Jonas Derby sat confidently at the mega auction event in Nexus City Hall. He was surrounded by burly bodyguards and a few flatterers who kept leaning in to whisper empty praises in his ear."Mr. Derby, every other family in the auction is dwarfed by your wealth…""Not to mention you have the backing of the Sabbath Starks. The others might as well give up on the bidding."Jonas adjusted his cufflinks, a thin smile playing on his lips. This city was about to change hands, and he intended to be the one holding the reins.The Graalis forest land was going to be auctioned, and Jonas was intent on purchasing it. Actually, he had not known of the Holy Grail's existence until recently.The Sabbath Starks had teamed him up with Sable Carnegie and Black Bill to take over the Harrington company and the Eclipse Consortium slowly. Sable's primary focus had been cursing the Harringtons and finding the location of the Holy Grail that would give the Starks the power to rule over the country.Jonas h

The auction hall fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted in a ripple of skeptical murmurs and laughter.Three hundred million dollars? For Graalis Forest, of all places?A real estate developer in the third row leaned sideways towards his associate. "Did that really just happen? Someone's either drunk or has money to burn on wilderness nobody wants."His colleague wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still grinning. "Has to be a prank. No one sane drops a number like that without half the boardroom behind them.""Probably some bored heir testing how far he can push before security drags him out. Classic."The jokes spread through the rows like wildfire. No one took the bid seriously. Not at first.Leonard stood near the back doors, hands relaxed at his sides, watching the room react. Now every head turned his way, eyes narrowing, brows lifting in surprise.He met the stares without flinching.Patrick Maguire, the chief auctioneer, adjusted his glasses from the raised dais and

The entire hall had gone deathly silent. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on Leonard as if he had just announced he was going to fly to the moon. Whispers began to ripple through the crowd like a gathering storm. "Why on earth would he agree to something like that?" a middle-aged businessman muttered to his companion, shaking his head. "Look at him. He doesn't even look like he has three hundred thousand, let alone three hundred million. This is going to end badly for him." "Exactly," another voice chimed in from a few seats away. "The moment that card gets declined, he's finished. He'll have to lick Mr. Norfolk's shoes right here in front of everyone." "And then become his personal janitor, right? The humiliation will follow him for the rest of his life. Why throw away his freedom at such a young age?" A group of young heirs nearby laughed openly. "Poor guy must have lost his mind. From what we heard, he had Miss Valery Frost backing him earlier, but now she's nowhere to be seen. No

Arthur Harrington had kept his faith in Leonard, even though he wasn't a member of the tremendous five families of Nexus City. Right now, he had his old eyes on the scanner. Even his confidence in Leonard had begun to shake at this point.The device continued its quiet hum. Seconds stretched into what felt like minutes. Patrick's brow furrowed slightly; he had seen plenty of failed transactions, but this one was taking longer than usual.Then, suddenly, the Chief Auctioneer's phone vibrated sharply on the podium. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted.The caller ID read RICK FLAIR–President, Nexus Bank.Patrick's eyes widened a fraction. He connected the call and answered in a low tone, stepping slightly away from the microphone."Mr. Flair? This is Patrick Maguire from City Hall. Is everything all right? Why is a man of your rank calling me directly?"On the other end, Rick's voice was crisp and urgent. "You just processed a transaction of three hundred million dollars

Patrick Maguire stared at the thin receipt in his hand, the paper trembling between his fingers as if it carried an electric current.He had hosted hundreds of events in this very city hall—auctions that sold in millions, inaugurations attended by senators, and product launches for the biggest tech firms in the country.Patrick had shaken hands with movie stars, oil tycoons, and politicians who treated the world like their personal playground. Nothing had ever rattled him. Until now.The name printed in crisp black ink hit him like a freight train. LEONARD GAMBINO.His stomach dropped. The Gambinos. The name was the rarest of the rare, whispered only in the most exclusive circles.Vincent Gambino, the man they called the King of the World in secret circles, controlled empires that made nations look like footnotes.Nexus City Hall itself had been built with Gambino money decades ago, a quiet favor that no one dared mention aloud. One snap of their fingers could erase entire bloodlines,