Chapter 17 - Confrontation at the Square
October air blew fiercely through Kellerman Square. The autumn leaves danced across the concrete like sparks of fire. A crowd of reporters had gathered, microphones ready, cameras flashing. Marcus stood to the side, flanked by his lawyers, a smug smile plastered across his face.
James walked up to the podium. He looked pale, but his eyes were sharp. He began to speak into the microphone.
"Thank you all for coming. One year ago, I almost died on this very spot. I was saved by the kindness of strangers—by two children who refused to let me disappear. Since then, I have tried to make this city a place where no one falls through the cracks."
Marcus stepped up, interrupting him, nudging James away from the microphone. "And as the new Chairman of Ashby Corp, I promise to bring real fiscal responsibility back to this city. James is stepping down due to... health complications."
James didn't back away. He looked directly into the camera lens of the main news network. "I am stepping down, Marcus. But before I do, I want to ask you about the Volkov Syndicate. How will the shareholders feel about the forty million dollars you laundered through our housing projects last month?"
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The crowd gasped. The reporters erupted into a frenzy of questions. Marcus’s face turned from smug satisfaction to pure, unadulterated rage.
"You're insane!" Marcus yelled, losing his composure. "You have no proof! You're a dying man clinging to a dead wife's ghost!"
