Chapter 22: Sole Shareholder

Chloe didn’t answer. Her fingers were flying across her phone’s screen.

She bypassed Google and logged directly into the state’s official corporate registry database... the same public database the Belmonts used to track their competitors.

Her heart hammered against her ribs as she typed in the search bar: *Apex Media Group*.

The page loaded.

Chloe’s breath hitched in her throat. She scrolled down past the corporate address and the tax identifiers, straight to the section listing the board of directors and the majority shareholders.

There was only one name listed.

*Sole Shareholder (100% Equity): Jude Lawson.*

She couldn’t breathe. Her vision blurred for a second.

She quickly typed a new search into the database: *Zenith Motors Parent Holdings.*

The page loaded instantly.

*Majority Shareholder (78% Equity): Jude Lawson.*

The phone slipped from Chloe’s hands, landing with a soft thud on the plush living room carpet.

"Chloe?" Evelyn asked, taking a hesitant step forward. "What is it? What did you find? Who is the real owner?"

Chloe looked up at her mother. A single tear spilled over her eyelashes, ruining her carefully applied mascara.

"There is no boss, Mom," Chloe whispered.

Evelyn frowned, confusion masking the rising panic in her chest. "What do you mean there’s no boss? Of course there is. Who owns the companies?"

"Jude," Chloe choked out, a sob finally breaking through her throat. "Jude owns them. He owns all of it."

"That’s impossible!" Evelyn snapped, marching over and snatching the phone off the carpet. "You’re reading it wrong! The internet is full of fake rumors—"

Evelyn looked down at the screen. She recognized the official seal of the state registry at the top of the page.

This was a legally binding, government-verified financial document.

She stared at the name. *Jude Lawson.*

Evelyn felt the blood drain entirely from her head. Her legs instantly turned to jelly. She collapsed backward, her knees hitting the carpet.

"No..." Evelyn gasped. "No, no, no... he was a car washer. He couldn’t even afford the deposit on the catering hall..."

She had stood in this exact living room and screamed at Jude, telling him he was a failure who would drag her daughter into poverty.

She had shoved him out the front door so Chloe could chase after Trent Belmont... a boy whose family Jude had bankrupted just days later.

And because of Evelyn’s arrogance, instead of being the mother-in-law to a billionaire, she was now legally contractually obligated to carry his guests’ luggage.

Evelyn buried her face in her hands, letting out a pathetic, devastating wail of regret.

***

Miles away, the black Maybach rolled through the private gates of the Obsidian Grand Hotel, pulling to a silent stop near the VIP elevators.

Jude sat in the cabin, holding a glass of sparkling water.

He looked out the tinted window at the city skyline, a faint smile touching his lips.

By now, Victoria would have delivered the contract to the Carmichaels.

He knew Evelyn well enough to know she would sign it...

Her pride was massive, but her fear of poverty was much, much stronger.

She would take the three million dollars, and she would stand on that dock in a service uniform.

Jude took a slow sip of his water. .

"I hope you brought comfortable shoes, Evelyn," Jude murmured to himself, setting the glass down.

The driver opened the door, and Jude stepped out into the afternoon air.

It was time to head up to the Presidential Suite and prepare for the next phase of his empire’s expansion.

The Sapphire Cove gala was going to be an event the city would never forget...

[Ding!]

[Hidden Mission Triggered: Understated Dominance.]

[Objective: The true charm of a financial titan is exercising absolute power without the need to boast. Casually deploy superior assets to completely shatter a rival’s prestige.]

[Reward: +2 Money Sign-Ins, +1 Platinum System Reward Box!]

Jude smiled.

The system was basically telling him to act like he’d been doing this his entire life.

There was no need to yell or flex; true wealth spoke for itself ..

He walked through the sliding glass doors into the main VIP lounge.

The terminal was a sprawling sanctuary designed explicitly for the ultra-rich, featuring private barista bars, plush leather seating, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the tarmac.

The lounge was currently buzzing with the most famous faces in the country. The top executives, A-list actresses, and directors of Apex Media Group were mingling, sipping mimosas and laughing as they prepared for the company’s summer gala.

But Jude’s eyes immediately drifted toward the luggage drop-off area near the doors.

Standing there, wearing identically humiliating, gray service uniforms, were Chloe and Evelyn Carmichael.

They were both sweating, struggling to hoist an oversized designer trunk onto a brass luggage cart.

Chloe’s face was beet red, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.

Every time a famous actress walked past and handed her a garment bag without even looking at her, Chloe looked like she wanted the marble floor to open up and swallow her whole.

Evelyn wasn’t faring any better...

The woman who had once prided herself on hosting elite tea parties was currently being scolded by a twenty-two-year-old pop star for accidentally scuffing a leather suitcase.

Jude watched them suffer for a few moments, feeling a quiet satisfaction. They were getting exactly what they had earned.

Before Jude could approach his executives, the double doors of the terminal swung open, and a loud, obnoxiously familiar voice echoed through the lounge.

"Make sure the VIP tags are on those bags! We have a connection to catch!"

Donovan Pierce, the arrogant heir to Pierce Studios, strutted into the lounge.

Trailing behind him were about twenty actors and actresses who had signed with his studio.

Donovan was clutching a stack of boarding passes, looking incredibly smug.

Donovan scanned the room and locked eyes with Jude.

A wide grin spread across the heir’s face as he marched straight over.

"Well, well, well," Donovan laughed, holding up his stack of boarding passes like a trophy. "If it isn’t the new owner of Apex Media. I didn’t expect to see you at the private terminal, Lawson. I figured you’d be bussing your talent down to the public airport."

Jude took a sip from a glass of water a waiter had just handed him. "Morning, Donovan."

"My father booked us all first-class commercial tickets down to Miami," Donovan boasted, ensuring the Apex Media actresses nearby could hear him. "From there, we are boarding a two-hundred-foot mega-yacht that will sail us straight to Sapphire Cove. It’s going to take half a day, but the luxury is unparalleled."

Donovan looked around the lounge, pretending to search for something. "So, where is your ride? Let me guess, you chartered a little twin-engine prop plane? A cramped little Cessna to squeeze your A-listers into? Be careful, Lawson, those cheap rental jets get awfully turbulent over the ocean."

Seraphina Frost, the acting CEO of Apex Media, walked up beside Jude, glaring at Donovan.

"Pierce, you are embarrassing yourself. This is a private terminal lounge. Go wait at your commercial gate."

"Oh, don’t be bitter, Seraphina," Donovan sneered. "I just want to make sure your talent knows what they are missing out on."

Jude checked his platinum Audemars Piguet, his expression bored.

"I don’t charter planes, Donovan," Jude said, his voice quiet, yet somehow carrying across the entire lounge.

Donovan frowned, his smile faltering slightly. "What do you mean you don’t charter?"

"I mean, I own my fleet," Jude replied.

He gestured with his glass toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the primary runway. "And I certainly wouldn’t put my talent in a Cessna."

Donovan turned his head to look out the window. Every actress and executive in the lounge followed his gaze.

Rolling slowly and silently out of the private hangar, guided by a team of ground crew in neon vests, was a modified, custom-retrofitted Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The aircraft was painted a sleek, reflective midnight black, with the Apex Media Group logo embossed in subtle platinum lettering along the fuselage.

The entire lounge went dead silent. Even the Apex Media actresses, who were used to traveling in high-end luxury, gasped in shock.

"I... I must have misheard you," Donovan stammered, the color draining from his face as he stared up at the towering jet. "That... that’s a commercial airliner. You can’t privately own a Dreamliner!"

"It was retrofitted for fifty passengers," Jude explained, turning his attention back to his water. "It has master suites, a full dining room, and a cinema. It’s a bit excessive for a two-hour flight to the Caribbean, but I prefer my staff to travel comfortably."

Donovan swallowed hard, his throat clicking audibly in the quiet room.

He looked down at the stack of first-class Delta tickets in his hand. Just thirty seconds ago, he thought those tickets were the ultimate flex.

Now, compared to a private, custom-built Boeing 787, they looked like cheap bus passes.

The Pierce Studios actors standing behind Donovan groaned. They looked out the window at Jude’s flying palace, then glared at Donovan with jealousy.

"We have to fly commercial and sit on a boat for eight hours," a famous leading man muttered angrily to Donovan. "And they get to take a private Dreamliner?"

"Shut up!" Donovan hissed, humiliated.

Over by the luggage carts, Chloe Carmichael watched the entire exchange.

She leaned against a brass pole.

That plane belonged to the man she had called a broke loser.

If she hadn’t listened to her mother, she would be boarding that flying palace as his fiancée, rather than loading suitcases into its cargo hold.

[Ding!]

[Mission Completed: Understated Dominance.]

[Reward: +2 Money Sign-Ins, +1 Platinum System Reward Box.]

Jude smiled as the system chime rang in his head.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jude announced to his stunned executives and talent. "The crew has finalized the pre-flight checks. Please proceed to the boarding bridge. We have an island to get to."

The Apex Media team erupted into cheers, completely ignoring Donovan as they eagerly made their way toward the private boarding tunnel.

Ten minutes later, Jude stepped into the main cabin of the Dreamliner...

It was even more spectacular than the blueprints had suggested.

The interior had been gutted and replaced with plush leather lounge seating, a bar, and warm, ambient lighting.

Beautiful flight attendants in tailored uniforms were already handing out flutes of vintage champagne to the guests.

"Mr. Lawson!" one of the lead actresses cheered, raising her glass as he walked in. "Who even cares about the private island anymore? I could live on this plane for the rest of my life!"

Jude chuckled, taking a seat in a recliner at the front of the cabin.

"Enjoy the flight," Jude said, looking out the window.

He called up the system interface with a flick of his mind. "Sign in."