Thomas stepped forward beside Barry, his expression a tight, arrogant mask of corporate superiority. He adjusted his silk tie, looking down at Lorenzo’s simple tracksuit with an air of contempt."He's right, Lorenzo. Capital drives this city, not sentiment. Phoenix Logistics is a ghost company; its accounts are locked and its routing networks are completely decayed. By the time the quarterly balance manifests are published, Aegis Freight will have absorbed the remaining regional contracts, and you will be forced to dissolve your license, declare total bankruptcy, and crawl back to the slums as a public failure. You cannot revive a corpse with empty hands."Lorenzo let out a low, flat snort, a faint, deeply cynical smile touching the corner of his sharp lips as he took a slow, deliberate step forward. The sheer physical presence of his towering frame seemed to completely dominate the space, forcing both Barry and Thomas to instinctively tighten their postures."The difference between u

CRAAAAACK! A deafening, high-velocity supersonic boom shattered the glass of the eastern terrace panel, turning the massive structure into a violent, raining storm of a thousand jagged crystal shards. The heavy, high-caliber sniper round ripped through the exact space where Vivian’s head had been resting a single fraction of a second prior, burying itself deep into the granite core of the staircase with a concussive blast that sent a cloud of white stone dust exploding over the mezzanine. The entire ballroom fractured into an absolute state of pure, unbridled terror. "Gunfire! There's a shooter in the room!" a logistics director screamed hysterically, dropping his champagne flute as he scrambled on his hands and knees toward the service exits. The elegant high-society crowd instantly transformed into a panicked, stampeding herd of animals. Women in haute couture gowns tripped over their own trains, screaming wildly as they knocked over silver tables and wine fountains, while prom

Lorenzo turned his head slowly, his eyes locking onto Vivian's profile. She had noticed them talking and was currently glaring back at him through her pale terror, her lower lip trembling with a defensive, volatile anger as she aggressively wiped a stray tear from her cheek.Looking at her now, a sudden, unexpected pang of hesitation tightened deep in Lorenzo’s chest.He knew her reputation. For the past few years, she had been impulsive, quick to anger, and viciously sharp-tongued.She was a woman who let her emotions dictate her steps, constantly sparking unnecessary conflicts and pushing people away with an aggressive, defensive arrogance. He had always viewed her as nothing more than a spoiled heiress playing a loud part in a high-society theater.But as the silence of the broken room stretched between them, a deeper, more profound realization struck his mind.She wasn't just spoiled; she was a survivor of the exact same dark, hollow void he had crawled out of. She was an orphan,

Lorenzo let out a low, slow sigh, his head tilting slightly as he tried to find a natural way to de-escalate her panic. "Vivian, you literally just shouted at me to let go. I am simply following your instructions. There is no form of disgust here.""Don't lie to me!" she pressed further, her heart pounding erratically as she let her emotions drag her forward into a dangerous territory.The psychological weight of the last three years—the guilt of hating him based on a lie, the terrifying rush of seeing him risk his life to pull her to the floor—was completely spilling over. She couldn't stop herself from searching for a reason, any reason, for his sudden coldness."Are you afraid?" she asked, her voice dropping into a sharp, challenging whisper as she tilted her chin up."Is that why you won't even look me in the eye properly today? Do you already have a girlfriend hidden away somewhere in the lower sectors? Are you so terrified of making her jealous that you can't even hold my hand f

Lorenzo was not surprised at the number. To a man who had walked through the international bloodbaths of the deep eastern sectors, a million yuan was nothing but numbers on a screen; he had zero care for the paper wealth. But as he looked back at Vivian, who was currently glaring at him from the far doors like a hostile, cornered animal, his jaw tightened slightly. "The money is irrelevant, Abrams," Lorenzo stated flatly, his voice natural and smooth. "But you know her fiery temper better than anyone. She looks at my person like I am a scorpion in her house. Do you honestly believe she would even agree to sit in the same vehicle with me for a single afternoon without causing a disruption?" A mysterious, deeply calculated smile stretched across the patriarch’s silver-whiskered face. He gave a low, quiet chuckle, his eyes flashing with the ancient intellect of a man who hadn't lost a single asset negotiation in fifty years. "Do not worry about her compliance, young master," Abrams wh