The whole building was calm, and the employees obeyed Greg's order almost instantly.The CEO's order had been completely ignored, while they instantly obeyed someone else who only repeated his words.It was a blatant, calculated attempt to weaken his authority in public on his very first day in office.Turning back to Jason, Greg offered a practiced, patronizing smile and pretended to apologize."Please excuse them, Mr. Pike. Our employees are young, lively, and a bit hard to manage sometimes. I hope you don't mind," he said smoothly.Jason remained perfectly calm on the surface, his expression unreadable. But inwardly, he completely understood the situation: the company’s internal power struggle had officially begun.Taking the initiative, Greg confidently reached out to shake Jason’s hand.However, his physical posture was entirely arrogant, leaning back slightly as if he were treating Jason from the position of a superior rather than addressing his new boss.Jason did not take his

Because of his flawless deduction, Gina saw Jason in an entirely new light."I didn't know you understood office politics to this degree," Gina said, staring down at Jason with eyes filled with genuine curiosity."You must have gone through a lot during these four years you've been alone," she added softly.She moved closer to him, casually sitting on the leather armrest of the heavy CEO chair he was currently occupying. Acting on old habits, she pulled him into a warm, comforting hug.However, because she was sitting higher up on the armrest, his face was pulled directly against her chest.Gina quickly realized the intimate placement. A slight flush rushed to her cheeks, and she subtly adjusted her posture, pulling back slightly but keeping her hands gently resting on his shoulders."Originally, I had planned to let you suffer a few minor setbacks in the office so you could slowly adapt to the business world," Gina admitted, smoothing her skirt to cover her sudden nervousness."But y

The setting sun painted the sky in bloody shades of orange and red, but the serene beauty of the evening was entirely lost on the quiet, tense street.A regular city taxi screeched to a halt in front of Charlotte's rundown apartment building.The rear door opened, and Jason stepped onto the concrete pavement. He leaned down, tapping his knuckles against the driver's side window. The driver frantically rolled the glass.Jason offered him a thick stack of cash. The taxi driver took the fare with violently trembling hands.Throughout the entire ride, the driver had kept his eyes glued to his rearview mirror, sweating bullets. He had noticed a convoy of three heavily armored black SUVs with tinted windows aggressively trailing his taxi from afar. He had tried to look at his passenger for an explanation, but the young man's face had been as cold and hard as a tombstone.Jason offered the terrified driver a polite smile, but that only made the man shiver even harder. The moment the cash was

A few seconds after the Godfather's frantic footsteps faded down the hallway, the earpiece tucked into Seth's ear crackled to life.Seth paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he listened to the brief report from the tactical unit downstairs. Then, he turned to face Jason."Young Master," Seth reported, his voice flat. "My team has successfully detained the target on the street. They have weapons hot and are awaiting your final order."Jason didn't answer immediately.He stood calmly in the center of the cramped apartment, his mind spinning like a cold, calculating machine. Killing the Godfather right now would be incredibly easy, but it would also send a chaotic shockwave through the city's underworld.On the other hand, keeping a terrified, deeply indebted mob boss alive could prove to be a highly useful asset in the near future.Jason casually adjusted the cuffs of his suit, his expression completely indifferent."Stand the team down," Jason ordered coldly. "Let them go.""Release

Since they were already here, it would not make any sense if they did not order anything at all. Jason waved over the waitress who had greeted them at the entrance and asked for two servings of the Pastel de Nata—a blatantly Portuguese dish served in a supposedly French restaurant."Your order is on its way, monsieur," the waitress said with her genuine accent before stepping back to greet the next arriving guests.Though the restaurant was not exactly teeming with massive crowds, a considerable number of visibly wealthy people kept walking through the doors. It certainly wasn't because the prices here were cheap. As Jason looked around, he realized he was currently about to find out the real secret behind why this bizarre place maintained such fiercely loyal customers like Charlotte. Soon, their order arrived. The presentation was flawless: a pair of rich egg custard tarts, beautifully dusted with a fine layer of cinnamon. Each tart boasted a perfectly blistered, deeply caramelized t