If the first phase of the assault had been a market squeeze, then the second phase was nothing short of a debt shock.
Golden Crown Commerce's countless small problems—ones that had once been brushed aside as "manageable"—suddenly detonated all at once. Cash-flow stress, brand withdrawals, tightening credit, shareholder infighting… each issue fed into the next.
Internal chaos.External siege.
The once-mighty retail giant was pushed straight to the edge of bankruptcy.
Never assume that a family worth billions has an unshakable foundation. In reality, such empires are often built on leverage and confidence—once either collapses, everything follows.
In the Will family residence, James stared at the reports in front of him, his hands trembling with barely contained rage.
"Damn it—what the hell is happening?" he barked. "Ethan doesn't have this kind of capital. He doesn't have this level of courage, and he sure as hell doesn't have the power to suppress us, control financial media, and even influence banks!"
Danial spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"Several long-term partners have already turned their backs on us," he said. "For the first time in decades, I feel completely isolated in this city. It's as if… someone invisible is controlling everything."
James clenched his fists."Logically, no one would support Ethan to this extent unless their goal wasn't helping him at all—but destroying us. Think carefully. Have we offended some financial tycoon recently?"
Daniel frowned deeply.
Something flickered in his mind—an image, a name—yet it refused to fully surface. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't connect the dots.
Just then, the manager burst into the room again, pale and sweating.
"Chairman, Vice Chairman—there's new development," he said urgently."NextEdge Retail has formally proposed a 'strategic cooperation' with us."
James let out a sharp laugh."Cooperation?"
The manager swallowed."They claim they're willing to 'rescue' us… by acquiring our most profitable high-end shopping malls under the banner of cooperation."
Both Daniel and James frowned deeply.
Rescue? Acquisition? Strategic cooperation?
Wasn't Golden Crown's current predicament caused by NextEdge Retail in the first place?
This was nothing but kicking someone when they were down—a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken.
And yet… they couldn't ignore it.
At this point, selling assets to recover cash and pay off debts might be the only way to survive.
James asked hoarsely,"What price did they offer?"
The manager's expression turned grim."Slightly higher than Golden Crown's lowest market valuation."
James and Daniel both stiffened.
Their faces flushed red with anger.
So that was it.
Golden Crown's valuation had already collapsed to rock bottom due to the crisis. Offering a price only slightly above the historical low wasn't generosity—it was predation.
A classic hostile takeover.
Sell now, accept humiliation, and barely survive.Refuse—and be driven straight into bankruptcy.
The arrogance was blatant.The threat unmistakable.
What hurt the most wasn't just the loss.
It was that the Will family still had no idea who they had offended—or when their death sentence had been signed.
At that moment, Daniel suddenly felt a flash of clarity.
He grabbed his phone and called Victor.
By now, it was certain—the Will family had offended a terrifying financial giant. And Victor's early withdrawal made it obvious that he had known the truth long before the storm broke.
The answer had to be with him.
When the call connected, Daniel deliberately lowered his tone.
"Victor," he said sincerely, "you must have known something before you cut ties with our Will family, right? I understand your decision—no one is obligated to share another family's misfortune."
He paused, then continued earnestly.
"But for the sake of our past relationship, could you at least tell me who we offended… and whether there's still any way to fix this?"
Victor sighed on the other end of the line.
"Sir," he said slowly, "even now, you still don't understand the situation."
"There was an enormous opportunity placed right in front of the Will family. Not only did you fail to seize it—you turned it into disaster."
"This wasn't bad luck. Someone in your family brought this upon you."
"As for who you offended…" Victor added calmly, "figure it out yourselves."
With that, he hung up.
He had already gone as far as he could. Out of respect for their past ties, he warned—but he wouldn't expose Jason directly.
Daniel stood frozen.
A huge opportunity?
His thoughts raced.
The only major opportunity recently was Moonrise Island—the deal where they sold it to Jason at a premium.
Daniel's expression shifted sharply.
Jason Carter?
No… that couldn't be right.
He had been polite. He had even sold the island smoothly. There was no reason for retaliation over money—especially after receiving eight hundred million.
Then Victor's words echoed again in his mind.
"Someone in your family."
Daniel slowly turned his head.
His gaze landed on Evan.
It wasn't without reason. Evan had clashed with Jason from the very beginning. Worse—he had a long history of causing trouble, scandals, and reckless behavior.
Evan frowned."Grandpa, why are you looking at me like that? I haven't done anything lately."
Daniel's voice turned icy."Tell me everything you've done recently. Don't leave out a single detail."
Evan tried to brush it off at first, giving vague explanations. But under the relentless pressure from both Daniel and James, he finally broke and told the whole story.
Including going to Riverside University.Including threatening Clara.
To Evan, it was trivial. He mentioned it casually, lumped together with everything else.
But the moment Daniel heard it—
His vision darkened.
His chest tightened.
For a split second, he almost collapsed from rage.
Everything became clear.
Crystal clear.
It wasn't the island.
It was Clara.
Evan had threatened Jason's woman.
And Jason had responded—not emotionally, not impulsively—but with a cold, methodical, annihilating financial strike.
James, still confused, asked carefully,"Dad… what's wrong? Is this Clara really that important?"
Daniel took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay upright.
"Clara herself may be ordinary," he said slowly."But she is very likely Jason Carter's woman."
He turned toward Evan, his eyes blazing.
"You threatened her. And because of that, Jason decided to wipe out our Will family."
"You useless thing—are you trying to kill us all?!"
James's face turned pale.
"Jason Carter?" he exclaimed."That Young Master Jason who's been shaking the entire city lately?"
Evan's pupils shrank.
So all of this…
The price wars.The media.The banks.The collapse.
All because he threatened one woman?
Just because of that, Jason casually pushed the Will family to the brink of extinction?
What kind of monster did they provoke?
In the past, Evan would've already been beaten or screamed at.
This time, Daniel only called him useless.
And that was far more terrifying.
It meant his grandfather and father were already overwhelmed—too exhausted, too desperate to even punish him.
The Will family was truly facing a life-or-death crisis.
James and Daniel exchanged a look.
Without another word, they prepared to personally go and apologize to Jason.
That night, the truth finally surfaced.
The mysterious hand crushing the Will family wasn't Ethan.
It was Jason Carter.
As the news spread, business circles across the city erupted.
So that was it.
No wonder Ethan couldn't pull it off alone.
After understanding the full story, many business owners could only shake their heads.
The Will family had actually been handed a golden opportunity.
Jason wanted Moonrise Island. They could've sold it at market price, done him a favor, and gained something far more valuable in return.
Everyone knew this:A favor from Jason was worth several times—sometimes ten times—its cost.
Even giving up hundreds of millions wouldn't have been a loss.
But instead, they played innocent.
And worse—they chose to retaliate.
Now they had bitten off something far beyond their ability to chew.
In business circles, only one conclusion remained:
If you don't court death—you won't die.
But the Will family?
They had sprinted straight toward it.
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