“Not yet. But some upgrades are worth waiting for.”
The laughter from the video echoed through the silent room.
Then the clip ended.
No one spoke.
Julian looked as though someone had cut the strings holding him upright.
Chloe whispered, “Julian…”
But he did not look at her.
He looked only at my father.
“You had no right,” he said through his teeth.
Arthur Vance smiled faintly.
It was not a kind smile.
“No right?” he asked. “You built loan confidence using my company’s name. You implied access to my logistics network. You allowed investors to believe my family stood behind you while you degraded the only person who connected you to that family.”
Julian’s eyes darted toward the Apex chairman.
“That is not accurate.”
The chairman’s expression had already changed.
So had everyone else’s.
That was the horror of reputation. It could take years to build, but once people saw the crack, they began searching for the foundation.
