A heavy silence hung in the air, and its coldness cut through the vulnerable skin of the salesgirls. They couldn't do anything but stare at Joshua's face, which was devoid of any expression. Even Mr. Blake, standing behind the first salesgirl, was shocked. None of them anticipated the transaction would go through, and now the reality of their situation felt like a waking nightmare.“Hello, Ms.? Are you still there?” A voice crackled from the phone clutched in the salesgirl’s trembling hand.Joshua raised his gaze from the 911 call to her face, and the intensity of his gaze made a lump cloud her throat as she struggled to maintain her composure. Realizing she was in the spotlight, she quickly ended the call while her mind raced for any excuse to save her from the situation.“I…I think there has been some misunderstanding,” the first salesgirl began, her voice trembling as she tried to clarify the situation. She was about to mutter another word when the gaze of the salesboy silenced her

The sound of broken furniture echoed through the room, followed by a heavy silence that lingered among the men watching their colleague, who whimpered in pain."I think he broke my bone!" The man whimpered in pain.Joshua, towering above the crumpled figure, pulled his cold gaze from the man to the other men, who remained shocked at the scene. Their smirk, that has once adorned their faces, was nowhere to be found. Joshua adjusted his clothes before stepping forward. “Which other one of you laid a finger on him?” his voice echoed through the silence. The man sitting with pliers in his hands finally stood up. He shifted his gaze from his injured colleague to the strange man standing with a question.“Who are you?” The word broke out, rolling off his lips. Joshua raised his gaze to meet the man's eyes, and with his expressionless face, he remained quiet. The silence felt heavy, almost suffocating, as if the men held their breath, waiting. Even the man crumpled on the floor held his w

The elevator doors slid shut, leaving a few lingering gazes on Joshua. Ignoring their curious stares, he strode toward the receptionist's desk. Although Joshua had a secret access card tucked away in the right pocket, which would grant him entry to any floor, he decided not to use it. Instead, he slid into the crowd, weaving through the line until he reached the front. The young woman with dark hair styled back into a bun barely looked up from her computer screen. “Hello, how can I help you?” “I would like to speak with whoever is in charge,” he replied, a hint of urgency lacing his words. The thought of using his card crossed his mind again, but he brushed it off. With his earlier encounter with Paul, he believes there is already a face ban on him and that he would trigger security if he were spotted. The lady, struggling to comprehend what he was saying, finally looked away from her screen to focus on him. “I’m sorry, sir, but could you please repeat that?” she said, adjusting

Meanwhile, inside the SC conference room, a group of fourteen board members gathered, seated in hierarchical order with individual tags displaying their names and official titles. Unlike the seven continental staff meetings, which included a wider array of participants, this annual gathering was limited to the board of directors.A normal meeting would be characterized by subtle whispers and opinions, but this was notably silent, so silent that the only movement was from a man seated at the far end of the room. He nodded his head slowly with a smile spreading across his lips.“It seems like neither one of you is willing to make the hard decision,” the voice of Mr. Paul lingered through the silence. Each member, hearing his words, remained quiet with their collar high. The look on their faces made Paul's lips stretch into a grin.It was the first time he had seen the board stunned into silence at the mention of a replacement, which gave a hint that there had never been one. The name he

The doors shut with a sound that felt like a coffin being sealed. Mr. Paul stood alone at the center of the hall, his polished confidence slowly cracking for the first time. The Seven Continents' private courtroom was not a place for defense speeches or public sympathy. This was where verdicts were delivered, not debated.The four judges moved forward in unison, their red robes brushing the marble floor. Each robe bore a different insignia: Power, Wealth, Silence, and Blood. These were not government judges. These were worse. Their authority did not come from lawbooks but from ownership, contracts, and disappearances.One of them spoke, his voice dry and sharp. “Mr. Paul, you were entrusted with authority under the Seven Continental banner.”Mr. Paul snapped his head in his direction as if hung in a horror movie. He glances around, but none of the board members stare in his direction.Another judge continued without pause.“You abused it. You disrespected the hierarchy. And worse—”Th