The mirror he stood before barely recognized him.
The man who stared back wasn’t the same Lawrence stiff who once stood under the rain watching his dignity wash off him. Now he wore it. The tailors studio smelled of wealth and fine fabric, with quiet classical music dancing in the air of the studio. The suit wrapped around him like armor, tailored perfectly to his frame, black with a faint graphite sheen. It was only one of the three in the whole world, hand stitched in Italy, and priced higher than the tailor studio itself. He bought two. Because he could. “Very impeccable taste indeed sir,” the tailor said, adjusting his cufflinks. “Mr Lance himself used to order from this line before he passed. Rest his soul. It’s a statement of absolute authority.” Lawrence gave a brief nod, satisfied with what he sees and feels. “Authority is exactly what I need.” When he stepped out of the fitting area, eyes followed him. People moved out of his way without even being asked to, a ripple of respect trailing behind him. Kent pulled out the gold card that was presented to him on their ride here and swiped it, without even flinching. Lawrence adjusted his tie in the mirrored wall. The world looked different from his eyes now, not because he’d changed, but because he finally looked the part. “Sir, I’ll have this transported to your estate now.” Kent said, walking out of the tailor’s studio. Lawrence was about to leave when he collided with someone at the doorway. “Watch where you’re—“ the man snapped, stopping mid sentence. Lawrence turned his tone slightly quiet. “Excuse me.” That voice. Jordan froze. Rebecca’s rich ex. The man her parents preferred. The one who promised to “save” the family business by merging it with his own company. At first Jordan didn’t recognize him. The expensive suit, the composure, the calm authority, it didn’t fit the picture of the man he used to mock. But then it clicked. His expression immediately twisted to disbelief and then scorn. “You!” He barked, walking towards Lawrence to get a closer look and confirm his suspicions. “Wait….Lawrence?” He grinned. “I travelled to Zurich to get an expensive gift for Rebecca’s father but now I’m about to give him serious entertaining news too.” He chuckled. “No way. What, did you steal that suit from someone’s rack?” he let out a laugh, loud enough for others to hear, which grabbed their attention. Heads turned. Lawrence adjusted his cuffs., not even sparing him a single glance. “How did you even get here? Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping in the back of your car? Miserable and broken?” He mocked. “And how did you afford a plane ticket?” He moved closer to Lawrence, eyeing the suit suspiciously, and then he realized the suit. He gasped. “Isn’t this the carefully crafted hand stitched suit directly from Italy?” He said slowly circling Lawrence like a vulture about to devour a carcass. “There are only three in the whole world. How on earth did you get this? You thief.” He looked around, he saw people bringing out their phone to record the scene and he smiled. “Security!” Jordan barked suddenly. “There’s a thief in here! This man–he’s broke, he isn’t even supposed to be here. I know him! He is supposed to be sleeping in his car, he couldn’t even afford a pin! Much less a suit worth millions. Arrest him!” Whispers started. People looked. Lawrence didn’t flinch or move, he just stood quietly, eyes steady on Jordan and his smug face. “Jordan, you should lower your voice. This isn’t your living room, or the Edward’s driveway.” He warned. Jordan’s laugh came out nervous and mocking. “Oh come on! You really think putting on a suit makes you a man? You’re a fraud, Lawrence. You’ve always been—“ “Enough.” The single word of command silenced the air around them. Lawrence’s tone was calm but it carried so much weight. He leaned in slightly. “You’re embarrassing yourself, walk away before you make it worse for yourself.” Jordan scoffed, gesturing towards the security now approaching them. “Finally, it took you guys long enough.” He then turned back to Lawrence. “Let’s see how you talk when they—hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The guards didn’t stop at Lawrence. They stopped at him. The store manager hurried forward, bowing slightly to Lawrence. “Mr stiff, our sincerest apologies for this….” He turned to Jordan, throwing him a dirty look. “….disturbance. We didn’t expect such confusion.” Jordan’s eyes widened. “Mr stiff?! You can’t be serious right now!” He tried to move forward but is grabbed by the guards immediately. “Security,” the manager said firmly, signaling the guards, “remove this man from the premises immediately. And ensure that he is never to step foot in here or any of our branches all over the world.” Jordan’s voice rose as they dragged him out. “How dare you! Do you know who I am?! I am a regular client! He’s a nobody–he’s—he’s a mere useless good for nothing son-in-law—“ Lawrence adjusted his cufflinks again, watching calmly as Jordan was being dragged out of the studio and humiliated. He didn’t bother replying to any of the nonsense he poured out. As the glass doors closed behind Jordan, Lawrence saw as his usual smug face was replaced with that of shame and disgrace. Lawrence caused his own reflection on the glass, the faint smirk playing on his lips. Power. It looked good on him. He thought. Kent returned surprised at the events that just played out. “Sir is everything all right? Were you attacked?” Lawrence chuckled. “Oh no it’s fine, nothing I couldn’t handle. Are we set to go now?” “Ah yes, everything’s ready.” The manager returned bowing again. “Please forgive the scene sir, it won’t happen again I assure you. Would you like us to send a complimentary gift, as a token of our sincerest and deepest apologies?” “No, it’s fine. I actually enjoyed the scene.” Lawrence said evenly. The manager stared in confusion but didn’t ask any questions. Lawrence turned to leave, his hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed. Outside the window was cool, the world buzzing faintly with traffic and chatter. But inside him something had shifted. That scene, the moment, the look on Jordan’s face. Everything led to a spark. The first spark. As he stepped into the car he looked at the confident man in the mirror staring right back at him one more time. It’s time I start my revenge. He thought to himself.Latest Chapter
Chapter 133: The War Lawrence Has To Face
Lawrence didn’t turn on the lights.He stayed where he was, letting the darkness settle fully, as if clarity might come easier without distraction. It didn’t. The problem wasn’t lack of information. It was that every piece of information pointed to the same conclusion, and he had been avoiding it.This was no longer just a business war.It had become a war of endurance.And endurance was not something you could outsource, optimize, or scale.Upstairs, a faint sound broke the silence—Claire shifting in her sleep, followed by a small, uncertain whimper. Lawrence was on his feet before he consciously decided to move. He crossed the hallway quickly, pushing her door open just enough to slip inside.She was half-awake, tangled in her blanket, her face tight with confusion.“Daddy?” Her voice was thick with sleep and something else—something fragile.“I’m here,” he said, sitting beside her bed.She reached for him immediately, small arms wrapping around his neck with surprising force. “Wher
Chapter 132: The Fight
Elena's travel schedule intensified. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, every week a new city, new meetings, new contracts to pursue. Lawrence found himself managing Owen and Claire almost entirely alone while running LanceCorp and dealing with the ongoing aftermath of Hale's attacks.Claire's behavioral problems started three weeks after the Japanese contract. Tantrums at school, aggressive incidents with other children, defiance toward teachers. Lawrence got the first call during a board meeting. The second call came during negotiations with German suppliers. The third forced him to leave a critical strategy session with Lord Blackwell.Dr. Hart didn't mince words when Lawrence mentioned it during their next session."Claire is reacting to Elena's absence. Owen is old enough to intellectualize it somewhat, but Claire is three. She just knows her mother disappeared.""Elena didn't disappear. She's building her company.""From Claire's perspective, those are the same thing." Hart leaned forw
Chapter 131: The Weight Of Winning
Elena's voice crackled through the conference speaker, sharp with controlled excitement. "The Danish team achieved the breakthrough. Blade efficiency is at ninety-four percent of our original horizontal-axis performance."Lawrence sat forward in his chair, watching the video feed from Geneva where Elena stood before Rousseau Energy's board. Her face showed exhaustion beneath the professional veneer, but her eyes burned with real hope for the first time in weeks."We have complete patent differentiation from Hale's designs," Elena continued. "Commercial deployment timeline is now nine months instead of twelve. We can accelerate."The board members on screen broke into applause. Lawrence felt relief wash through him, brief and genuine, before the familiar weight settled back down.Kent leaned over and whispered, "This doesn't solve the revenue problem."Lawrence nodded without looking away from Elena's image. He knew. But he let himself enjoy the moment anyway because moments like this
Chapter 130: The Distance Between Protection and Isolation
The video call flickered on Lawrence's laptop screen while Owen slept upstairs, his breathing still rough after two weeks of recovery. Kent's face appeared, tight and pale, and Lawrence already knew before his CFO spoke that the news would be brutal."The UK court issued the third injunction," Kent said. "Every offshore project is frozen. Elena's European operations are completely shut down."Lawrence closed his eyes and pressed two fingers against his temple. "How bad?""Three hundred and eighty million euros over the next eighteen months. That's with reduced operational costs factored in." Kent's voice carried none of its usual measured calm. "We're hemorrhaging liquid capital. One more crisis and we're exposed.""So what do you recommend?""Lay off four hundred employees from the renewable division. Cancel the alternative R&D program. Accept Hale's licensing proposal." Kent paused. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we're out of options."Lawrence stood and walked to the wind
Chapter 129: The Patient Enemy
The call from Elena's lead German attorney came at 7:42 a.m., and Lawrence knew from the tone before the man even spoke that the news would be terrible."The court granted the preliminary injunction," Klaus Werner said, his voice tight. "They cited legitimate questions about potential infringement requiring full trial. Your offshore wind systems cannot be deployed in German waters until validity is determined."Lawrence closed his eyes and set down his coffee cup with deliberate care. "What's the timeline for appeal?""Six to nine months for the court to hear it. Standard in German patent cases.""We have six weeks until construction begins on the LanceCorp project.""Had six weeks," Werner corrected quietly. "That's over now."Elena stood across the kitchen island, watching Lawrence's face. When he ended the call, she asked, "Germany?""Preliminary injunction. Three hundred forty million euros frozen."She braced both hands on the counter and looked down. Her shoulders tightened but
Chapter 128: Fake Promise
The phone rang for the sixth time in twelve hours, and Lawrence knew Richard would not answer. He set the device down on his desk and watched the city lights flicker through the rain-streaked windows, feeling the silence press against him like a physical weight. Twenty-four hours had passed since Richard walked out of the advisory meeting, and every unanswered call confirmed what Lawrence already understood but refused to accept.Daniel Ashworth appeared in the doorway, looking older than Lawrence had ever seen him. The lawyer's shoulders sagged forward, and his usual precise posture had collapsed into something that resembled defeat."I should have seen it," Daniel said quietly. "I ran the background checks myself, verified every document, watched him in those meetings. I sat across from him at dinner and believed every word."Lawrence gestured toward the chair across from his desk. "This is not your fault.""He deceived all of us," Daniel continued as if Lawrence had not spoken. "I p
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