Eikichi Takahashi’s face darkened instantly. He understood Louise was subtly warning him to curb his arrogance. His conflict with the stranger had stemmed entirely from his own overbearing conduct—he had hurled insults and ordered his bodyguards to attack, which ultimately landed him in his current miserable state.Louise’s words stung his pride deeply.Nevertheless, he had no choice but to swallow his simmering rage. For one thing, the Bruce Family backing Louise wielded far greater power than the Takahashi Family. For another, he harbored romantic feelings for Louise.Louise turned to the street musician and asked gently, "Young lady, you claimed you do not know that man. Why would he step forward to defend you then? I noticed he retrieved some cash from the man who got hit by the car and returned it to you."The girl replied earnestly, "I can assure you wholeheartedly that the gentleman is a kind person.""I’ve been busking on this street with no one paying me any mind. He gave me

Koichi Tanaka rushed to clarify at once. "That is not what I meant, Chairman. There is no need to be so pessimistic. From my current perspective, the odds of us recovering the money stand at fifty-fifty.""Fifty-fifty?" Takehiko Ito snapped angrily. "That answer is practically useless!"Tanaka hastened to add, "Chairman, this matter is rife with uncertain variables, so I cannot draw a definitive conclusion right now. Still, we always have litigation as a last resort.""Litigation?" Ito pointed a finger at Tanaka and roared. "Has your brain been eaten by dogs? The whole of Japan is mocking the Takahashis after Alan crippled Eikichi Takahashi in broad daylight. If I file a lawsuit to claim the forty-five billion US dollars he seized, we will become the laughingstock of the entire country!"Tanaka shifted awkwardly on his feet. "Chairman, this is forty-five billion US dollars. We cannot simply write off such a staggering sum just to avoid public ridicule. That figure dwarfs the annual ne

Satisfied with the orderly production workflow and qualified product quality on site, Alan did not linger any longer. He turned to Claude and Berg and said, "That will do. Let us head back and rest; we leave for Yokohama tomorrow."As they were leaving Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, Claude hurried ahead to open the car door for Alan.Alan lifted one leg to step into the vehicle when his body froze abruptly for several seconds.Claude asked anxiously, "Young master, is something the matter?"Alan furrowed his brows faintly, then replied in an unruffled tone, "Nothing. Let’s go."With that, he climbed into the car.Shortly afterward, the motorcade departed the premises in neat formation.On the rooftop of a building directly across from the pharmaceutical plant, four men clad head-to-toe in black lay prone side by side.Every part of their bodies was concealed beneath black gear: black hoods, black robes, black footwear, and black gloves covering their hands.Their attire was vastly differen

Louise asked in surprise, "Dad, if we pick one family to partner with, can’t we just focus on the cooperation? There’s no need to help them fight the other clan, right?"Jonas said, "I visited your grandfather today. The old man mentioned that the Smith family seems to be aiming to grab a slice of the ocean shipping industry. So if we side with the Takahashi family, the Smiths will definitely align with the Ito family, and vice versa."Jonas paused briefly before continuing. "Your grandfather’s stance is clear. If we choose the Takahashis, we team up with them to take down the Ito family. If we go with the Itos, we join forces with them to eliminate the Takahashis. Under no circumstances can we leave any opening for the Smith family."Michael asked in shock, "The Smith family wants a piece of this business too?""That’s right," Jonas nodded. "I suspect they only want to follow in our footsteps after seeing us break into this industry."Michael said coldly, "The Smith family is overest

The words of lifting the Bruce Family to stand atop the world echoed endlessly in Louise and Michael’s ears from that moment onward.What Michael did not know was that plastered against the wall outside his room was a pitch-black figure, clinging like a gecko.Holding a spy-grade audio amplifier, the figure recorded every word spoken during the video conference between the three family members.This shadowy figure was none other than Fujibayashi Masatetsu, the ninjutsu master retained by the Takahashi Clan.Takahashi Masachi had learned that the ninja was already at the Aman Hotel and ordered him to keep Michael under surveillance. As two parties preparing to negotiate cooperation, gaining advance knowledge of the opponent’s bottom line and hidden cards would guarantee an overwhelming advantage.Leaking your hand is the biggest risk in any business negotiation.It is just like playing cards.When you play three-card poker, knowing your opponent’s hand means you will never lose. Even i