The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 597

About ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a black wrought-iron gate. Owen pressed a remote, and the gate slowly swung open. The vehicle drove through, rolling down a gravel path before parking in front of a villa.

It wasn't massive, but it oozed expense. The exterior walls were pale gray, with large windows cloaked by drawn curtains. A single lamp was lit by the entrance, casting a warm, amber glow over the gravel that shimmered faintly in the dark.

Sebastian stepped out and stood by the door, surveying the surroundings. It was quiet. Too quiet. Not even the sound of insects could be heard.

Owen walked over, wheeling a suitcase. "Let's head inside. It's freezing out here."

The two men walked in. The entrance opened into a grand living room with high ceilings and massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a garden. The furniture was sparse but impeccably tasteful. The lights were already on, bathing the space in a warm, inviting yellow hue.

Owen left the suitcase in the foyer, walked behind the wet bar, pulled out two glasses, and poured some whiskey. He handed one to Sebastian.

"Let's hear it. Your plan."

Sebastian took the glass but didn't drink, just holding it in his hand. "What's Logan's most profitable venture?"

Owen thought for a moment. "Finance. He has several funds in Luxembourg managing tens of billions of euros in assets. And energy. He has a few oil fields in Africa and investments in the Middle East."

"We can't touch energy. It's too sensitive and easily traceable." Sebastian placed his glass on the coffee table. "But finance is fair game."

"How do we hit it?"

"He has a fund specifically for tech startups. The year before last, he invested in a French AI company, taking a thirty percent stake."

Owen looked at him. "That AI company?"

"Yes. I had someone look into it. That company is currently raising a new round of funding. Their valuation has tripled since the last round." Sebastian leaned back on the sofa. "If someone were to short their stock during this funding round—"

"Logan's fund would take a hit."

"Not just a hit," Sebastian's voice was completely level. "It will implode. That thirty percent stake is one of the fund's biggest assets. If the valuation gets slashed in half, the entire fund's performance will collapse. Investors will pull out, banks will call in their loans, and his liquidity will be ruined."

Owen stared at him for several seconds. "You've already mapped all this out?"

"Evelyn looked into it." The corner of Sebastian's mouth curved up slightly. "She had someone investigate Logan's cash flow and found some very interesting things."

"Like what?"

"The founder of that AI company previously served time in the US for insider trading. The whole thing was covered up, so the public doesn't know." Sebastian picked up his glass and took a sip. "If that gets exposed right in the middle of their funding round—"

Owen's eyes lit up. "The stock will tank completely."

"Exactly."

"But how do you expose it? You can't let anyone trace it back to you."

"I don't have to be the one to do it." Sebastian leaned back. "The founder of that company has bad blood with one of Logan's partners. That partner has been trying to force Logan out and take full control of the fund. As long as we drop the evidence into his lap, he'll be far more eager to act than I am."