The elevator doors opened on the forty-third floor of the Domenico Building with a soft chime that seemed unnaturally loud in the tense silence. Miguel Abbott stepped out first, his expensive suit impeccable despite the late hour, his expression carefully neutral. Behind him walked six bodyguards in matching black suits—standard protection for a man of his status.Except one of those bodyguards wasn't a bodyguard at all.Marcus Steel moved with the same disciplined posture as the others, his dragon aura completely suppressed, his features partially obscured by the dim corridor lighting and a peaked security cap pulled low. To casual observation, he was just another piece of muscle hired to protect a nervous magnate entering hostile territory.But Maurice Yarrow, standing outside the empty office where Three Blade Group had retreated, recognized him immediately."Miguel," Maurice greeted carefully, stepping forward. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight.""I wasn't invited," Miguel

Stanislaus Potter's hands shook as he held Miguel's phone, the frozen frame still displayed on the conference room's projector. Elijah Lancaster, standing in the background of the Azure Water Entertainment City footage, watching his brother's humiliation without intervention."Play the rest," Stanislaus demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. "I want everyone in this room to see exactly what I just saw.""There's more?" Cesar Pendleton asked, confusion evident. "The video's been circulating for hours. We've all seen—""Not all of it," Miguel Abbott interrupted calmly. "The viral version was edited. What you're about to see is the complete recording. Including the parts that were deliberately cut out before being posted online."Richard Lancaster's face remained impassive, but his son Thomas had gone pale. Several of their family members exchanged nervous glances—a tell that didn't escape the other magnates' notice.Stanislaus rewound the video to the beginning and press

Stanislaus Potter's hands moved through the scattered photographs with increasing speed, his expression shifting from shock to absolute fury with each image he examined. The glossy prints showed surveillance footage from multiple angles, timestamps clearly visible, leaving no room for interpretation or denial.Ocean Park in Grayson City. The date matched exactly when Quentin Potter had been humiliated. But these weren't photos of Marcus Steel—these showed Atlas Lancaster standing fifty yards away from the main incident, phone pressed to his ear, clearly visible coordination with bodyguards who were positioned to ensure the beating proceeded without interruption."You orchestrated it," Stanislaus whispered, then his voice rose to a roar. "You didn't just use my son's humiliation—you CREATED it! You hired those thugs! You positioned them! You made sure Quentin would be in that exact location at that exact time!"Richard Lancaster's face had gone from ashen to gray. His aged hands trembl

The conference room at the Domenico Building remained frozen in tableau—armed bodyguards with weapons drawn, magnates pressed back in their chairs, Miguel Abbott standing calm with his hand on the dead man's switch, and Marcus Steel at the center of it all, radiating dragon authority that made the air feel thick and dangerous.What struck the assembled elite more than the explosives or the threats was Miguel Abbott's behavior toward Marcus. The chairman of Moonlight Group—a man whose wealth exceeded most small nations' GDP, whose business empire spanned six provinces, whose political connections reached the highest levels of government—stood slightly behind Marcus Steel like a subordinate awaiting instructions.The deference was unmistakable and utterly bewildering."I don't understand," Douglas Reed whispered to the man beside him. "Miguel Abbott is one of the most powerful figures in Five-River Province. Why is he treating this young man like... like...""Like the Dragon King," Maur

The conference room at the Domenico Building remained frozen in tableau—Miguel Abbott standing with his hand on the dead man's switch, his bodyguards similarly equipped with explosive vests, and Five-River Province's most powerful magnates paralyzed by fear and the realization that their wealth meant nothing against someone willing to die.But what truly unsettled them was watching Miguel Abbott's behavior toward Marcus Steel.The chairman of Moonlight Group—a man who controlled billions in assets, who commanded respect from senators and governors, who'd built an empire spanning multiple industries—stood slightly behind Marcus like a subordinate awaiting orders. His body language was unmistakable: deference, respect, genuine submission to authority."This is impossible," Douglas Reed whispered to the magnate beside him. "Miguel Abbott doesn't defer to anyone. Not even the provincial governor gets that level of respect from him."But the evidence was undeniable. When Marcus moved, Migu