.

Vincent looked to his grandmother for a brief moment before letting his gaze settle coldly on Liam. A faint,sardonic smile curled his lips. "Checks and balances? Maybe you should ask yourself whether you even deserve a seat at this table."

Before anyone could respond, his expression hardened. "Derek, bring them in."

The side door of the conference room opened.

Derek entered, followed by several security guards escorting a group of gloomy,senior executives.

At the sight of Liam, one of them crumpled, breaking down on the spot. "Mr. Aldridge, you have to help me!You told me to snatch that client's encryption key during all the chaos! You said we could sell it to pay off your debts-"

Vincent's gaze remained icy and detached. Even in the middle of last night's disaster, Liam had tried to turn a profit.

Fortunately, Vincent had seen it coming.

"That's a lie! He's framing me!" Liam exclaimed, panic written all over his face.

Sharon didn't wait for explanations-she slammed her cane against the floor with a crack."SOyou were the rot in this company all along! Accusing my grandson while you stabbed us in the back!"

Vincent's response was swift. "Take them away. Hand all evidence to the polce. Track down every associated account and recover every last cent. No exceptions."

Security wasted no time moving in. The previously defiant board members were now pale and shaking as they were led out of the room.

Vincent cast a glacial look at the remaining attenders.′′Arnyone else want to speak up?"

Silence hung thick in the air.

Derek let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thankfully, Vincent had spent the second half of the night orchestrating all of this.

Vincent was about to call the meeting to a close when his phone buzzed with a new notification.

Two photos from Claude.

The first showed Hannah sleeping peacefully. The second-a close-up of a vivid love bite on her neck.

The message read. "She'll only be mine."

Vincent's face darkened. A chill swept the room. Nobody dared to make a sound.