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Chapter 857:
“If June ever finds out that Valkyrie is connected to me,” Cole said, his voice dropping to a whisper, “I will end you p>
“The capital has been washed through seven layers of routing, sir. The FBI Financial Crimes Division couldn’t trace it back to you p>
Cole gave a single stiff nod and stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut, sealing his presence away.
Miles across the city, in the bright, sunlit bedroom of her Upper East Side apartment, June stood in front of a full-length mirror.
Her face was completely still. Her eyes were sharp and icy. She reached up and fastened the top button of her pristine white silk blouse.
Behind her, Vera paced with a thick stack of letters of intent clutched to her chest. “June, the remaining bidders are going to be ruthless today. They are wolves p>
June picked up the encrypted hard drive containing the Apex Bio core data and closed her fingers around the cold metal.
The corner of her mouth lifted into a cold, fearless half-smile.
“Let them come,” she said.
She turned on her heel and walked out the front door, ready to march into the slaughterhouse and take back her life.
At exactly 10:00 AM, the street outside Sotheby’s New York headquarters was a sea of black luxury vehicles.
The 𝗆𝘰ѕ𝘁 𝗉oр𝗎𝗅a𝗿 ո𝗈𝘃е𝗅𝘀 𝘰𝘯
June stepped out of her town car. The biting winter wind caught the edges of her sharp, tailored black Tom Ford suit. She walked up the red carpet toward the grand entrance, her bare neck exposed to the cold, her posture rigid and unyielding. Easton walked half a step behind her, his broad shoulders forming a quiet barrier against the crowd.
Inside the grand auction hall, the air smelled of expensive cologne and old money. Top-tier venture capital partners stood in small clusters, speaking in low voices.
The moment June walked through the double doors, the whispering stopped. Dozens of eyes snapped toward her — some openly mocking, others carrying the flat, calculating hunger of predators. June did not blink. She kept her chin level, walked straight down the center aisle as though the billionaires around her were nothing but cheap furniture, and took her seat in the VIP row designated for Apex Bio’s original shareholders.
Easton sat beside her. He unclasped his briefcase, withdrew a hundred-page legal document bound in thick black plastic, and set it on his lap. His cold, calculating gaze swept the room slowly. He looked like a loaded weapon placed on a table.
The heavy oak doors at the back of the hall crashed open.
Arthur Pendleton strolled in flanked by six private security guards, his entrance draining the oxygen from the room. His expensive sneakers squeaked faintly on the polished floor as he made his way down the aisle and stopped at the row directly behind June.
He leaned forward and rested his arms on the back of her chair. He flashed his most infuriating smile and mouthed three words directly at her: You are mine.