The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 199

At 1:30 AM, less than ten minutes after receiving the directive, Mr. Hudson sent Maloney a comprehensive intelligence report on the Sinclair family.

Having done business with the Sinclair Group for years, Maloney was already quite familiar with their operations. He scanned the document rapidly, a slight frown creasing his brow.

"The Sinclairs are reaching out to Lucius Vane?"

Mr. Hudson replied, "Yes. The Sinclairs are looking to buy into Mr. Vane's Westport project."

Lucius Vane was a man with a dark past. He had deep roots in organized crime before supposedly washing his hands of it, rebranding himself as an investment mogul dealing in gray-market industries.

A couple of years ago, he had been arrested for operating an illegal online gambling ring.

But he was released shortly after.

He had powerful connections and genuine cunning, but men who walked the crooked path rarely ever found their way back to legitimate business.

Maloney was a legitimate titan; he despised associating with that kind of filth.

Likewise, the Sinclairs were historically an elite family. Even if their influence had waned year after year since Sebastian's grandfather passed away, they still retained enough of their ancestral prestige to avoid crawling to a criminal like Vane.

"Is Sebastian drowning in secret debt?"

"No," Mr. Hudson replied. "Seraphina is the one spearheading the project."

It didn't matter who was running the point.

Seraphina had only recently returned to the country. She was oblivious to corporate strategy, and her personality was far too arrogant and reckless.

The Sinclair board knew exactly who she was.

Without the Sinclair family's explicit blessing, Seraphina could have never gotten a meeting with Lucius Vane.

The rot was coming from the top.

"Get me the Sinclair Group's latest financial statements and Sebastian's personal expense records."

The next day.

Sebastian woke up in a hospital bed.

The room was empty.

He pushed himself up just as his secretary walked in.

"Mr. Sinclair, you're awake." The secretary, who had just stepped out to take a call, was still gripping his phone. He approached the bed with a heavily conflicted expression. "Mr. Jameson's office just called."

A dull, throbbing hangover pounded against Sebastian's skull. He pressed his fingers to his temples and asked hoarsely, "What is it?"

"Mr. Jameson had a message to pass along." The secretary hesitated, swallowing hard before admitting, "He said you need to stay miles away from his wife."

Sebastian's hands froze.

He asked, "Did I hurt Nora last night?"

"Not exactly," the secretary replied. "When you collapsed last night, Ms. Dodge stepped out of the way."

Sebastian asked again, "Did she bring me to the hospital?"

"No." The secretary pointed to himself. "I did."

Forget bringing him to the hospital.

They were supposed to sign the contract today.

Over the past two years, the Sinclair Group's growth had flatlined. They were entirely dependent on legacy projects to keep the lights on.

And those legacy projects only existed because of his grandfather's lingering reputation.

But the dead were dead. Years had passed, the influence was fading, and soon, it wouldn't be enough to sustain them.

Just recently, Maloney had used their corporate partnership to force Sebastian to rein in Seraphina.

It was a glaring reminder of how weak the Sinclair family's position had become.

And the ultimate joke was that his parents had placed all their bets on Seraphina.

They honestly believed their spoiled, pampered daughter was going to perform a corporate miracle.

Sebastian had to make a move.

His stomach cramped agonizingly.

Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists at his sides and stared out the car window.

They were driving past the shopping district. There seemed to be some sort of massive promotional event happening; deafening music blasted from an outdoor stage, and the dense crowd spilled into the streets, choking the traffic.

The car was crawling forward by inches.

Lost in thought, something out the window caught his eye.

A Koenigsegg Gemera. A global limited edition.