Leila stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She hurled her bag onto the bed with such force that it bounced once before settling. Turning to face the wall, she clenched her fists, her face twisted with barely contained fury.“All they care about are shortcuts!” she hissed through gritted teeth. “They refuse to see the problems staring them in the face. They don’t want to think, they don’t want to plan, they just want quick fixes. Why can’t Grandma listen to me? Just once!”A soft knock sounded at the door. It creaked open, and Lydia stepped inside cautiously, closing it gently behind her.“Leila…” her mother called softly, concern etched across her face. “How was work today?”Leila’s shoulders sagged. The anger drained from her posture, replaced by exhaustion and a childish pout. “Mom… work was exhausting. The company is in real trouble, and Grandma still won’t listen to a single word I say. She’s dead set on rushing into this New Age investment with the full amou

Drex served breakfast on the table, his eyes occasionally glancing toward Tom who held a freshly printed newspaper in his hands. Tom’s eyes scanned the business section with growing satisfaction. A bold headline caught his attention:“New Age Technologies Surges 42% in One Month – Market Analysts Predict Continued Explosive Growth”A slow, triumphant smile spread across Tom’s face. He folded the paper neatly and placed it on the table, then cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.“Listen, everyone,” he announced, his voice filled with pride. “New Age Technologies has surged another forty-two percent in the past month alone which means the initial investment has already more than doubled in value.”Martha’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. Her eyes widened with unrestrained excitement. “Doubled? Already?”Janice leaned forward eagerly, her face lighting up like a child on Christmas morning. “Dad, are you serious? That means… the company already made serious money because of th

More weeks had passed, and the Ellingtons were riding an undeniable wave of success as New Age Technologies continued its meteoric rise. The company’s stock had surged another thirty-eight percent, pushing their investment returns well beyond initial projections. Madame Olivia walked through the mansion with confidence, issuing orders with the authority of someone who believed the worst was finally behind them. Greg and Kaden openly celebrated, while Tom’s branch basked in the satisfaction of being the ones who had delivered the breakthrough. But not everyone was celebrating. In the grand living room of the Whitmore mansion, Jordan Whitmore paced back and forth like a caged lion. His jaw was clenched, his movements sharp and agitated. Howard Whitmore sat in his leather armchair, nursing a glass of scotch, watching his son with growing irritation. His wife, Mrs. Whitmore, hovered nearby, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. Jordan suddenly stopped pacing and whirled on his

A couple of burly security guards moved toward him, but a sharp gesture from the pit boss stopped them. The man recognized Steven. After a tense minute, Steven was escorted through a side door and down a narrow corridor lined with velvet wallpaper. They stopped in front of a polished mahogany door guarded by two more men. One of them knocked twice. “Come in.” Steven pushed the door open and stepped into the private office. Behind a large desk sat Victor Lang, the man Steven owed a significant gambling debt to. Victor was in his mid-forties, sharply dressed, with cold eyes and a permanent smirk that never quite reached his eyes. “Well, well,” Victor drawled, leaning back in his leather chair. “Look who finally crawled out of the hospital.” Steven’s fists clenched at his sides. He marched straight up to the desk, ignoring the two guards who flanked the room. “I paid you more than half of what I owed,” Steven growled, his voice shaking with barely contained rage. “

Two weeks passed by, and on a Saturday morning, the entire Ellington family gathered in the grand living room of the mansion, staring at the large television screen with blank, horrified faces. The news anchor’s voice filled the room, calm and professional, yet each word landed like a hammer blow: “…and in a shocking turn of events, New Age Technologies has experienced a catastrophic collapse. The company’s stock, which had surged dramatically over the past two months, has plummeted by over seventy-eight percent in a single trading day. Sources confirm that the rapid decline was triggered by a major whistleblower report that reached the highest levels of the Knight Group. According to the report, New Age Technologies had been engaging in systematic accounting fraud, inflating user numbers, and misrepresenting patent filings to artificially boost its valuation. The Knight Group, acting swiftly after receiving credible evidence from the whistleblower, has terminated all partnership dis