The tribunal hall erupted into chaos. Reporters shouted questions over the deafening buzz of cameras. Screens across the globe replayed the leak again and again — files, signatures, bank transfers, names of the dead. The sovereign's empire had been stripped bare before the world.
Harrison West stood frozen behind the podium, the light from the monitors painting his face pale. For the first time, his perfect composure fractured. His hands trembled.
"This is fabrication," he shouted above the uproar. "Raymond manipulated private data! None of this is verified!"
The tribunal chair slammed his gavel. "Order! Mr West, you will remain silent until the evidence is reviewed."
Harrison's eyes burned with fury as he pointed toward John. "You think you can return from the dead and play martyr? You stole from your father, you destroyed The Crest long before I ever touched it!"
John stood firm at the centre of the hall, his voice calm amid the chaos. "You can scream as loud as you want, Harrison. It doesn't change the fact that your entire empire was built on murder and theft."
The chair motioned to the guards. "Bring forth the witness."
Gasps rippled through the room as Elara Voss stepped forward. She wore a dark suit, her injured arm bound, but her gaze unflinching.
"I worked for Sovereign Holdings for seven years," she said clearly. "I was part of Project Crestfall's data division. I can confirm that the files you've seen are authentic. Harrison West orchestrated the deaths of two Raymond family members to secure The Crest's financial inheritance."
Harrison's expression curdled into disbelief. "You ungrateful traitor—"
"Enough," the chair said sharply. "The evidence speaks for itself."
Elara handed over a sealed drive. "This contains encrypted voice logs and orders from Harrison's office. The timestamps align with every event outlined in the tribunal record."
The courtroom fell silent as the logs played. Harrison's voice echoed through the speakers, crisp and unmistakable.
"Handle the Raymond boy. If he won't cooperate, remove him. The Crest belongs to me."
Each word landed like a hammer.
Rita, sitting behind John, covered her mouth. Her eyes shone, not with tears, but with a fierce, silent satisfaction.
The tribunal chair looked at Harrison. "Mr West, in light of these recordings and documents, the council hereby authorises immediate detainment pending full criminal prosecution."
Guards moved forward. Harrison took a step back, his voice low and venomous. "You think this is over, Raymond? You think I'll rot while you stand there and breathe?"
John didn't flinch. "You've spent your life burning everything you touch. Now it's your turn to feel the fire."
The guards seized Harrison's arms. He struggled briefly, then forced a smirk. "Enjoy your victory, John. I'll make sure it's the shortest one of your life."
Outside the tribunal, the world was already shifting. Crowds gathered around screens, watching as headlines rolled across every network. Sovereign Holdings Faces Global Collapse.Harrison West Arrested.The Raymond Legacy Restored.
Reporters swarmed the steps, flashes bursting like lightning. Rita stood beside John as they exited, the noise of the world blending into a blur.
"You did it," she said quietly.
"We did it," he replied.
They shared a moment — short, fragile, real.
Then a voice broke through the crowd, shouting from the edge of the press line. "Sovereign's Zurich headquarters is burning! Harrison escaped custody during transfer!"
The words hit like a shockwave.
John turned instantly. "What did you say?"
The reporter repeated it, breathless. "He killed two guards. The building's on fire!"
Rita's pulse spiked. "John…"
"I have to go," he said.
"You can't..."
"I have to finish it."
He was already moving toward the waiting car, his jaw set, his eyes cold with resolve. Rita followed, climbing in beside him. "Then you're not going alone."
The driver floored the accelerator, and Geneva fell behind in a blur of lights.
By the time they reached Zurich, night had fallen. The Sovereign tower loomed like a black monolith, flames licking from its upper floors. Sirens wailed across the city as firefighters struggled to contain the inferno.
John stepped out of the car, staring up at the burning structure. The heat shimmered against his face.
Rita grabbed his arm. "You can't go in there! It's collapsing!"
"He's inside," John said. "If he burns, I burn with him."
"John, please—"
He looked at her, voice quiet but unbreakable. "This ends tonight."
Before she could stop him, he turned and disappeared into the smoke.
Inside, the air was thick with ash and the roar of fire. The once-pristine halls of Sovereign had become a maze of ruin and heat. John moved through it with grim focus, his jacket over his mouth, his steps steady despite the falling debris.
He reached the main office floor — the same one where Harrison had once stood, commanding an empire. Flames devoured the walls, and through the flickering light, he saw a figure near the shattered window.
Harrison stood there, coat half burned, blood streaking his face, but his eyes still gleamed with manic control.
"You should have stayed dead," Harrison said, voice hoarse but steady.
"You should have," John replied.
Harrison laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "Look around you, Raymond. Everything you fought for, everything you built — it's all ashes now. Just like your father."
John stepped closer, the floor creaking beneath his feet. "You killed him because you couldn't be him. You spent your life chasing crowns you didn't deserve."
Harrison's eyes blazed. "Deserve? I earned everything I took! He was weak! He gave you his name when I was the one who made his empire thrive!"
"You built nothing but graves," John said.
Harrison drew a pistol from his coat, aiming it with trembling hands. "Then you'll join them."
John didn't move. "Go ahead."
For a moment, the only sound was the fire screaming through the walls. Then Harrison hesitated. His hand shook.
John's voice dropped to a low growl. "Pull the trigger, or end this with a shred of dignity."
Harrison's face twisted, torn between rage and despair. Finally, he screamed and fired.
The bullet grazed John's arm, sending him staggering. He lunged forward, knocking the gun aside. It clattered to the floor. They crashed against the desk, grappling amid the smoke and heat.
Harrison fought like a desperate man, his strength driven by fury, but John's resolve was colder, harder. He slammed Harrison back, his fist connecting with the man's jaw.
"You took everything from me!" John shouted.
"And you took my legacy!" Harrison roared.
They collided again, the flames climbing around them, the glass cracking under the heat. The sound of the building groaning filled the air as beams collapsed above.
Harrison stumbled toward the window, grabbing a metal pipe for balance. His eyes met John's — wild, haunted. "If I go down, you're coming with me!"
He swung the pipe, catching John across the shoulder. John dropped to one knee, pain flashing white. Harrison raised it again, screaming incoherently —
But before he could strike, a beam fell between them, splitting the room in two. Fire surged upward, a wall of burning fury.
Harrison stared through the flames, his face twisted with hatred and exhaustion.
John rose slowly, blood running down his arm, his eyes unyielding.
"This is your empire," he said. "Watch it die."
The ceiling collapsed. Harrison's voice vanished into the roar.
John turned toward the broken corridor, coughing as smoke filled his lungs. He stumbled through the wreckage, searching for the exit. Behind him, the floor gave way, flames consuming what was left of Sovereign's throne.
He reached the stairwell — but before he could descend, the explosion ripped through the tower, throwing him back into the darkness.
Outside, Rita watched in horror as the top floors of the Sovereign building burst apart in a fireball of light.
"John!" she screamed, pushing through the police line.
The fire swallowed the tower whole, raining sparks across the Zurich skyline.
And somewhere inside the inferno, between the roar of collapsing steel and the echo of vengeance fulfilled, the lion still fought to survive.