He flew back and hit the hard stone floor. He tried to get up, but a heavy combat boot kicked him in the stomach.All the air immediately left his lungs but the bodyguards did not hold back. They kicked his ribs, stepped on his legs and punched his face.Every blow brought him pure agony. He tasted thick, warm blood and curled into a ball, totally helpless.Through the blur of his swollen eyes, he saw Julian open the car door and Chloe stepped into the Bugatti. She did not look back at Caleb, not even once.The engine roared and the car zoomed off. Its massive tires splashed dirty water all over Caleb's broken, bleeding body.The rich students walked away, shaking their heads in disgust while the bodyguards left him on the cold pavement.Hours passed.Caleb woke up and saw that the bodyguards had dragged him into a pitch-black, dirty alley filled with trash bags.The rain was still falling... it washed the blood down his swollen face.He tried to move, but his body screamed in pain. H

[Beep-Beep! Transaction Approved.]The terminal flashed a bright green light and a mile-long receipt began to print.Mr. Sterling's smug smile completely froze.His eyes widened in absolute horror as he stared at the glowing green screen like he had just seen a ghost. His legs began to shake."A-Approved?" Mr. Sterling stuttered... the blood draining completely from his face. "Fifty... fifty million... paid in full?!"The wealthy patrons in the lobby gasped loudly.Caleb stepped forward, pulled the card from the machine and slid it back into his pocket."Call the owner. Tell him to bring the contract," Caleb ordered.Ten minutes later, the terrified owner rushed down in his pajamas, signed the transfer papers with trembling hands and ran out with his money.Caleb stood at the center of the lobby as the sole owner of The Crown Diner.Mr. Sterling swallowed hard. He forced a sickeningly sweet, trembling smile onto his face and bowed deeply."B-Boss!" Mr. Sterling stammered, sweating bul

She glanced over her shoulder at a few other wealthy women browsing the boutique, tilting her chin up high to look down on them with supreme arrogance.The boutique manager bowed deeply toward Julian, rubbing his hands together. "Young Master Vance, your generosity is legendary. This specific piece was imported from Europe just this morning. Shall I wrap it up for the beautiful young lady?""Do it," Julian said proudly, sliding his premium platinum credit card onto the glass counter. "Swipe it. Let the world know who actually owns the wealth in this district."But right as the manager's fingers brushed against the platinum card...[Ding-Dong]The mall’s central intercom system chimed with a deafening ring, echoing loudly through every single luxury storefront, crowded hallway and elite boutique.At that exact same moment, a massive, three-story-tall digital billboards hanging in the center of the plaza’s grand atrium blinked violently. The flashing luxury advertisements for Rolex and

The caller ID showed his father’s name: DadJulian swallowed hard and pressed answer. "D-Dad...""You worthless, arrogant idiot!" Thomas Vance’s voice screamed through the speaker so loudly that even the surrounding socialites could hear it. "What did you do at the Central Luxury Plaza?! The video of you being dragged out like a stray dog is everywhere! The board of directors is panicking!"Julian’s blood turned to liquid ice. "Dad, I can explain...""There is nothing to explain!" Thomas roared, his voice trembling with terrifying anger. "Because of your public disgrace, the Vance Group’s public stock has just plummeted by twelve percent in fifteen minutes! We have lost four hundred million dollars in market value before the closing bell! Our investors think our family is losing control of the city!""Four... four hundred million?" Julian muttered, his phone slipping slightly from his fingers."Get your pathetic ass back to the estate right now!" Thomas barked. "If you don't fix thi

The room went completely dead silent. The ambient music of the club seemed to fade into nothingness."The... Sovereign Syndicate?" the head of the Hale shipping lines muttered, the arrogance completely draining from his posture. "The hidden global faction? I thought they were just a myth whispered by international bankers.""They are no myth," Grayson hissed, wiping more sweat from his forehead. "They are a legendary, faceless organization that operates entirely in the shadows of the global economy. They don't just own banks, Thomas—they possess enough capital to effortlessly crash the economies of the entire sovereign nations. They command global markets with a single directive. If they decide to manipulate a currency, a country starves or to erase a family, that family disappears from history books overnight!"Thomas Vance felt a sudden, visceral chill pierce through his chest. His heart hammered violently against his ribs. "You're saying... Caleb is backed by them?""Look at the ev