Three offshore hedge funds were execuling a massive, coordinated short squeeze on Morgan's family company.
It was a vicious invisible attack. They were dumping synthetic shares. into the dark pools, driving the price down artificially, specifically designedto rigger margin calls and completely strangle Bell Telecom's cash flow. It was an execution.
Anissa let out a sharp, cold laugh. Her eyes turned into chips of polar ice. ‘She was not goingto let himjumpoff that bridgeagain.
She openeda heavily encrypted communicationapp on the dark web, She typed in a specific address, reachingout to a financial brokerknownonly as 'C, This was her hidden asset management channel, a network she had built usingthe knowledge from her previous life, completely s eparate from Harding's empire. »
Pr epare to mobilize thirty million dollars from the Cayman accounts, Anissa typed. Target: Bell Telecom. We are goingto counter-snipe the shorts at the openingbell
Less than ten seconds later, a r eply poppedup on the screen
Received. Yourtimingis terrifyingly precise. By the way, the Europeantech stock you pointed to fast month has already yielded a nine figure return. Your funds are ready.
Anissa closed the laptop with a soft click. She stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceilingwindow. The Manhattan skyline was just beginningto ‘turn a bruised purple with the approachingdawn.
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Chapter 2 l +120 Points at most A silent, bloodless war was about to begin and she was holding the trigger You have unlocked exclusive Ñ Claim Now limited-time offer >>
< Mamying My Exs Powerfui Bllonare Unde #* +120 Points at most The air inside the exclusive Midtown Manhattan club smelled of expensivechalk, stale beer, and desperation. It was ten inthe morning Anissa walked through the heavy oak doors wearing a low-profile beige trench coat. She bypassed the bar and headed straight for the private billiards room in the back.
She found Morgan standing by the comer pool table. He was holdinga cue stick staring blankly at the green felt. The dark circles under hiseyes were so de ep they looked like bruises His skinwas a sickly, pale gray. When he heard her footst eps, Morgan snapped his head up. He instantly forced a wide, reckless grinonto his face.
“Well, look whoit is" Morgan said, letting outa sharp whistle. Mrs. Snow gracingus with her presence You look stunningtoday, Nissa "
Anissa didn't smile. She walked right up to him grabbed the pool cue out of hishand, and tossed it onto the table. It landed with a loud clatter
“Is Bell Telecom's cash flow broker?" Anissa asked, her voice flat and direct. "Are the creditors calling inthe loans?
Morgan's fake smile froze. A flash of pure naked panic widenedhis eyes. He quickly masked it with a scowl of defensive anger.
He took a st ep back, crossing his arms. "What kind of garbage gossip rags are you reading? Bell is fine. We're restructuring that's all * Anissalooked at his rigid posture, the way his knuckles turned white as he grippedhis own bic eps Her chest ached. She knew exactly what this was. It was the fragile, pathetic pride of the American Old Money class. They would rather drown in secret than ask for a life preserver.
She reached into her designer bag and pulled out a checkbook She signed her name at the boftom of a blank check tore it out, and pushed it across the edge of the pool table
“Take it Anissa said softly. "Write whatever number you need. | can cover i."
Morgan stared down at the crisp piece of paper. His throat moved as he swallowed hard, For a second, Anissa saw genuinetears shiningin his eyes, a mixof overwhelminggratitude and agonizinghumiliation
Slowly, Morgan shook his head. He reached out and pushed the check back toward her
anv 1602 men
quan: 8 +120 Points at most "Nissa,' he said, his voice cracking "If 1 sinkso fow that | have to take a woman's secret stash to bail out my father's mistakes... | mightas wel Justjumpoff the Empire State Buildingright now."
The words jumpoff hit Anissa like a physical blow to the stomach. Her breath caught in her throat. The image of the freezing East River water ushingup to meet him flashed behindher eyes.
She realized instantly that handing him cash was useless. His pride would kill himbefore he acc epted it
Anissa smoothly picked up the check and slid it back into her bag. Her expressionturned to stone.
“Suit yourself," she said coldly, tuning her back on him. “Dont come etyingto me when the banks lock your doors.”
She walked out of the billiards room without looking back. The moment the heavy club doors closed behind her, she pulled out her encrypted phoneand shoved an earpiece into her ear.
“Start buying’ she commanded her dark web broker. "Absorb every piece of Bell Telecom debt you can find on the secondary market. Do it quietly. 1 want to be their biggest creditor by sunset.”
By two olclock that aftemoon, Anissa was back at the penthouse Harding's personal styling team had taken over the massive living oom Racks of haute couture gowns and trays of blinding jewelry were scattered everywhere.
Tonightwas the Snow Empire's Global Shareholder Summit Gala, held at the historic Plaza Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. It was a massive, public coronation before the entire financial world, completely different from the private, intimate family dinner they had attended at the Hamptons estate a week ago. Tonight hundreds of the most powerful people in the country would be there. It was her official coronation before the entire empire.
The head stylist zipped Anissaintoa custom, emerald greenvelvet gown. It was entirely backless, the heavy fabric olingingto every curve of her body before poolingon the floor.
Anissa sat at the vanity as they pinned her dark hair up and secured a par of heavy diamond chandelier earrings to her lobes.
When she finally stood up and walked out of the dressingarea, Harding was sitting on the leather sofa, reviewinga stack of legal documents. He looked up
Harding's hands went completely stil. His gaze locked onto the expanse of bare, pale skinat her back, tracing the line of her spineup to her long, elegant neck His throat bobbed He stared for a full five seconds, the silence nthe room growingthickand heavy,
chp 22 #5 +120 Points at most He slowly closed the folder and stood up. He walked toward her, his towering frame casting a shadow over her
“That dress” Harding murmured, his voice a full octave lower than normal. “It is very fitting for a battlefield
At six clock, they descended to the undergroundgarage and slipped into the hack of the armored Maybach.
The drive through the bustlingstreets of Manhattan was a blur of neon lights and heavy evening traffic. When the car pulled up to the grand entrance of the Plaza Hotel, the sheer scale of the event became visible. Hundreds of luxury cars clogged Fifth Avenue, and paparazzi swarmed the barricades, their camera flashes creating a blinding chaotic storm Security personnel in black suits swarmed the perimeter, holding back the aggressive press.
The Maybach stopped smoothly at the edge of the red carpet. The moment the door opened, the deafening roar of the city and the frantic shouting of r eporters washed over them. The violent autumn wind whipped Anissats velvet skirt intoa frenzy.
Before the bitingchill of the city could bite her skin Harding st epped out of the car and wrapped his heavy wool overcoat around her shoulders. The heat radiating from his body instantly enveloped her. He k ept hisarm firmly around her waist as they walked toward the grand entrance. Inside the massive ballroom, the aif was thick with expensive perfume and venomous gossip
Every guest was whisperingbehind their champagne flutes. The core of the rumors was the same: Connor's discarded, useless fiancée had ‘somehow manipulated her way into the bed of the Emperor of Wall Street.
Standing in the center of the room, surroundedby a circle of sycophantic: socialites, was Beatrice Snow. Her face was tight with fury as she muttered curses about Anissa's manipulative witchcraft
Suddenly, the heavy, double mahogany doors of the ballroom began to open
The loud chatter in the room died instantly. A suffocating silence fel over the hundreds of guests. Every single head snapped toward the entrance.
Harding Snow st epped into the light. He wore a perfectly tailored black tuxedo that made himlook like a god of war.
Resting her hand lightly on his arm was Anissa.
Shelifted her chin Her eyes sw ept over the crowd with absolute, freezing disdain The emerald velvet of her gown dragged across the marble floor, cutting path of power through the room