Chapter 1060
She looked different. The long, perfectly styled hair she used to flaunt was chopped into a sleek, no-nonsense bob. She wore a sharp navy pantsuit and carried a leather briefcase. The socialite gloss was gone, replaced by the hard edge of a survivor.
“Preston’s case is closed,” Victoria said, skipping the pleasantries. She stood in front of Skye’s desk, her chin held high. “Liam’s narrative was accepted by the authorities. Preston was posthumously labeled a tragic hero—a pawn who died trying to stop a madman. The Hayes family was completely cleared of any direct involvement, and our board officially appointed me as acting proxy this morning.”
“Congratulations,” Skye said, leaning back in her leather chair and steepling her fingers. “You survived the purge.”
“I survived because I chose the right side,” Victoria countered smoothly. “I’m here to talk business, Skye. The Hayes family controls the largest shipping and logistics network on the eastern seaboard. But Preston’s mess tanked our credit. We need capital. You need a distribution network for Oracle’s new tech manufacturing division.”
Victoria placed a thick folder on the desk and slid it across the polished wood.
“I want to merge the Hayes logistics network into Oracle Holdings,” Victoria stated.
Skye looked at the folder, then up at the woman who had once been her bitterest rival for Alistair’s affection.
“Give me one good reason why I should trust a Hayes,” Skye said, her voice dangerously quiet.
Victoria didn’t flinch. She met Skye’s cold stare head-on.
“Because we are both survivors,” Victoria said, her voice steady. “We both know what it’s like to be used as pawns by men who think they own the board. And because Alistair told me you respect a good deal.”
At the mention of Alistair’s name, the hard lines around Skye’s mouth softened just a fraction.
She reached out and pulled the folder toward her, flipping it open. She scanned the top sheet, her mind instantly calculating the margins, the risks, the sheer dominance this merger would grant her.
Skye closed the folder and looked up. A sharp, predatory smile touched her lips.
“Have your lawyers draft the preliminary contracts, Victoria,” Skye said. “Welcome to Oracle.”
Victoria let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for a week. She nodded once—a gesture of deep respect—and turned to leave.
When the door clicked shut, Skye stood.
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Sea City. The morning sun was reflecting off the glass skyscrapers, turning the city into a canyon of light.
She looked at her faint reflection in the glass.
She wasn’t the terrified girl who had been pushed down the stairs. She wasn’t the desperate wife begging for scraps of affection. She wasn’t even the angry, bleeding avenger hiding in the shadows of the Vance sanctuary.
All of her enemies were dead, imprisoned, or broken.
She had won.
She pressed her hand against the cool glass, feeling the thrum of the city below her. She was Skye Sterling. She was the Phoenix. And she had finally claimed her sky.
“Let them come.”