The Ding Of Destiny: Cole Walker's Revenge

Chapter 7: Breaking Derek Stone

The laughter still echoed through the banquet hall. Vanessa lay collapsed on the marble floor, her tears soaking into her gown, her humiliation complete. But the room’s attention shifted.

All eyes turned toward Derek Stone. The man who had stolen Vanessa. The man who had mocked Cole, flaunted his wealth, and treated him like dirt.

Derek’s face burned crimson. His fists clenched, the veins in his neck bulging as he pushed through the crowd toward Cole.

“You bastard!” Derek roared, his voice cracking through the music and chatter. “You think you can humiliate her, humiliate me, and get away with it?”

The room hushed. Guests leaned in, hungry for the confrontation. Cole didn’t flinch. He sipped his champagne with deliberate calm, eyes cold as steel. 

“Derek,” he said softly, “you’ve already humiliated yourself. I’m just giving everyone the front-row seat.”

Gasps and chuckles rippled across the room. Derek’s jaw tightened. “You’re nothing but a fraud, Walker. You show up with a few rented toys and think you belong here? You don’t belong in this world!”

He jabbed a finger toward Cole, spittle flying from his lips. “You’re still the worthless trash who couldn’t even keep his own wife satisfied. Without me, she’d still be married to you!”

The insult hung in the air, cruel and cutting. Vanessa whimpered on the floor, but no one moved to defend her. All eyes were on Cole.

Cole’s smirk returned. “Interesting. You think I don’t belong here. Why don’t we ask the crowd who they think belongs?”

He snapped his fingers. The chandeliers dimmed. A spotlight flared against the massive screen behind the stage.

[Ding. System Task: Humiliate Derek Stone]

[Tool Unlocked: Financial Exposé Protocol]

[Effect: Reveal all of Derek Stone’s hidden debts, scandals, and illegal dealings in real time]

Cole’s voice carried like a blade. “Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the real Derek Stone.”

The screen came alive. Documents. Bank statements. Recorded calls. Derek’s empire wasn’t built on genius, it was built on rot.

Loan shark debts. Illegal land grabs. Bribes to city officials. Secret affairs with models while Vanessa begged for his attention.

The final nail. A video call recording of Derek laughing about Cole. “Walker? He’s nothing. I screwed his wife, and I’ll screw him next. He’ll never rise above trash.”

The crowd gasped. The whispers turned to jeers. “Stone’s finished.”

“Illegal dealings?”

“He bought half his empire with blood money.”

Derek’s face drained of color. He stumbled back, shaking his head violently. “No, no, this is fake! Lies!”

But the System wasn’t done: [Ding. New Display: Real-Time Stock Collapse]

On the screen, Derek’s company ticker flashed red. Shares plummeted, investors pulling out in droves. His empire was collapsing in real time.

Cole stepped forward, towering over him. His voice dripped with venom. “You took my wife, Derek. You called me trash. You spat on me when I was at my lowest. But now?”

He leaned in, close enough that only Derek could hear the next words. “You’re nothing but a bankrupt fraud, and I’ll enjoy watching you crawl.”

Cole straightened, raising his voice for the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Derek Stone: Dallas’s biggest con artist.”

The applause thundered. The laughter stung. Derek stumbled, face pale as ash, sweat pouring down his temples.

He looked around desperately, but even his closest allies had turned their backs. No one wanted to stand with a sinking ship.

Vanessa sobbed harder on the floor. Derek stared at her, but she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Cole picked up his champagne glass once more, raising it high. “To Derek Stone,” he said coldly. “May your empire crumble as easily as your pride.”

The crowd roared with approval.

[Ding Task Complete: Humiliate Derek Stone]

[Rewards Granted: $5 Billion Stock Sweep + Corporate Predator Title]

[Passive Skill Unlocked: Dominion Aura – Business negotiations bend in your favor]

Cole’s phone buzzed. Notifications flooded in. He had just acquired controlling shares in several of Derek’s companies, without lifting a finger.

Derek, once the king of Dallas investments, now stood ruined, shaking, and humiliated before everyone.

Cole didn’t even look at him again. Derek Stone was no longer worth his gaze. Instead, Cole’s eyes locked across the room…On Jonathan Harlan.

The old lion of Dallas real estate raised his glass, his eyes sharp, unshaken by the chaos. A small smile played on his lips. 

Unlike Derek, he wasn’t broken. He was waiting, and Cole Walker was ready.

The banquet hall buzzed with energy, but beneath the chatter there was a new undercurrent, fear. 

Vanessa lay broken, Derek was ruined, and Cole Walker stood at the center of it all, untouchable. Yet Jonathan Harlan didn’t flinch.

The old titan of Dallas real estate leaned casually against the marble pillar, sipping his wine as if the chaos hadn’t touched him. 

His silver hair gleamed under the chandelier, his tailored suit immaculate, his expression calm and faintly amused.

Guests whispered about him now. “Harlan’s the only one left.”

“Do you think Walker can take him down too?”

“Impossible. Harlan’s untouchable.”

Cole turned, locking eyes with him across the room. For a moment, the air between them thickened, charged with something more dangerous than rage. Predator to predator.

Cole set his champagne glass down, straightened his jacket, and began walking. The crowd parted for him instinctively, their whispers silenced by the gravity of the moment.

When he reached Harlan, he didn’t bow or offer his hand. He simply stood, his voice low but sharp. “Jonathan Harlan.”

Harlan smirked faintly. “Cole Walker. I’ve been waiting for you.”

They stood toe to toe, silence stretching before Harlan spoke again. “I’ll admit, you surprised me. Vanessa? Derek? Easy prey. But to turn this entire banquet into your stage… that takes nerve.”

Cole’s expression didn’t waver. “Nerve is what separates kings from corpses.”

The older man chuckled softly. “Bold words. But do you know the difference between us, boy? I built my empire brick by brick, deal by deal. You? You just appeared with money and toys. Wealth without roots doesn’t last.”

Cole leaned in slightly, his eyes glinting. “Roots? Roots only matter if you’re afraid of being uprooted.”

A ripple went through the crowd. The duel wasn’t physical, it was sharper, deadlier. Every word was a blade.

[Ding System Task Unlocked: Dismantle Jonathan Harlan]

[Difficulty: Extreme]

[Reward: Ownership of Harlan Real Estate Empire]

[Risk: Failure will trigger Reputation Collapse]

Cole didn’t flinch at the warning. Instead, he focused on the man in front of him. “You’ve controlled Dallas real estate for decades,” Cole said evenly. “But tonight, that changes. This city deserves better than an old lion guarding scraps.”

Harlan’s smile didn’t falter. “You think you can unseat me in one night? I’ve buried men with more money and ambition than you’ll ever have.”

“Then bury me,” Cole said coldly, “if you can.”

The tension was unbearable. Guests leaned closer, holding their breath, knowing they were witnessing a clash bigger than any scandal.

Harlan finally chuckled, swirling his wine. “Tell me, Walker. What do you really want? Money? Power? Revenge? Or just validation that you’re no longer the worthless trash your wife called you?”

Cole’s jaw tightened, but his voice was steady, lethal. “I want everything. And I’ll take it, starting with you.”

[Ding. New Sub-Tool Activated: Corporate Predator Instinct]

[Effect: Exposes rival’s weak points during conversation]

The System’s overlay highlighted Harlan’s pressure points in glowing red:

[Over-leveraged properties in uptown Dallas

[Hidden offshore accounts tied to tax evasion]

[Rumors of corruption in zoning boards]

Cole’s smirk returned. “You call me rootless, Jonathan. But tell me, what happens when your roots are rotten?”

For the first time, Harlan’s eyes narrowed. Cole leaned closer, his words slicing through the air. 

“Tomorrow, the city will learn that Jonathan Harlan’s empire is nothing more than termites and hollow walls. And when it collapses, I’ll be there to build something better on the ashes.”

The crowd gasped. Whispers erupted again. Harlan’s reputation had never been challenged so directly.

But the old man didn’t falter. He laughed, loud and confident, his voice filling the hall. “You’ve got spirit, Walker. I’ll give you that. But spirit won’t save you when the storm hits.”

Cole raised his glass once more, eyes locked with Harlan’s. “Then may the storm come. Let’s see which of us survives it.”

They clinked glasses with a sound sharp as steel, and the war for Dallas had officially begun.