Chapter65:

Chapter 65:  Max’s Point of View The tension in the boardroom became suffocating as my uncle, Samuel Graves, stepped fully into the room. His polished demeanor exuded authority, his sharp gray suit tailored to perfection. The directors, who moments ago seemed resolute in their stance against me, now looked uneasy, their eyes darting between Samuel and me. The air was electric, and I could feel the shift in power dynamics. Samuel Graves. My uncle. The man who'd taught me my first lessons about betrayal. He stood in the doorway like some corporate grim reaper, his bespoke gray suit probably worth more than what most of my employees made in a month. Everything about him screamed old money, old power. From his perfectly polished Oxford shoes to the subtle platinum glint of his watch a Patek Philippe, if I wasn't mistaken. The same brand he'd given me for my fourteenth birthday, before everything went to hell. *"Remember, Max,"* his voice echoed from the past, *"time is the only true curren