17. Damian
CHAPTER 17
DAMIAN
I ’m halfway through my second cup of coffee when Clara walks in to my office without knocking first.
That’s never good.
She closes the door behind her, which is another bad sign, and sets a thick folder on my desk. Her expression is tight but professional, with just enough edge to tell me I’m not going to like what’s inside.
“What is it?” I ask, already flipping it open.
She doesn’t answer.
Inside, I find financial projections, acquisition patterns, PR shifts, digital market footprints, shareholder movement and one name, printed in bold at the top.
Veridian Holdings.
I look up sharply. “I thought they were staying in biotech.”
“They were,” Clara says. “Until last quarter.”
I scan the documents faster now. Veridian Holdings isn’t like Vincent. They don’t play dirty. They don’t leak gossip or whisper sabotage. They acquire quietly, efficiently, and, most of all, permanently.
“Media. Infrastructure. Financial platforms.” My mouth goes dry as I read. “They’re buying pieces of the skeleton.”
“They already bought Nexon Analytics,” Clara says. “Closed it two weeks ago. You’ll see the press release tomorrow, but it’s done.”
I lean back in my chair. Nexon handled a huge portion of our real-time engagement data. I’d considered acquiring them myself two years ago, but they weren’t selling.
Apparently, they are now, and they hadn’t even considered me.
Clara keeps going. “They’ve also approached Harmon Group. You know what that means.”
“That’s our shadow distribution chain,” I mutter. “Jesus. They’re moving upstream and cutting off access to the veins.”
“They’re not just playing with our margins. They’re laying the groundwork to replace us.”
I rub a hand over my face. My temples throb. “Why now?” I ask. “We’ve become stable even with Vincent’s noise.”
She hesitates. “Because for the first time in five years, our leadership rating dipped. The Vincent smear campaign hit harder than we thought. The markets see blood, Damian, and Veridian Holdings’ whole business model is built around picking off the wounded.”
I stare out the window at the skyline I used to think I owned.
Veridian Holdings doesn’t care about revenge. They care about consolidation… and erasure.
“I need every asset audit report by tomorrow morning,” I say. “Get legal to start reviewing our anti-takeover clauses. Loop in Braithwaite in Geneva. He’s been through something similar, and, Clara…”
She pauses at the door.
“Schedule a call with Isabelle for me tonight,” I say quieter. “No matter how late it is.”
Her brows lift slightly. “Are you sure? This seems like the kind of thing you’d normally shut everyone out for.”
I meet her gaze. “I don’t want to go back to being that man.”
She nods once and disappears.
I exhale like I’ve just stepped into a fight I can’t afford to lose. This time, I’m not only trying to save a company.
I’m trying to save myself .