Victor felt no obligation to respond to Sebastian's enraged question. He leaned back comfortably in the Chairman's seat as if nobody had spoken yet. With furrowed brows, Sebastian turned to Clive Baron for answers."What is going on, Clive? Why is this wastrel on your leader's chair? Is this some sort of prank?"Clive smiled thinly before replying. "This is neither a prank nor a mistake. Mr. Victor Damone is the principal investor of the Springfield Rapids Project and has contributed billions of dollars to launch it. Moreover, it was his venture idea in the first place. He intends to transform Springfield into a world-class business hub and a next-gen metropolitan. The Chairman's seat always belonged to him."Sebastian looked utterly confused. "What? That's ridiculous! Victor is a middle-class, unemployed guy who works as a bodyguard. His family is on the brink of bankruptcy. Are you people out of your minds?"When the young man was again greeted with silence, he addressed the rest of
I'm afraid we are rejecting your proposal," Clive Baron told Sebastian with finality. "Thanks for coming over. If you haven't had lunch yet, we can arrange a specialty meal for you. I hope you have tasted the local pot roast. It's a delicacy!"Sebastian's world was falling apart. He looked like he was going to explode."Twenty-five billion??" he barked. "Victor, have you gone crazy?! Do you even know how many zeroes are in a billion? There is no limit to your lies and fantasy stories, it seems! Not even the richest man in the world could come up with that money at such short notice! Are you the World Bank or possess a dollar mass-printing machine!"Victor offered his cousin a disinterested look. He quietly retrieved a debit card from his pocket. It was pitch-black, lined with gold. He placed it on the table before speaking up."Little cousin. Do you still think I cannot spend twenty billion at will?"Claire eyed the black card with intrigue. Victor had used it during the Sotheby aucti
Victor smiled in amusement and had a sudden urge to praise Claire. He placed a hand on her cheek as if she were a child. "You are extraordinary in your own way, Claire. You're not corrupt like most other billionaires of the city, and work diligently, and treat your employees well. That much I admire about you."Claire's cheeks turned red immediately. She felt she could squeal in joy. "You have no idea how much that means to me."Victor nodded and retracted his hand. "Help the Triumvirate make arrangements for the expansion. They are men with good intentions but are still middle-aged and belong to the old school of thought. They need your youthful energy in the mix. Besides, there's some trouble brewing from Monolith's side. They may try to derail our plans. And a hidden enemy, the Puppetmaster, is acting from the shadows. A storm is coming, and we must be ready for it."It was the first time Victor revealed a sensitive detail to Claire. He asked himself why. Perhaps, over time, she ha
Afternoon commuters of Springfield wondered whether a Grand Prix racer was doing his rounds in the city. All they saw was a blitz, a rider blazing past at over 200 miles per hour through the highways and streets without hitting the brakes.Victor reached his ancestral home at the other end of the city in five minutes. He cast the bike aside at the driveway and rushed into the main gate. Over a dozen agents in suits buzzed around, speaking into their radios and cell phones in panic. A sense of urgency had washed over the area.As Victor arrived, they all stood in attention and bowed their heads. It was a rare event for foot soldiers of the NWO to see Caesar in person.Victor ignored them and dashed into his grandfather's home. Edgar was seated on an armchair in his bedroom, overlooking the backyard through a window. As his grandson entered, he offered him a warm smile."Do you remember how you used to practice basketball all by yourself in the backyard?" he asked with melancholy in his
Victor placed the necklace on the coffin, which immediately turned the red metal layer black. "The nanite has turned into an iron-like substance. But the necklace's effect is temporary. The alloy will revert to its original state within two minutes. Summon the bomb disposal squad and retrieve the explosives from within.""Yes, sir!"Within two minutes, the NWO agents dug into the coffin and found a ticking explosive inside. After they removed it, the nanite reverted to its red form again."Sir, the bomb is now defused and disposed of," Kai said, wiping sweat from his brow. "What should we do about the coffin? It is still immovable unless we get a crane inside the house."Victor unbuttoned his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves. "I'll take the coffin back to its owner, and I don't need a crane to do it."***Sebastian Damone lounged comfortably on the eighteenth floor of his new high-rise. Falcon Inc. had just purchased the hotel he lived in and renovated the higher floors to make it i
Sebastian fixed himself a scotch and clinked with her glass. Carol's expression softened. It was rarely ever that she could relax. Nobody gave her a break. Either work kept her engaged, or her family made unreasonable demands. Now that the burden of marriage was lifted from her mind, she drank some wine and began talking about business."You had a meeting with the Triumvirate in the afternoon today. What was the result?"Sebastian raised an eyebrow. News had yet to travel from Edgar Tower to the partners. They rejected his proposal outright. Moreover, Carol appeared to have yet to learn that Victor was at the helm of the Rapids Project. Why would he keep it a secret from his ex-wife? If the man were trying to get her back, wouldn't revealing his wealth and influence make sense?"I am still in negotiations with the Triumvirate," Sebastian replied. "They will get back to me by the end of today. However, I expect to own a large share in the Rapids Project and invest several billion dollar
The world seemed to be in slow motion when Victor launched himself up into the demolished face of the building from the ground. Glass shards, debris, and timber flew across the room. Victor appeared before Sebastian, blocking the sun like an eclipse.Sebastian scampered back to the wall in horror. What the hell was going on? Did Victor defuse the coffin bomb? It was supposed to have blown up the Damone ancestral household!But the scene that unfolded before Sebastian was much more bizarre. Victor jumped off a military chopper, shot a twenty-ton coffin to the eighteenth floor, and himself leaped two hundred feet high into the room!Was he dreaming? Or did Victor have superpowers?"How is this possible?" he stammered with his back to the wall. There was no way such physical feats were possible.Victor cornered Sebastian in a split second and grabbed him by the neck. He slid the young man up the wall like a ragdoll. The billionaire began choking under the vice grip.Victor could snap his
Val looked utterly unfazed. She casually caught the couch in mid-air as if it were a pillow. Then she dropped it on the floor and settled on it."Shh…" she said, pointing at Carol. "We don't want to wake the Sleeping Beauty before the Prince arrives."Joe was shocked beyond belief. How did the woman catch a heavy couch so easily? He gritted his teeth and pulled out a pistol."Time to die!" he barked, firing off two rounds at Val. However, the bullets lodged into the wall behind her. Joe stared in disbelief. Did the woman disappear?"Peekaboo!" Val said from behind him.Joe Savage's eyes widened as two powerful hands grabbed his head and twisted it. His neck snapped with a loud crunch. The hulk dropped dead to the floor like a sack of sand.Val winced and wiped her hands on her clothes. "Yuck! He's slimy and disgusting!"The female warrior walked over to the unconscious Carol. "Hello, Sleeping Beauty," she said, zipping up her dress."I don't know what Caesar sees in you. You are a weak