Hans stood still for a moment after the waiter left. He stared at the table in front of him, a half-empty whiskey bottle and a cigarette butt still trailing smoke inside an ashtray. With a look of frustration mixed with panic, Hans grabbed the bottle and threw it into the steel trash bin in the corner of the room. The sound of breaking glass and metal echoed briefly, then silence took over again. "Now, let him in," Hans said softly to the waiter still waiting outside the door. The waiter nodded quickly and rushed down the hallway. Hans adjusted his tie. He took a deep breath and turned to face the door with a straight posture. His face, which had looked relaxed before, now changed into something serious and full of respect. Everyone in Mororw State knew Max. His name wasn’t just highlighted by the media as a national hero, but it had become a mysterious symbol of power untouched by both the law and the mafia. He was the man who saved Mororw State from militant attacks five years

The room was silent, until a soft clicking sound came from the corner of the ceiling.Then...Total darkness.The lights went out instantly. A brief humming sound came from the electrical current before everything was swallowed by shadows.Hans screamed in panic. “HEY! HEY!! The lights! Why did the lights go out?! IS ANYONE THERE?!” His voice echoed, nervous and trembling.He fumbled toward the door. “Riko?! Where are you?! Turn on the backup generator! RIKO?!”No response.Before anyone could react further—thup!A quiet shot pierced the silence.The man who had been standing beside Max, the same man Hans had hired to kill Aurora, suddenly jerked. Blood spurted from his neck, and his body collapsed silently to the floor.Hans, unable to see clearly in the dark, shouted again. “WHAT HAPPENED?! WHO GOT SHOT?!”Max, even in the complete darkness, did not panic. He stayed quiet, ducked low, and crawled quickly behind the large sofa in the corner of the room. His eyes could see far more th

Somewhere Else...A black car slowly stopped in front of a large modern-colonial style house located on the outskirts of Lanua City. Surrounding the house were dozens of men dressed in all-black, standing tall with long rifles strapped across their chests. These weren’t ordinary security guards — their movements were sharp, their eyes sharp and alert.Sayo gently opened the car door and stepped out. His eyes scanned the area, filled with a mix of surprise and unease. He hadn’t expected the place to be guarded like a top-tier military base.One of the black-clad men approached. He was tall, with a strong posture, and his face betrayed no emotion at all.“What is your business here?” he asked coldly. “Do you have permission from Mr. Max?”Sayo swallowed hard.“I... I came to see Mrs. Melly. Max’s mother. We’re old friends,” he said quietly, a little nervous.The man didn’t respond right away. He stared at Sayo as if trying to scan for any hidden intentions behind the frail old man’s app

Hearing Melly’s gentle refusal, Sayo only gave a slight nod, as if accepting her decision.“In that case, I’ll take my leave,” he said briefly.Melly stood up and walked him to the door with calm steps. She said nothing more, her expression still friendly, but clearly leaving no room for further persuasion.Once Sayo got into his black car and the door shut firmly, the smile on his face disappeared. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, then slammed it in frustration. The loud thud echoed inside the cabin.All this time, almost no one had ever dared to refuse his requests. Whatever he wanted, he got. But Melly, the woman he thought he could control, had rejected him.Sayo stared straight at the road ahead, his breathing heavy. Behind all the sweet words he had spoken earlier, his true intention was simple yet ambitious. He wanted Max to marry Sarah, his daughter, not out of love, and not for Sarah’s happiness. He wanted it for himself.Max was a figure whose name shone across

Meanwhile, in the city center, Ladder Corp’s growth under Lysa’s leadership had reached 60 percent of the target to break into the top five companies in Morow State. In just two weeks, Lysa had successfully overhauled the previously corrupt system, tightened supervision, and secured several important contracts.Today, Lysa was attending a charity business event that gathered many well-known CEOs and entrepreneurs. The building hosting the event was spacious, with crystal lights hanging from the high ceiling, reflecting their glow onto the grand main stage.In the middle of the hall, rows of neatly arranged seats were prepared for twenty companies registered in Lanua City. Each company had four seats reserved for its representatives.These twenty companies were divided into two tiers: Level One, for businesses whose quality and rating were deemed good in the eyes of the business regulator, and Level Two, for companies with mid-level quality and strong potential to rise in rank.After t