Sabrina's legs trembled uncontrollably with terror.
The assistant noticed her daze, grabbed her wrist, slapped her shoulder, and dashed after Silver King.
Silver King crashed to the ground, his feet shattering marble tiles. Otto lay motionless on a car roof, bones clearly broken, blood trickling from his mouth.
Silver King grinned savagely. "Today is your death day!!"
The assistant landed beside him.
Sabrina leaped from the window in a desperate rescue.
Elton Leng sobbed wildly. "Sabrina! Wait for me! Let's live freely together!"
Sudden energy surged through him. He shoved Eliza to the ground and lunged for the window.
Hakan gaped at the bizarre scene, grabbing Elton Leng's leg mid-air. "Are you insane?!"
"Let go! Life means nothing without Sabrina!"
"You're jumping?!"
"YES! LET ME JUMP!"
"Sign the contract first, you bastard!" Hakan roared to his assistants. "Bring the contract! NOW!"
The team raced to retrieve the documents. Hakan thrust a copy at Elton Leng. "Sign! Jump after that, I don't care!"
Elton Leng scrawled his name.
"Transfer funds! Now! Notary!" Hakan barked.
Todd, drawn by the commotion, appeared.
"Notarize it! Stamp and sign!" Hakan grabbed Todd and Elton Leng. "Don't fuck with me, old man! Just validate the contracts!"
Todd glowered at his colleagues, who recorded the scene. "I declare these contracts—"
"Valid even if the sky falls!" Hakan interrupted.
"Fine. Recorded?"
Colleagues nodded.
Todd stamped the papers furiously. "Contract effective!"
Hakan snatched the documents, grinning. "Qingfeng Group is mine!"
As Elton Leng lunged for the window, Fyren yanked him back and knocked him out.
Eliza, clutching her ankle, approached Fyren. "Thank you."
Hakan went numb at the sight of Fyren. "Who... who the hell are you?"
Fyren smiled. "Fyren—who else? Don't even my old classmates recognize me now?"
"Then what the hell was this farce?"
"Beats me." Fyren feigned confusion. "What just happened here?"
Eliza had already signed and sealed the contracts, completing the process with Todd's notarization. She exhaled, nodding at Fyren.
Hakan stuffed the contract away. "I don't care about your games. I'm out of here! This building belongs to me now!"
Fyren clapped his back. "Congrats, Hakan—you just bought a Qianfeng subsidiary for three billion. Impressive!"
"Are you insane? I got Elton Leng's shares! The whole Qingfeng Group is mine!"
"Ah?" Fyren blinked. "Don't you remember the contract you signed?"
Hakan's mind went blank. He yanked out the papers, eyes bulging. "Assistants! Get over here! What the hell is this?!"
"It's... a contract?"
"Some ridiculous contract! I spent three billion on a Qianfeng subsidiary? In... Southlandia's suburbs? Did you two eat bad food?!"
The assistants teared up. "You were pushing so hard! The old man was about to jump—we just wanted to sign before he died. Someone must have swapped the contracts."
Hakan wheeled on Fyren and Eliza. "The shares... where are the shares?"
Eliza waved her contract. "I bought all my father's shares for one dollar. Now Qianfeng is mine."
Hakan staggered back. "Conspiracy... You set me up! This is a conspiracy!" He grabbed Todd. "Todd, they scammed me! This contract was signed under false pretenses— it doesn't count! You have to testify!"
Todd shoved him off, playing a recording from his phone. Hakan's voice boomed: "Even if the sky falls, it still works!"
"You're stealing from me! I'll sue! I'll press charges!"
Fyren nodded. "Great! Billion-dollar lawsuits are rare these days. This one could drag on ten or twenty years. Lucky for us, Qingfeng and I have top legal teams—we can play the long game."
Eliza added: "Notify all top management. We're holding an emergency board meeting."
Fyren approached Todd, shaking his hand. Decades of collaboration had forged a silent understanding. Their smiles needed no words.
"Thanks for the help, Todd."
"Just doing my job."
Eliza stepped forward. "Todd, sorry to ask again, but I need your help. There's a major project tomorrow that requires your personal presence as a witness."
"Of course. You..." Todd's hand trembled slightly as he looked between Fyren and Eliza. "I'll give you a nudge."
"Thanks. You..." Todd laughed bitterly. "You were my best friend, now my worst enemy. Hahaha!"
Fyren smiled. "Business partners."
Eliza turned to Todd, eyes bright. "On our wedding day, come drink with us. Don't be late."
Todd boomed with laughter. "You two were enemies, now it's completely reversed! Hahaha!"
Fyren clapped Todd's shoulder. "Eliza, take it from here. I'll walk Todd out."
"Alright. Take your time, we'll talk later."
Alone in the corridor, Fyren dismissed their subordinates. Todd shook his head. "Fyren, that was ruthless—scamming Hakan out of over three billion?"
Fyren sighed. "No choice. The shantytown project burns money faster than I thought."
"Such a huge project needs a trustworthy fund manager. A single oversight could cost billions."
"I know. Todd, how can I repay you?"
"Shut up!" Todd cut in. "The $220 million you sent last time almost got me investigated. If I hadn't returned it that night... I didn't help you out of friendship, but because Hakan disrespected me."
"I understand. As Chamber of Commerce president, you need to maintain stability."
Todd nodded. "Hakan came to Crystalpeak City determined. It's puzzling—why pour so much money into this place? Is it really worth it?"
They stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, city lights sprawling below.
"Revenge," Fyren said. "He's held a grudge since losing Cora to me in school. Now he wants to redeem himself. Plus, his family position is rising, but he lacks prestige. Crystalpeak is a stepping stone to taking over Dongfang Group."
Todd clapped his back. "You've matured, Fyren."
"Coming from you, that's rare praise."
"To be honest, if you hadn't helped my family out of debt, I'd want nothing to do with you. But lately... your projects have impressed me. The reckless Zhang heir is gone—you're a responsible entrepreneur now. I'm proud. Business-wise, I'll always stay professional."
"Thanks, brother."
Fyren turned and waved, and Chloe hurried over. He whispered, "Tell Maggie to schedule a meeting at my convenience, and have someone from finance come as well."
"Checking the books?"
"Yep."
"Since the project just started, auditing now might cause issues."
"The longer we wait, the worse it gets. Todd hinted our cash burn has a reason."
"Understood. Fyren, the Chen family elder has invited you multiple times—it's hard to keep declining."
Fyren frowned. "What could an old timer like that want with me? So annoying. How's your mother?"
"Surgery tonight."
"Get Xena."
Before he finished, Xena strolled over. "Fyren, did you want me?"
He stepped toward her. "Thanks for today."
"Just words?"
"I mean it."
Eliza joined them. "I wanted to greet you, but you weren't in the meeting room."
Xena forced a smile. "Not my doing—I followed Fyren's orders, not yours."
Eliza stayed polite. "I know, but since I benefited, thank you."
Fyren sensed tension. "Xena, Chloe's mom has surgery tonight. Get some rest—you'll be exhausted."
"I'm fine. But what's in it for you to help her?"
"You never asked about benefits when you were sick."
"Because I didn't need to—they always gave more than I wanted."
"Are you... a miracle doctor?"
"Listen, Fyren. Doctors don't treat everyone. We're human too. I use high fees to filter clients and be selective. Pro bono? Not my thing."
"Fine, name your price. No haggling."
"Sorry, this isn't about money."
"Then what do you want?"
Eliza guessed Xena would 刁难 Fyren. She relaxed and smiled: "You two talk—I'll get back to work."
Watching Eliza leave, Xena lifted her chin. "I want you to spend the whole day with me."
"A full day? That's all?"
"Yes."
"Haha, not hard."
"Not so fast." Xena eyed him. "24 hours straight. You do whatever I say—shopping, eating, movies, sleeping."
Fyren studied her. "What's the catch?"
"Chloe's mom's condition is rare. In Crystalpeak, only me and Otto could treat it. Otto's gone—so it's just me. Choose wisely."
"I don't believe it. If I don't agree to your terms, you'll refuse to treat her mother."
"You think I'm heartless? That I abandon patients?" Xena's voice sharpened. "Have you seen doctors leave patients to fend for themselves? Our understanding of life is different. Choose carefully."
Fyren's anger flared.
[What kind of twisted morality is this! Claiming to be kind, but where's the compassion? Using a patient to blackmail me— that's inhuman!]
Chloe stood confused, but Xena showed no sign of backing down. "Fyren, maybe we should—"
"I agree." Fyren cut her off, voice firm. "But if the surgery fails, our deal is off."