Divorced on Monday, Bought the City on Tuesday: The Infinite

The Blood Tax

Chapter 21

Arthur’s laughter wasn't loud. It was a low, vibrating sound that carried zero humor. It was the sound a predator makes before it snaps a spine.

The mercenary’s bloody smile faded. Confusion flickered in his eyes. This wasn't the reaction he expected. The psychological profile they had built on Arthur Vance stated he was a weak, devoted husband who had worked himself to the bone for his wife. Threatening her should have brought him to his knees.

"You think I'm bluffing?" the mercenary spat, struggling against Vera’s blade, which was still pinning his hand to the floor. "I have an earpiece. One word from me, and Eleanor Vance is dead!"

Arthur casually walked over to a leather sofa, sat down, and crossed his legs. He brushed a speck of dust off his trousers.

"Let me explain something to you," Arthur said, his tone conversational. "Eleanor and I are divorced. She took a hundred grand from her new billionaire boyfriend to toss me into the gutter. As far as I'm concerned, she is less than a stranger. She is a bad memory."

The mercenary swallowed hard. Panic began to claw at his chest.

"So," Arthur continued, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "If you want to blow her head off... go ahead. Give the order. It saves me the trouble of looking at her."

The room went dead silent. The mercenary stared at Arthur, realizing with absolute dread that the man sitting across from him wasn't playing a hero. He was a monster wearing a tailored suit.

"Give the order," Arthur prompted, his voice turning icy.

The mercenary didn't speak. He couldn't. His only leverage had just evaporated into thin air.

"You don't understand," the mercenary choked out, blood bubbling past his lips. "If you kill us... the Vanguard Council in the Capital will send an army. You can't fight them all. They own senators. They own generals."

"Good," Arthur smiled. It was a terrifying expression. "Tell them to bring their checkbooks. I enjoy buying things."

Arthur stood up. He walked over to the man with the dislocated jaw the leader he had choked out moments ago. The man was whimpering, clutching his ruined face.

Arthur reached down and pulled a burner phone from the leader’s tactical vest. He tossed it to Vera.

"Vera. Give that to Nyx when we get back. Have her pull the GPS data, encrypt their communication frequencies, and locate their Vanguard Council in the Capital."

"Yes, Master," Vera replied smoothly, pulling the knife out of the second mercenary's hand.

"Wait!" the bleeding mercenary shrieked, clutching his mangled hand to his chest. "We can make a deal! I'll give you codes! I'll give you names!"

"I don't need your codes," Arthur said, turning his back on them and walking toward Elias, who was slowly blinking awake, completely healed by the System’s serum. "I have infinite money. I can buy your entire organization by Friday."

Arthur helped Elias out of the chair. The old manager touched his face in absolute shock, finding smooth skin where there should have been fatal wounds. "Mr. Vance... how?"

"Company benefits, Elias," Arthur said gently. "Take the rest of the week off. Go see your daughter."

Arthur turned toward the exit, buttoning his suit jacket. He didn't look back at the two assassins bleeding on his floor.

"Vera."

"Sir?"

"I want new carpets by tomorrow," Arthur commanded, stepping out into the rainy morning street. "Burn the trash."

"With pleasure."

The glass doors of The Obsidian Club clicked shut behind Arthur. Three seconds later, two muffled, sickening crunches echoed from inside the building, followed by absolute silence.

Arthur pulled his phone from his pocket. The System interface sprang to life, hovering over the screen.

[Hostile Threats Eliminated.]

[Reward: 15,000 SP.]

[Warning: The Host has officially provoked a Tier-3 Faction (The Capital Vanguard Council). Extreme retaliation imminent.]

Arthur scrolled past the warning. He opened the System Store. He had a city to fortify and an empire to officially launch. He needed an army, and the System sold loyalty by the gallon.

As he scrolled through the mercenary contracts, a sudden news alert flashed across the top of his phone screen. It wasn't an alert from Nyx. It was a public broadcast from Valmont City News.

BREAKING: Sterling Family announces massive corporate merger with Capital City tech conglomerate. Julian Sterling reclaims CEO position.

Arthur stopped walking.

Julian Sterling was bankrupt. Arthur had liquidated his assets and driven him into the mud. There was no way a Capital City conglomerate would merge with a dead company. Unless...

Unless the Capital City was actively propping Julian up just to create a proxy war right on Arthur’s front doorstep.

Arthur’s thumb hovered over the screen. A dark, vicious hunger settled deep in his chest. They wanted to play a proxy war? They wanted to use Julian Sterling as a pawn to test Arthur's limits?

Arthur hit the speed dial for Serena. She answered on the first ring.

"Arthur? Are you okay? Nyx said there was an ambush."

"I'm fine," Arthur said, his voice hard as diamond. "Call a press conference for noon tomorrow. Rent the grand ballroom at the Valmont Plaza."

"A press conference? For what?"

"For the official launch of Vance Corp," Arthur replied, staring up at the towering skyscrapers of his city. "We are going to publicly execute the Sterling Law Group on live television. And I want Julian in the front row."