The Grand Hyatt ballroom buzzed with the forced smiles and sharp eyes of the global elite. This wasn't a wedding; it was a war room disguised as a celebration. The International Infrastructure Tender, a deal worth billions, hung in the air like a shimmering prize. Initially, over a dozen major investment companies had thrown their hats into the ring, battling through brutal rounds of proposals and backroom deals. Now, only two companies stood poised to claim it: V&H Major Investment Company Limited, helmed by Victoria Hogan and Hogan Smith, and F&L Wolfsiren Investment Company, a name whispered with a mixture of awe and unease.
Victoria, a vision of icy confidence in a blood-red power suit, surveyed the room like a general assessing the battlefield. For weeks, the name F&L Wolfsiren had been a thorn in her side. Every attempt to uncover their owners, their board, their true origin, had hit a wall. It was as if they had appeared from thin air, backed by limitless, untraceable funds.
"They think they can outmaneuver us, Hogan?" she said, her voice a low purr, her gaze sweeping over the room. "They think their unconventional methods will sway the board, whoever they are?"
Hogan, looking pale despite his expensive suit, swallowed nervously. "Their bid was aggressive, Victoria. They undercut us by a significant margin. And those rumors about their funding sources, the way they operate nobody can find anything concrete on them. It's like they don't exist."
Victoria scoffed, though a flicker of annoyance crossed her perfect face. "Rumors. We have the connections, the experience, the reputation. We've played this game before, and we've always won. This F&L it almost feels familiar somehow."
Meanwhile, across the room, Finn watched the proceedings with a calm that bordered on unsettling. Lyra stood beside him, her presence radiating a subtle, almost palpable power. Her eyes, however, were not on the board members, but on the very structure of the room, as if sensing the flow of energy within it.
"They are confident, Finn," Lyra murmured, her voice a low hum that only he could hear. "They believe their web of influence is impenetrable."
"Then we'll tear it apart," Finn replied, his voice hard. "We'll show them that power isn't just about money and connections. It's about force."
The battle for the tender was fought on multiple fronts. V&H deployed their usual tactics: lavish dinners, promises of future favors, subtle (and not-so-subtle) threats to wavering board members, and a media blitz painting them as the only stable and reliable choice. Victoria even hinted at political donations and promised lucrative side deals. She sent her top legal teams to dig into F&L, searching for any weakness, any crack, but they always came back empty-handed, muttering about 'impossible' financial structures and 'ghost' entities.
F&L Wolfsiren, however, played a different game. Their bid, while financially sound, was surprisingly unconventional. They focused on the project's long-term environmental impact, promising innovative, sustainable solutions that resonated with a growing global concern. Rumors swirled about their funding – whispers of ancient wealth, of investments that defied conventional logic, of a power that seemed to bend the very laws of finance.
Then, strange things began to happen. Key V&H meetings were disrupted by bizarre accidents sudden power outages, inexplicable equipment malfunctions, even a swarm of bats released into a crucial presentation. A prominent board member, known for his unwavering loyalty to Victoria, suddenly and publicly withdrew his support, citing "ethical concerns." The media, once firmly in V&H's pocket, began to run stories questioning their business practices, their sources mysteriously drying up.
The tension in the room was palpable. Victoria's carefully constructed image began to crack. Hogan's confidence crumbled. Even the most seasoned power brokers felt a prickle of unease.
Finally, the moment arrived for the final presentation. As the F&L Wolfsiren representatives walked to the podium, a hush fell over the room. Finn O'Connor, looking sharper and colder than anyone remembered, stepped into the spotlight, Lyra a breathtaking, ethereal presence at his side.
Hogan gasped, a strangled sound, staring at Finn. "Finn?! How in the..?"
Victoria, however, simply narrowed her eyes, a strange, grim smile touching her lips. A cold wave of recognition washed over her, not of shock, but of confirmation. "So," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "it was you. All along." Her gaze flickered to Lyra, taking in the wolfsiren's otherworldly beauty, and the pieces of the shattered wedding, the crumbling empire, the impossible attacks, all clicked into place. The realization didn't surprise her; it simply solidified her deepest, darkest suspicions.
The chairman, his face pale, announced the preliminary vote. "F&L Wolfsiren Investment Company is the provisional winner of the International Infrastructure Tender!" A ripple of shock and murmurs spread through the room.
But before the small celebration from Finn's side could truly begin, Victoria, her voice cutting through the noise like ice, held up a thick dossier. "Objection!" she called out, her voice clear and ringing. "This tender requires impeccable ethical standing and a clean record from all key personnel." Her eyes, cold as glaciers, locked onto Finn. "I have here irrefutable evidence that Finn O'Connor, the supposed owner of F&L Wolfsiren, is a known fugitive, a convicted felon with a history of fraud, embezzlement, and insider trading. These are undeniable documents from various international law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. This makes F&L Wolfsiren utterly untrustworthy and invalidates their bid."
A stunned silence fell. All eyes turned to Finn, then to the chairman, whose face was now ashen. The weight of Finn's past, the very crimes Victoria and Hogan had framed him for, crashed down.
After a tense, whispered conference among the board, the chairman cleared his throat, his voice heavy with regret. "Due to the compelling evidence presented regarding the lead principal of F&L Wolfsiren Investment Company the board must unfortunately reverse its provisional decision. The International Infrastructure Tender is awarded to V&H Major Investment Company Limited."
A wave of relief washed over Victoria and Hogan. They had won. They had weathered the storm. They had proven their dominance.
But as the applause died down, a strange, whispering wind seemed to fill the room, carrying with it the faint scent of salt and something ancient, something cold. Victoria felt a shiver run down her spine. Hogan looked around, his eyes wide, a flicker of true fear in their depths.
Finn, his face impassive, simply nodded to Lyra. Her lips curved into a chilling smile. The battle had been won, yes. But the war was far from over. And Victoria and Hogan had no idea the true price of their victory.
Victoria's triumph tasted like ash. Finn, reeling from the public humiliation, felt Lyra's cold fury ignite. The tender might be lost, but a far darker game had just begun. What twisted revenge would they unleash now? And could Victoria truly outwit a power that defied all earthly rules?