The USB drive in his pocket felt like a red-hot coal, burning against James Morgan's skin and his taut nerves.

Captain Wilson and the stern-faced security guards behind him blocked the only exit. The hall was brightly lit, yet the light couldn't penetrate through this moment of frozen crisis.


"Suspicious individuals?" James Morgan forced himself to steady his breathing, squeezing onto his face an expression of confusion and concentrated recall befitting "Security Guard James Morgan." "Captain, I just patrolled through the equipment section and didn't see anyone. The machine noise was rather loud though—could you have misheard something?"

As he spoke, he seemingly casually pulled his hand holding the USB drive out of his pocket, letting it hang naturally at his side, fingers slightly loosened, as if his pocket had been empty all along.

But every muscle in his body had entered a combat-ready state, prepared to respond to the worst-case scenario at any moment.


Captain Wilson's gaze swept across his face like a searchlight, then fell on his empty hand, and finally moved to his slightly disheveled uniform and the smudge of dust on his trouser leg—left behind when he had hurried through the maintenance passage earlier.

"Didn't see anything?" Captain Wilson stepped forward, closing the distance, his intimidating presence growing stronger, "Security monitoring showed unusual movement in the equipment level, and when our people went there, they only found this." He opened his palm, revealing half a piece of shredded audit report paper that James Morgan had failed to collect completely.


James Morgan's heart sank. The other party had come prepared.

"Captain Wilson, I really didn't see anything..." he continued to defend himself, as beads of sweat conveniently appeared on his temple, making him look nervous yet innocent.

At that moment, the revolving glass doors of the lobby were pushed open abruptly, allowing a gust of night wind to rush in, accompanied by the urgent and crisp sound of high heels striking the marble floor. Everyone was drawn to this sudden commotion and turned to look.

Sylvia Sterling stood at the entrance, her face flushed from running, breathing somewhat rapidly. She held her phone up to her ear while on a call, her sharp gaze scanning the entire scene before finally fixing on Captain Wilson and James Morgan.

"Attorney Gu, I've arrived at the first-floor lobby of Prosperity Group. Yes, there are several security personnel here who seem to be giving a colleague named James Morgan a hard time," she spoke clearly into the phone, her voice not loud but audible enough for everyone present to hear. "Yes, I suspect this is related to what we're investigating regarding Prosperity Group executives allegedly destroying evidence illegally and threatening witnesses. Please record the time and location, and prepare the relevant legal documents."

Attorney Gu? Illegal destruction of evidence? Threatening witnesses?

The security guards behind Captain Wilson exchanged uncertain glances, their expressions revealing hesitation and unease. They were simply following orders and didn't want to get involved in what was clearly a legal dispute.

Captain Wilson's face turned extremely ugly as he stared at Sylvia Sterling, then glanced at James Morgan, his eyes filled with complex, indecipherable emotions.

Sylvia quickly stepped to James's side, casually positioning herself between him and Captain Wilson while continuing to speak into her phone: "Very well, Attorney Gould, let's stay connected. I'll keep you updated on the situation here." She held up her phone, subtly aiming the camera toward Captain Wilson and his men.

In that moment, James immediately understood. Sylvia's appearance wasn't coincidental. She had been watching, and had possibly learned through some means (perhaps Gregory Gould's arrangement) about the danger he might face tonight, and chose the most direct and bold way to intervene. Using her status as a media professional and the implicit threat of legal consequences, she forcibly broke the deadly standoff.

Captain Wilson's facial muscles twitched slightly. He stared intently at Sylvia Sterling and James Morgan for a good ten seconds, before his tense demeanor suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. He waved his hand, his voice carrying an indescribable weariness and hoarseness.

"Disperse, everyone disperse! It was probably just a false alarm from the surveillance system, a misunderstanding."

The security guards, visibly relieved, immediately turned and left.

Captain Wilson gave James one last deep look. That gaze was no longer scrutinizing or warning, but mixed with a hint of relief and something like... entrusting?

He didn't say anything more, turned around, and disappeared down the corridor with a somewhat hunched back.

The crisis was temporarily averted.

Sylvia Sterling put down her phone and let out a long sigh of relief, then turned to James Morgan, her eyes full of lingering fear and concern: "Are you okay? Uncle Gu couldn't reach you and guessed something might have happened."

"I'm fine," James shook his head, his voice low. "I got what we needed."

Sylvia Sterling's eyes lit up, then she looked around more vigilantly: "We can't stay here long, let's go quickly!"

The two quickly left Prosperity Building, melting into the cold night.

James Morgan firmly handed the hot USB drive to Sylvia Sterling, letting her pass it to Gregory Gould through a safer channel.

He couldn't meet Gregory Gould directly, as Victor Shaw's informants might still be watching him.

……

The contents of the USB drive far exceeded James Morgan's imagination.

It contained not only the complete illegal money flow chart of Starlight Capital, irrefutable evidence linking directly to the accounts that accused James Morgan seven years ago, but also partial recordings and email exchanges of Victor Shaw instructing others to tamper with accounts and threatening or bribing relevant personnel.

More appalling was that it recorded preliminary evidence of how Victor Shaw used the Prosperity Group platform to build a massive gray empire, with shocking breadth of involved fields and despicable methods that were horrifying to witness.

Director Clark, that seemingly timid financial director, had been quietly collecting all of this evidence over several years, under tremendous pressure and fear. He might not have had the strength to directly confront Victor Shaw, but in his own way, he had planted a bomb powerful enough to destroy everything.

This evidence, through Gregory Gould and Sylvia Sterling's channels, was cleverly submitted in batches to relevant regulatory authorities and authoritative media.

At the same time, anonymous leaks of crucial information began causing huge waves online.

The storm had finally arrived.

Prosperity Group's stock price began to plummet.

A joint investigation team from regulatory authorities quickly moved in.

Employees who had previously been "reassigned" or silenced began to step forward with accusations, backed by solid evidence and promises of protection.

Extensive in-depth media reports tore to shreds Victor Shaw's carefully crafted image as a "business elite" who "values relationships and loyalty."

Victor Shaw attempted to use all available resources to suppress and counter-attack, but in the face of overwhelming evidence and surging public opinion, his struggles appeared pale and powerless.

His allies distanced themselves from him one after another, and his empire disintegrated at a visible speed.

One month later, Victor Shaw was apprehended by law enforcement officers on the runway of a private airport as he attempted to leave the country.

The once confident and flourishing business tycoon had an ashen face and hollow eyes when handcuffed, as if all his soul had been drained away.

As television news played footage of Victor Shaw being escorted away, James Morgan stood by the window of his rented apartment, watching silently.

There was no wild joy as expected, nor was there relief, only a barren calmness that comes after a devastating fire. At this moment, the seven years of injustice and his father's death seemed to finally receive some degree of consolation.

The court proceedings were long and torturous. James Morgan appeared in court as a key witness and victim, facing Victor Shaw directly.

During his final statement, Victor Shaw finally shed all pretense, smiling distortedly as he looked at James Morgan, expressing years of pent-up jealousy and madness, confessing how seven years ago he had someone impersonate James, fabricate false evidence, cause Richard Morgan's death from anger, and gradually devour the Morgan family business... But deep in his eyes, there was more of a manic emptiness of someone whose plan had succeeded yet ultimately failed completely.

In the end, Victor Shaw was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for multiple crimes. His business empire completely collapsed, and all his assets were seized and frozen.

……

Another morning dawned.

James Morgan walked out of the dilapidated rental apartment where he had stayed for several months.

He changed into ordinary casual clothes, his figure still straight and tall, but the gloom and heaviness between his brows seemed to have dissipated significantly, replaced by a steadiness that came after washing away all superficiality.

After bankruptcy and reorganization, the Prosperity Group had completely severed ties with its past. He recovered part of the liquidated assets that originally belonged to the Morgan family, but this was no longer the most important thing to him.

Gregory Gould hoped he would return to lead the new company. The "In-Depth Weekly" where Sylvia Sterling worked gained tremendous fame due to this series of investigative reports, and she became the chief reporter. She hinted that she hoped James Morgan could share more behind-the-scenes stories.

But he politely declined them all.

He went to the cemetery in the suburbs. At his father's tombstone, he placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. In the photograph, Richard Morgan still maintained his air of authority and expectation.

"Dad, Victor Shaw has received his due punishment," James said softly as the mountain breeze ruffled his hair. "The company... I got some of it back, but I don't want to return to that position anymore."

There were too many bad memories there, too much scheming and infighting. The seven years in prison and this long revenge had exhausted his enthusiasm and ambition for that world.

"I want a different way of life." He looked at his father's photo, as if seeking understanding, and also as if making a vow to himself.

As he left the cemetery, sunlight broke through the clouds, spilling onto the mountain path. At the cemetery gate, he saw Sylvia Sterling waiting for him. She wore simple jeans and a jacket, standing beside a somewhat old sedan, with a gentle smile on her face.

"What are your plans now?" Sylvia asked him, her gaze clear.

James Morgan looked at the open sky in the distance, then back at her, "I haven't decided yet, maybe just travel around and see things first."

Sylvia smiled and opened the car door, "Perfect timing. I have an interview series about small business revivals that will take me to several southern cities. Want to join me? Just to... clear your mind, and be my free consultant while you're at it?"

James looked at the sincere invitation in her eyes and that barely perceptible hint of anticipation, remained silent for a moment, and then, the corner of his lips curved into a very slight but genuine smile.

"Sure."

He opened the car door and sat down in the passenger seat.

The car started and drove away from the quiet cemetery, merging onto the highway that led to the distance. Sunlight streamed through the window, warming them both.

The shadows of the past had not completely faded, and the road ahead remained unknown. But at least in this moment, they had broken free from their heavy shackles, facing the light and moving toward new possibilities.

The chapter of hatred had been turned, and the story of redemption and rebirth was just beginning.