"Dad, I just acquired the voting shares. I offered a sixty percent profit."
Ethan's voice was calm.
Too calm.
The room, however, wasn't.
Soft music played in the background as both men lay in a private massage suite—luxury at its peak.
But peace didn't last.
"What?"
Evereck Cole sat up immediately, irritation flashing across his face.
"Sixty percent?" he repeated, stepping down from the massage bed.
"You want to ruin my company?"
His voice rose—not in panic, but in anger.
"Voting shares don't bring profit, Ethan. They bring control. And I already have more than enough of that. Why would you buy more?"
Ethan stood up slowly, composed.
"Because of Damian."
That name alone shifted the air.
"I got information that he's trying to acquire voting power in Aureum Holdings," Ethan continued. "If he succeeds, he could surpass your influence. I didn't want to take that risk."
Evereck stared at him for a moment.
Then—
He exhaled and returned to the massage bed like nothing serious had been said.
"I have no business with him," he muttered. "I don't see why a boy his age would crave that much power."
Ethan's lips curved faintly.
"Do you remember the lady I told you about?" he asked.
"The one whose family debt I cleared… in exchange for marriage?"
"Yes…" Evereck replied lazily, clearly more interested in the massage.
"What about her?"
Ethan's expression darkened slightly.
"Damian wants her."
That got his father's attention—slightly.
"He's planning to take her," Ethan added. "And he knows this isn't just personal—it's war. That's why he's trying to secure Aureum's backing."
Evereck chuckled under his breath.
"He's smart," he said. "I always wished he was my son."
"Dad."
Ethan's tone sharpened.
Evereck waved him off.
"Do whatever you want. You have my support."
Simple.
Careless.
Final.
"No one touches my son."
The voice cut through the room like a blade.
Linda Cole.
She stood at the entrance—elegant, composed… dangerous.
She had been listening.
"Woman Stay out of my business," Ethan snapped, turning to face her.
"It is Mom to you," she corrected coldly.
Tension rose instantly.
Even without power equal to Evereck's, Linda had something else—
Control.
Influence.
And the kind of manipulation that didn't need permission.
"Oh please," Evereck scoffed, rising to grab his robe. "You left these boys when they were children, and now you suddenly care?"
"I am still their biological mother," Linda fired back.
"A very selective one," Ethan added dryly, already stepping away from the conflict.
But Evereck wasn't done.
"If your son interferes with mine again," he said, stepping closer to Linda, voice dropping dangerously,
"I will deal with him myself."
Silence.
Heavy.
Intentional.
Ethan smiled inwardly.
Perfect.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Linda's presence.
His father's pride.
The tension.
Now, Evereck was emotionally involved.
Now, he had to support him.
"Everyone relax… what's going on here?"
A new voice entered.
Aaron.
Seventeen.
Carefree.
Or at least—that's what everyone believed.
"It's nothing," Linda said quickly, turning softer instantly.
"How was dance practice?"
"Dance?" Evereck scoffed loudly. "Useless."
His eyes landed on Aaron with clear disappointment.
"No son of mine has ever been this worthless."
Aaron didn't flinch.
"If you danced when you were younger," he replied casually,
"maybe you wouldn't be this stiff… or have that big belly."
Silence.
Then—
Evereck stormed out.
Furious.
Aaron turned to Ethan, unfazed.
"Big brother, I learned a new move today. It would be perfect for your next product ad—"
"Not now, Aaron."
Ethan shut him down instantly.
The mood had shifted.
"Mom…"
"Go shower," Linda said coldly. "Not now."
She walked out.
Ethan followed shortly after.
And just like that—
The room emptied.
Aaron stood there alone.
Quiet.
Still.
Then—
His expression changed.
Completely.
Gone was the playful boy.
What remained…
Was something sharper.
Something hidden.
Aaron hated power.
Or at least—
That's what everyone believed.
But the truth?
Aaron was power.
A name.
A force.
One that commanded respect in circles even his mother couldn't fully access.
And no one knew.
Not even his father.
Not even Ethan.
Except one person.
Damian.
Years ago, when Aaron was just fourteen, their paths crossed.
That encounter changed everything.
Damian didn't just recognize potential—
He shaped it.
Guided it.
Built it.
Taught him how to move unseen.
How to exist in two worlds at once.
And most importantly,
How to wait.
Aaron picked up his phone.
Typed quickly.
Ethan knows your plan. He already bought the shares.
He paused.
Then hit send.
And deleted the message immediately.
A slow smile formed on his lips.
This war?
It wasn't just beginning.
It was already layered.
"I honestly think you all would love this new move," Aaron said lightly as he walked out, maintaining his usual careless tone.
Nothing suspicious.
Nothing serious.
Just the same unserious boy everyone believed him to be.
Damian's phone buzzed.
He read the message.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"My boy…" he muttered under his breath.
"Sir," Fred said, stepping forward with a tablet in hand, "here's a new list of potential shareholders we can approach. However… they are not in desperate need of money."
Damian didn't take the tablet.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, fingers tapping slowly against the desk.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then—
"Acquiring Benson's shares gives me influence over his remaining people, correct?"
Fred nodded.
"Yes, sir. But due to the scandal, his support dropped from thirty to ten."
Damian's fingers stopped tapping.
"Good."
Both Fred and Nico looked at him—slightly confused.
"Send a list of those twenty remaining companies to Aaron," Damian said calmly.
Fred blinked.
"Sir?"
"Tell him to withdraw his support from all of them," Damian continued. "Completely."
Now Nico frowned slightly.
"And then?" he asked.
Damian leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharper now.
"Then we move in."
A pause.
"We approach them with a twenty percent higher offer… in exchange for their voting shares."
Silence filled the room.
It clicked.
Fred's eyes widened slightly.
"You want to destabilize them first…"
"And then become their only option," Damian finished.
"Sir…" Nico hesitated. "Aaron… isn't he just that boy from the football field?"
Damian looked at him.
Cold.
Measured.
"Aaron is a hidden CEO," he said. "He controls more than you understand."
A pause.
"Do what I said."
"Yes, sir."
Damian's phone buzzed again.
Janaya.
Hey babe, I slept off waiting for you last night. I'm heading to class now though.
He stared at the message.
For a second—
His expression softened.
Then—
It disappeared.
He locked his phone without replying.
Not now.
"Sir!"
Nico's voice came again, urgent this time.
"Ten out of the twenty have already sold their shares. We need just five more to match Evereck's voting power."
He paused.
"But sir… his profit margin might still give him an advantage."
Damian stood up slowly.
"We're not matching him," he said.
"We're surpassing him."
He adjusted his cuff.
"Also—inform the remaining companies. If this deal leaks…"
He looked up.
"We pull out."
Fred nodded immediately.
"You want to control the information flow."
"I want control over everything," Damian replied.
A faint smile followed.
"I like surprises."
"Sir!"
Fred rushed in again, slightly out of breath.
"We've secured the votes of thirty stakeholders."
Another breath.
"We now control fifty-nine percent of the voting shares."
A pause.
"We are the majority."
Silence.
For a brief moment—
No one spoke.
Three days.
No sleep.
Constant pressure.
And now—
They were ahead.
Damian exhaled slowly.
"We all deserve rest," he said.
"Yes, sir—especially me, sir," Fred added quickly.
Damian glanced at him.
Then—
"No."
Fred froze.
"There's no rest."
A slow smile formed on Damian's face.
Cold.
Satisfied.
Dangerous.
"Until Aureum's general meeting."
He picked up his coat.
"It's happening tomorrow."
A pause.
"At Alpha's Villa."
And just like that—
The war moved to its final stage.