MONEY MAKES THE WORLD SPIN

Chapter Three: Wine, War, and Warnings

Lucien Ward’s face filled the war room screen.

The billionaire wore a charcoal suit tailored to perfection, seated at the head of a long obsidian table. Behind him, the skyline of Dubai glittered like a crown of fire. But it wasn’t the view that turned Jace’s blood cold, it was who stood at Lucien’s side.

Ava Moreno. The woman who once kissed Jace good morning, Now draped in diamonds, her hand resting casually on Lucien’s shoulder like they were lovers... or co-conspirators. "Hello, heir," Lucien purred, swirling wine in a crystal glass. “I see you survived. Pity.”

Jace’s fists clenched, but he said nothing, Lucien continued. “I must say, your grandfather had a flair for drama. Fake names, hidden heirs, secret trusts... It’s all very ‘telenovela meets global monopoly.’” He chuckled. “But no matter. I’ll have the Consortium soon. And as for you? Well... enjoy the fireworks while they last.”

Ava finally spoke, her voice syrupy sweet. “You always said I liked power, Jace. I just found more of it.”

She tilted her head. “Shame. You could’ve been something… if you’d been born better.”

The video cut. Dead silence. Jace stared at the screen, jaw tight, fury and confusion boiling beneath the surface. “Why her?” he asked. “Why would Lucien involve her?”

“She was probably planted,” Elena said, unfazed. “Lucien’s network runs deep. He’s been buying insiders for decades. She could’ve been watching you from the start.”

“No. Ava’s cruel, but she’s not a spy.”

“She doesn’t have to be,” Elena replied. “Just ambitious. Lucien’s people know how to sniff out greed like bloodhounds.”

Jace turned from the screen, bile rising in his throat. Ava had dumped him publicly, humiliated him like trash, and now… she was in bed with his enemies, possibly literally.

Elena handed him a tablet. “Check this.”

He tapped the screen and saw a classified file labeled: "THE GATE PROTOCOL." Dozens of transactions tied to Wardeon Tech, all within 48 hours of Elias Carter’s death.

Hidden offshore accounts. Bribes. Shell corporations, Lucien hadn’t just declared war, He’d been preparing for it for years, Jace looked up. “What’s the Gate Protocol?”

Elena’s jaw tensed. “It’s how Lucien plans to dismantle the Carter Consortium from the inside. One division at a time. He’s already begun with Carter Holdings Asia.”

Jace stared, calculating. “How long before he reaches the core?”

“If we do nothing? Three weeks.”

He paced the war room, the weight of the empire crashing onto his shoulders. He wasn’t trained for this. He hadn’t grown up in boardrooms or political backrooms, He knew how to survive in back alleys and 12-hour shifts, but this?

This was global warfare in designer suits. “How do we fight back?” he finally asked.

Elena pulled up a second screen: a list of trusted legacy advisors, old loyalists of Elias Carter who disappeared when Lucien gained influence “They vanished,” she said, “because they feared Lucien. But they’re still alive. In hiding.”

“If I bring them back…”

“They’ll rally to your side. But only if you earn their trust.”

“Where are they?”

She tapped three names: Darius Feng – Hong Kong Noelle Varga – Geneva Gustavo Reyes – Mexico City

“Each of them holds a key to unlocking the Carter Control Vault, where your grandfather hid the override protocol for the entire consortium.”

“So Lucien doesn’t just want to beat me,” Jace murmured. “He wants that vault.”

“Exactly. And if he gets it before you… everything Elias built falls into his hands. Including your life.”

Jace looked down at the pistol still holstered at his hip. He’d never even fired one until last night. Now it was part of him. So was the weight of power. And the cost. He exhaled slowly. “We go to Hong Kong. First light.”

Elena raised a brow. “No private jet?”

“I want to be invisible. Lucien will expect jets, not ghost trails.”

“Smart,” she said. “Your grandfather would’ve approved.”

Before he could respond, a new alert flashed on the screen. PR LEAK – GLOBAL TRENDING: #CarterHeir

Jace’s photo was plastered everywhere, leaked security cam stills, blurry airport photos, even a childhood picture with his mother. “Orphan janitor becomes trillionaire overnight, but is he ready for power?” “Heir or hoax? The mysterious rise of Jace Carter!”

The media storm had begun. Elena’s voice was steel. “We’ve been compromised.” Jace nodded. “Then let them watch.”

Twelve hours later, a chartered cargo plane flew under alias IDs, heading for Hong Kong, Elena and Jace sat in the back cargo bay, surrounded by fake medical crates to mask the passenger manifest. The world outside buzzed with chaos. Inside, Jace reviewed files on Darius Feng.

A financial genius. Once the head of the Carter Asian Investment branch. Disappeared ten years ago after a scandal that looked orchestrated in hindsight. “He was framed,” Elena said. “Lucien’s first target.”

“We find him,” Jace said, “we unlock the first key.” But just as the plane entered international airspace, Elena’s burner phone lit up. She answered. Listened. Then paled slightly.

“What is it?” Jace asked. She turned the screen toward him. A live feed from RavenCore International, the very company that fired Jace. Victor Lang, his former boss, was standing onstage at a press conference.

“We at RavenCore,” Victor announced, “are proud to align with the Carter Consortium’s new leadership, represented by our chief partner... Mr. Lucien Ward.”

The crowd gasped. Cameras flashed, Victor smiled like a man who’d just won the lottery. Jace stared. Victor had sold them out. “Elena,” he said quietly, rage building like magma, “I want him ruined.”

“I thought you’d say that.” She slid a file across the seat. “We’ve been tracking him. You’ll like what we found.” Inside were photos of Victor meeting in secret with Ava, weeks before he fired Jace. Ava hadn’t just left him.

She’d helped orchestrate the entire downfall. Jace closed the folder. No words. Just quiet fury. This wasn’t just war. It was personal. “I don’t care how long it takes,” he said. “I want every lie exposed. Every betrayal punished. Not just for me. For what they did to my mother. And to Elias.”

Elena’s eyes flashed. “Then prepare yourself. Once we start this... there’s no turning back.” Jace nodded. And then, the lights on the plane flickered.

The pilot’s voice buzzed over the comms. “We’ve got incoming.” Elena shot to her feet, hand on her weapon. Jace rushed to the cockpit. Outside, streaking across the night sky, a black drone locked onto their tail.

The pilot swore. “Unmarked drone. High-grade. Military level. They’re jamming us” BOOM.

The left wing shuddered. Red light filled the cabin. Alarms blared. Altitude dropped. “We’re going down!” the pilot shouted, The cargo plane plunged into the South China Sea, flames trailing from its wing.

Inside, Jace slammed against the wall, blood on his forehead, vision fading. Elena unbuckled, grabbed the briefcase with the drive, and shouted, “Jace! The vault key! Don’t let it” The plane exploded in fire and metal as it struck the water. Then,  blackness. Total silence.