*****"All of you are to vacate the premises immediately. A team has already been dispatched to seal the building. And if any of you are still inside when they arrive, they will have full authority to lock you in. Permanently."These words reverberated in Gregory Langston, the branch manager of Titan Financial Institution, Riverton Main Branch’s mindFollowing this:One heartbeat—dead silence.Two heartbeats—utter stillness.Three heartbeats—He stood utterly frozen in his office, his body rigid, and his eyes glazed over like those of a man who had just witnessed his world collapse.His limbs remained still in place, stiff as stone, and his pupils stared blankly ahead—soulless, vacant. It was as if the very essence had been ripped from him, leaving behind a mere husk in a suit.An oppressive stillness consumed the office like a thick fog, heavy and suffocating, yet Gregory remained completely unaware.His breath barely came out as his ears continued ringing with the echo of

*****“Did he seriously just walk out like that after making such a bold threat?”A customer, wide-eyed and visibly bewildered, voiced what many were thinking.They glanced around at one another, confusion mirrored in every pair of eyes. It didn’t take more than a few moments for the realization to dawn on them—Xavier had simply been bluffing.“Ugh! And to think I was beginning to believe he might actually have something or someone backing him up.”“How could he leave so shamelessly, after all that?”“This is infuriating... Honestly, I’m both mad and embarrassed for ever thinking he had something hidden up his sleeve.”A ripple of murmurs surged through the hall of Titan Financial Institution, Riverton Main Branch, as customers voiced their dismay, disbelief, and conflicting emotions.Confusion, irritation, and even a trace of disappointment colored their expressions.Meanwhile, a more intense silence lingered around Brenda and Julius at this moment.The moment had struck th

*****The interior of the bank was deathly silent at this moment.Not a whisper, not a shuffle—only stunned expressions and the echoing tension in the air.Every gaze was fixed squarely on Gregory Langston, the prestigious branch manager of Titan Financial Institution, Riverton Main Branch.‘Offend a VVIP customer?’Whether they were employees in uniform or customers in line, furrowed brows rippled throughout the room like synchronized waves.“Why would we possibly offend a VVIP customer of all customers?”“Moreover, apart from VIP customers, we haven’t even received any customer worth being a VVIP in years, have we?”Confusion spread like wildfire amongst the various employees.Dozens of silent voices echoed within the minds of the bank employees, each one scrambling through recent memories, desperately attempting to recall if they'd slighted any important figures.But—nothing. No recollection. No one of significance had been turned away, mistreated, or even mildly inconven

Chapter 416 – Where Is The Owner of This Card? ***** ‘What is that thing?’ Numerous individuals pondered internally, their eyes fixated on the glossy black card lying motionless on the floor. Its surface shimmered faintly under the fluorescent lighting. It was clearly made of a rare material, unlike anything they had known. It bore a resemblance to a bank card, perhaps an advanced type of ATM card, but instinctively, everyone knew this wasn’t any ordinary financial instrument. The entire hall remained silent, as though collectively holding its breath. Each person watched Gregory’s reaction with heightened anticipation, wondering just what made this card so distinct to give him such a reaction. The tension lingered for what seemed like an unending stretch of time until finally... “Uncle… is that something important?” Julius finally asked, his curiosity pushed past its limit. His voice instantly shattered the stillness that had settled in within the bank like a

*****“I… I think I might know who the card belongs to.”A voice broke the silence, soft and uncertain, but it was enough to slice through the tension like a blade.All heads turned instantly toward the source.It was the customer who had been standing at the front of the queue behind Xavier earlier—the customer directly in front of Brenda’s counter.Now, under the scrutiny of dozens of eyes, the man’s face turned pale as snow. Sweat trickled from his temples.If the ground could have opened up and swallowed him whole, he would have welcomed it.He hadn’t even meant to speak. The words had slipped out unintentionally, as though his subconscious had betrayed him.“You… you know the owner of this?” Gregory asked, carefully raising the obsidian-colored card again, his eyes wide with a strange mix of hope and dread.The customer opened his mouth, hesitating. His lips trembled.“I…” he began, swallowing hard.He genuinely considered denying it. Pretending he had made a mistake.