CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINE - The Cost of Ambition

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Gabriel. For a moment, his composure slipped, revealing a flicker of panic before he regained control. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said smoothly. "But it's irrelevant. The fact is, I now control this company, and my first act as majority shareholder will be to remove Cassius as CEO and-" "I'm afraid that won't be possible," Mara interrupted, her voice steel. She nodded to Cassius, who produced a file and began distributing documents to the stunned board members. "Ladies and gentlemen of the board," Mara continued, "what you're looking at is evidence of extensive fraud and embezzlement committed by the man who calls himself Gabriel Keppler. His real name is Gabriel Thornton, and he has no familial connection to the Keppler family whatsoever." The room erupted in shocked murmurs as Gabriel's face drained of color. "Furthermore," Mara pressed on, raising her voice above the din, "the shares he claims to have purchased were ob