"But don't think you're just sliding onto our executive board without a fight," Valerius hissed, stepping back toward his team, though his eyes never left Tinny's face. "The biometric transfer is locked, but I am going to speak to my father first."“The second I leave this campus, Director Vance is going to hear exactly how you engineered this little stunt. If you think your brother can just march into our headquarters and claim those voting rights without a massive corporate audit, you're dead wrong."Tinny casually smoothed down the lapel of his jacket, entirely unfazed by the threat. If anything, knowing Zarek's current moves, Valerius running to his father to report the three percent loss was going to make the upcoming family dinner infinitely more entertaining."By all means, Valerius. Call your father," Tinny chuckled softly, turning his back on the group and finally walking toward the court's exit gates. "Give Director Vance my warmest regards. Tell him the Blackwoods are look

Zarek didn't even blink at the outburst.He simply watched the display of corporate ruin, a razor-sharp smirk finally tugging at the corner of his lips. He was only just realizing exactly what his younger brother had delivered to their doorstep before dinner.Behind the grand desk, Director Vance paced frantically. His heavy leather boots thudded against the polished floorboards as he stared down at the ruined, sparking remains of his terminal. His chest heaved, his tailored suit suddenly suffocatingly tight. He gripped the edge of the desk, trying to force his racing mind to calculate a recovery strategy that simply didn't exist."Three percent," Vance whispered, his voice cracking with a volatile mix of exhaustion and hatred.He slowly raised his eyes, finally remembering that the older Blackwood brother was sitting directly across from him. "Three percent of the master transit registry... seamlessly transferred through a campus athletic escrow. It’s legally ironclad. It bypass

He looked toward the reinforced glass doors, his jaw tightening as he wondered if they were doing this on purpose.Was this a calculated psychological play engineered by Zarek from afar, or was that data-boy younger brother genuinely so arrogant that he felt Vance could be kept waiting indefinitely? The sheer disrespect was a calculated insult, a subtle demonstration of the Blackwoods' newly acquired leverage, and it was driving him absolutely mad.Vance checked his wristwatch, tracking the chronological counter. The minutes ticked forward with agonizing slowness. What the hell was going on? Why was he being ignored like this?He was Director Vance. He commanded the transit pipelines that kept the entire sector breathing. If this was Zarek's idea of a power move, it was crossing the line from corporate posturing into a dangerous declaration of war. But if it was Tinny's doing, if that arrogant little tech-dock rat thought a campus victory allowed him to stall the head of a multi

The automatic sensor on the reception room’s secondary private entrance didn't even have time to chime.In the blink of an eye, a dark, commanding silhouette cut through the space between them. Before Vance could register the movement, Zarek was there. The transition was so sudden, so flawlessly fast, it felt less like someone walking into a room and more like a wall of solid ice materializing out of thin air. Zarek hadn't just stepped in; he had perfectly intercepted Vance’s forward momentum, his taller, lean frame entirely shielding Tinny from view.Zarek’s posture was rigid, his tailored overcoat immaculate, his face a terrifying mask of aristocratic coldness.He didn't raise a hand, nor did he break his composure, but the sheer, predatory aura radiating off the elder brother forced Director Vance to a sudden halt."I believe my brother told you to see yourself out, Director," Zarek murmured, his smooth, low baritone cutting through the heavy air like a razor blade. He didn't l

Vance stared at Zarek, his eyes narrowing slightly as he let the weight of the younger man’s words settle. The defensive, high-tier corporate masks were useless here. Zarek wasn't posturing for a better percentage; he was drawing a bloodline in the sand.Slowly, the tension in Vance's shoulders dropped, replaced by the heavy exhaustion of a father who had been running in pure panic for the last twelve hours."You're right," Vance said, his voice dropping into a quieter, uncharacteristic tone of defeat. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking away for a fraction of a second before facing Zarek fully. "I apologize, Mr. Blackwood. Bypassing protocol and showing up at your private estate unannounced was... beneath the standards of our families. It was an error in judgment."Zarek didn't move an inch, his dark eyes observing the shift, calculating the sincerity behind the tycoon's retreat."I didn't come here to threaten a student," Vance continued, gesturing vaguely toward the door