The city outside buzzed like an unstable voltage line — too loud, too bright, too frantic.But Sian Justines stood perfectly still.
He wasn't shaken.He wasn't heartbroken.He wasn't even angry.
He was calculating.
Down below, the media vans swarmed like vultures, blocking the entrance to the Justines Tower. Drones hovered near the glass windows, hoping for one glimpse of the man the world was desperate to read.
But Sian gave them nothing.
He studied the skyline, fingers tapping the cold glass.Tulip. Saturs.Two companies that had sworn — publicly and proudly — never to work together.
Yet Jain had done it.Quietly.Effortlessly.Recklessly.
A soft knock broke the silence.
Lara stepped inside again, this time looking paler than before. "Sir… the shareholders from London are calling. They're worried. They want reassurance."
"Reassurance?" Sian echoed, a cold amusement in his voice. "Let them worry. Fear sharpens loyalty."
Lara swallowed, unsure if she should stay or leave.
"Anything else?" he asked.
"Yes." She hesitated. "Sian… your father called. He wants to know if… if this is personal."
Sian's jaw tightened — the first true emotion he'd shown all morning.
"Tell him everything in this world is personal," he said quietly.
Before Lara could respond, the TV screen on the wall blinked to life — an emergency broadcast.
LIVE: Tulip & Saturs CEOs to Address the World in Joint Conference
The world froze.Lara froze.Sian did not.
He walked to the screen slowly, eyes narrowing as Jain appeared — composed, charming, every inch the visionary the world admired. Beside he is the brilliant CEO whose cold smile could slit a man open without a knife.
"Good morning," Jain began, his voice smooth as silk. "Today marks a historic moment…"
Sian clicked the TV off.
He didn't need to hear the lies.He already understood the message.
And then — for the first time since dawn — he allowed himself to breathe out.
"Jain," he murmured, "you made your move."
He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a sealed envelope — one only three people in the world knew existed.
A contract.A secret alliance.A weapon stronger than any merger.
He placed it flat on the desk.
"My turn."
He pressed a button on his phone.
"Get me the head of global strategy," he said, his voice controlled, deadly. "And cancel all meetings."
"Yes, sir," Lara's voice trembled. "Should I inform the board?"
"No." Sian's eyes hardened."Let them watch."
The war had begun.
And Sian Justines was done playing defense.