Chapter Eighty-twoThe private jet was flying the Sovereign G-650 cutting through the clouds toward the Capital. Inside, the air was smelling of expensive sandalwood and the faint, crisp scent of new money.Lina sat by the window, her hands gripping the armrests of her plush seat. She was still wearing her office blazer from Apex, looking completely out of place in a cabin where the napkins were made of hand-woven Egyptian cotton.Across the aisle sat Master Julian, Adrian’s second cousin. Julian was dressed in a navy three-piece suit that cost more than a mid-sized house. He was sipping a glass of vintage cognac and tapping away at a transparent glass tablet, a smirk permanently etched onto his face."So, the Scholarship Rat returns," Julian said, his voice dripping with forced boredom. "Tell me, Adrian, did they teach you how to read a balance sheet at that, what was it? Cape City Greenhigh College? Or were you too busy learning how to change the oil in your van?"Adrian didn't lo

Chapter Eighty-fourThe Grand Banquet Hall of the Sovereign Estate was a cathedral of excess. Crystal chandeliers cast a blinding light over the long mahogany table where the Capital’s elite sat in order of their bank accounts.At the head of the table sat Old Master Sovereign. He looked like a king carved from weathered oak—sharp, stern, but visibly tiring. His breathing was shallow, a silver oxygen concentrator humming discreetly behind his silk-draped chair.Beside him, his Successful Cousins were lined up like peacocks, each holding a velvet-lined box."Grandfather," Julian stepped forward, his face still flushed from the humiliation at the airfield, but his voice booming with desperate bravado. He had managed to borrow a tuxedo from a servant to hide the fact that his accounts were still frozen. "To celebrate your 80th year, I have traveled to the Kunlun Mountains to procure this, it is the Heart of Heaven Jade. It is a single, unbroken piece of imperial green, valued at twelve m

Chapter Eighty-sixThe flight back to Cape City was quiet, but the air in the Sovereign G-650 felt different. Lina kept glancing at Adrian, her mind trying to reconcile the man who slept in a van who had just dismantled a billionaire’s empire.When they landed, the Rolls-Royce convoy was gone. In its place was Adrian’s rusted, white van, parked near the edge of the private airfield like a stubborn stain on a silk sheet."The Company doesn't let us keep the Phantoms for personal use," Adrian lied smoothly, tossing their bags into the back of the van. "Fuel costs and insurance, you know how it is. Back to reality, Lina."Lina smiled, feeling a strange sense of relief. "I actually missed the smell of the old funiture, Adrian. The Capital felt cold and out of place."Adrian smiled at Lina without saying much as he drove the car.They stopped at The Rusty Spoon, a local diner where the coffee was strong and the booths were cracked. They had barely sat down when the bell above the door shri

Chapter Eighty-eightAdrian arrived in his van at Cape City General Hospital, the hospital was a hive of controlled panic. The VIP wing had been locked down by men in black suits that were private security of the Song Family, the wealthiest dynasty in the region.Elder Song, the patriarch who controlled 40% of the city’s shipping lanes, was flatlining.Martha was pacing the lobby, clutching her designer purse. She had dragged Lina there after hearing the news on a gossip thread. "Lina, look at the opportunity! If we can just get close to the Song family and tell them we have connections to the Azure Trust, they’ll owe us forever! Maybe they'll even give us a wing of their mansion!""Mom, a man is dying," Lina whispered, mortified. "We aren't here for a networking event."At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Master Silas Song, the eldest son, walked out looking distraught. Beside him was a man in a white lab coat with a chest full of international medals, Dr. Vanguard, the highes

Chapter Ninety The city’s elite had gathered for the Annual Starry Night Gala. Martha was wearing a dress so tight she could barely breathe, dragging Lina toward the front row."Look at them, Lina! The Zimmermans! They own the city's largest pharmaceutical chain," Martha whispered, pointing at a young man in a white tuxedo, Master Kevin Zimmerman. "If Adrian gets fired by the Trust, Kevin is the kind of man you should be talking to. He doesn't drive a company Bugatti, rather he owns a fleet of them."Adrian walked in behind them, still wearing his black hoodie, looking like he was there to fix the plumbing. The security guards at the door almost blocked him until they saw the Azure Trust VIP Pin on his lapel, the one Butler Qin had insisted he wear.Kevin Zimmerman stood on the stage, holding a microphone. "Welcome, everyone! Tonight, we aren't just here to drink champagne. We’re here to help the less fortunate. I’ve noticed some people in the room look like they’ve wandered in from