Hank felt his nerves settle as soon as he heard Reese''s calm voice. "Alright, got it. I''ll take care of it right now." He hung up, and Reese turned to fill Matthew in on what was happening.


    Matthew''s eyes turned icy, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "Joseph really can''t wait to dig his own grave, can he?"


    "He thinks this will scare us off? That''s just wishful thinking." Reese''s reply came with a trace of sarcasm. "He probably believes that if he snags the chairman''s seat at Ratcliff Global and takes down Vista Tech, he''ll have Bridger Lake''s business world in the palm of his hand."


    Matthew''s confidence was unshakable. "He''s in for a rude awakening. Today, he''ll learn what it means to set a trap for someone else and fall right into it himself."


    The drive didn''t take long. Soon, they pulled up in front of Ratcliff Global''s headquarters. The skyscraper towered above the city center, sleek and intimidating, a clear sign of Ratcliff Global''s dominance in Bridger Lake''s business scene. Yet to Reese, the building looked less like a symbol of power and more like a massive cage, filled with secrets and schemes waiting to unfold.


    Shoulder to shoulder, they walked through the revolving doors into the lobby. The receptionist spotted Matthew and immediately straightened, her face flickering with surprise and nervous respect. "M...Mr. Wiles, you''re here."


    Matthew barely nced her way as he strode toward the private elevator. "Boardroom. Top floor."


    The receptionist hurried to press the button and watched them disappear into the elevator, her posture nothing but respectful.


    The ride up was quick. As soon as the doors opened, they spotted Noah waiting in the hallway. He was Matthew''s assistant, always calm and collected Two men in sharp. suits stood at his side. Everything about them said they were used to power.


    "Sir." Noah nodded. His eyes paused on Reese for a second before


    moving away. "These are Mr. Riles


    and Lugo They''re senior


    Yard and the ones


    members of the


    who pushed hardest for you to


    be chairman."


    Mr. Riles and Mr. Lugo stepped forward, each giving Matthew a small nod. "Mr. Wiles."


    Matthew nodded back, cool andposed. "Gentlemen."


    He remembered how at thest board meeting, these two had been the first to suggest his name for chairman. That also meant they were the ones with the biggest ambitions. Since he''d never held a position at Ratcliff Global before, if he took the top spot, these two would be the real power brokers behind the scenes.


    Mr. Riles spoke first. "It''s the right thing to do. Joseph''s always had his eye on thepany, scheming for control. We can''t just sit back and let him get away with it.''


    Mr. Lugo added, "If it weren''t for Mr. Ratcliff, thispany wouldn''t even be here. Supporting you, Mr. Wiles, is only fair."


    Matthew didn''t waste words. "Let''s go. Time to see what Joseph''s up to."