My Milf Conqueror System novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Two years later

[Ethan’s POV]

The air in the Apex Tower boardroom was thick enough to choke on.

I sat at the right hand of the massive mahogany table, my tailored suit feeling more like a suit of armor than clothing. Two years ago, this room had been a sanctuary. Two years ago, when Jake Hart sat at the head of this table, the billionaires and politicians in these leather chairs hadn’t dared to breathe too loudly. They had been terrified of him. They had felt the crushing, unnatural weight of his presence, and they had bowed.

But Jake wasn’t here. He had been gone for seven hundred and thirty days.

And the wolves were beginning to realize the shepherd was dead.

"The third-quarter projections are unacceptable, Victoria," Austin Vance said, his voice smooth but laced with a razor-thin edge of condescension. The silver-haired four star general and CEO of Apex munitions leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "We have lost three major defense contracts to European subsidiaries in the last month alone. The stock is down eight percent."

Victoria Sterling sat at the head of the table, her posture flawless, her expression an icy mask of absolute control. She was the Queen of Vanguard Holdings, the woman Jake had left in charge. For two years, she had held this fracturing empire together through sheer, terrifying competence.

But I could see the faint, dark circles under her blue eyes. I could see the microscopic tension in her jaw. She was fighting a war on a dozen fronts, and she was exhausted.

"The defense contracts were lost due to aggressive, coordinated lobbying by the Vane Consortium," Victoria replied, her voice cold and even. "It is a temporary setback. We are restructuring our D.C. lobbying arm to counter their narrative."

"With all due respect, Madam Chairwoman," Senator Margaret Hale interjected from the video screen mounted on the far wall. The powerful politician looked impatient. "The Vane Consortium isn’t just lobbying. They are bleeding us. Isabella Vane has the European Central Bank in her pocket, and she is using it to strangle our overseas liquidity. My committee is facing immense pressure to open an antitrust investigation into Vanguard."

I felt my jaw clench. Two years ago, Senator Hale would have rather cut out her own tongue than threaten Vanguard. Jake had her completely subjugated. He had blackmail material that could ruin her life, and a psychological grip on her mind that defied explanation.

But the grip was fading. The fear was wearing off. Without Jake’s physical presence to reinforce the terror, these apex predators were reverting to their natural state.

"If you open an investigation, Margaret, you will find yourself implicated in the very monopolies you are investigating," I said, my voice cutting through the boardroom.

Vance and several other board members turned to look at me. I wasn’t a CEO. I wasn’t a politician. I was Jake’s best friend, his right hand, the man who had built the shadow network that kept this empire running.

"Is that a threat, Ethan?" Vance asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s a statement of fact, General" I said, holding his gaze. I tried to project the same cold, dead-eyed menace that Jake used to wield so effortlessly. But I was just a man. I didn’t have a digital god whispering in my ear. I didn’t have an aura of subjugation.

Vance smiled, a thin, predatory smirk. He wasn’t afraid of me.

"We all made sacrifices to build this conglomerate," Vance said smoothly, looking back at Victoria. "But the market requires stability. It requires visible, active leadership. The... absence of our leader has created a vacuum. And Isabella Vane is filling it."

"Jake Hart’s absence is temporary," Victoria stated, her voice cracking like a whip. "He is overseeing our deep-cover expansion in Asia. Until he returns, my authority is absolute."

"Of course, Victoria," Vance murmured, leaning back in his chair. "But one has to wonder how long a ghost can cast a shadow."

The meeting adjourned twenty minutes later, achieving nothing but a mutual declaration of hostility. As the board members filed out, I remained in my seat, staring at the polished wood of the table.

Victoria waited until the heavy doors clicked shut before she let out a long, ragged breath. She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"They’re coordinating," she said softly. "Vance, Hale, Cross. They’re talking behind our backs. Testing the fences."

"Vance is going to make a play for the CEO position," I said, loosening my tie. "He’s using the Vane Consortium’s attacks as leverage to convince the board that you’re unstable."

"Let him try," Victoria said, her eyes flashing with a cold, mortal fury. "I will ruin him before I let him take Jake’s throne."

I looked at her. She was brilliant, ruthless, and fiercely loyal. But we were fighting a losing battle.

"Victoria," I said gently. "It’s been two years. The Vane Consortium is tearing us apart piece by piece. Isabella Vane doesn’t sleep. She doesn’t make mistakes. It’s like she knows our moves before we make them."

"We hold the line, Ethan," Victoria said, her voice trembling slightly. "That was the order. We hold the line until he comes back."

I didn’t say what we were both thinking.

What if he’s never coming back?

I left the Apex Tower and took a private car down to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The logistics hub for Aldridge Global was a sprawling complex of warehouses, shipping containers, and automated cranes. It was the physical circulatory system of our empire, moving billions of dollars of physical assets across the globe every day.

I found Sofia Aldridge in her glass-walled office overlooking the docks. She was standing over a massive digital map of the Atlantic Ocean, her dark hair pulled back in a messy bun, a half-empty cup of black coffee in her hand.

"Tell me some good news, Sofia," I said, closing the door behind me.

Sofia didn’t look up from the map. "Three of our cargo ships were just detained in Rotterdam. Customs officials claim they found irregularities in the manifests. The cargo is impounded indefinitely."

I swore under my breath, walking over to the map. "Isabella Vane?"

"Who else?" Sofia said bitterly, tapping a key to bring up a cascade of red warning icons across the European coastline. "She owns the port authorities. She owns the maritime regulators. Every time we try to move assets into or out of Europe, we hit a brick wall."

I leaned against the edge of the table, feeling the exhaustion settling deep into my bones.

"Vance made a move in the boardroom today," I told her. "He’s laying the groundwork to oust Victoria."

Sofia finally looked up, her dark eyes flashing with anger. "That treacherous snake. Jake should have killed after he made him kill his dog back when he took over the cabal."

"Jake isn’t here," I reminded her softly.

Sofia sighed, her shoulders slumping. She walked over to her desk and collapsed into her chair.

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