"Chairman Evren... we have a catastrophe!"
Mikay’s frantic voice came through the phone speaker, so loud that it rattled the earpiece.
"Calm down, Mikay," Evren said with a furrowed brow, though he had an idea why Mikay was calling. "Speak clearly. What happened?"
"At seven this morning, I tried to execute the automated forty-five million dollar wire transfer for the Imperial Manor," Mikay managed to spew out. "The central banking terminal rejected the transaction with an emergency red alert! Your entire account has been placed under a Post No Debit administrative restriction! All outgoing transfers are blocked!"
Evren took a slow sip of his morning tea, completely unfazed. He had already known about the 48-hour System lockdown since last night.
"And that’s not the worst of it, Chairman!" Mikay stammered hysterically. "The Ironfang Guild’s acquisition team is already downstairs in the Horizon Plaza lobby! Their Vice-Master Boros personally brought legal enforcers. They know the wire didn’t clear at seven, and they’re waiting for ten o’clock sharp to declare our contract in default and seize the deed!"
"Is that all?" Evren asked calmly.
Mikay nearly choked on his saliva. "Is that all?! Chairman Evren, if we don’t produce forty-five million dollars in liquid funds by ten o’clock, we lose our five-million-dollar non-refundable deposit, and the manor defaults to Ironfang."
"I know the terms, Mikay," Evren replied smoothly, taking a slow sip of his tea. "I will bring the settlement in person before ten."
"B-Bring it in person?!" Mikay stammered in disbelief. "B-But Chairman... it’s forty-five million dollars! The bank has your accounts locked! How can you possibly pull together forty-five million dollars in cash before ten o’clock?!"
"You don’t need to worry about how, Mikay. Just have your legal team prepare all the final deed transfer documents and biometric key registries. Be in the conference room before me, and don’t let Ironfang touch a single page. I’ll be there."
"U-Understood, Chairman..." Mikay swallowed hard as the call ended.
Evren set his phone down on the marble island just as the soft hum of an anti-gravity wheelchair approached from the hallway.
Amber rolled into the kitchen, wearing a soft lavender knit sweater and a warm blanket draped over her lap. Her dark hair was neatly brushed, and her cheeks held a healthy, rosy glow.
She looked at Evren’s serious expression.
"Evren?" Amber asked softly, rolling up beside the counter. "Is everything okay with the new house?"
Evren looked down at her, and the cold sharpness in his eyes instantly melted into warmth. He placed a freshly brewed cup of herbal tea and a plate of warm toast and scrambled eggs in front of her.
"Everything is completely under control," Evren smiled, gently patting her shoulder. "Eat your breakfast, Amber. We’re moving into our new manor tomorrow or next. I just need to wrap up a few things."
Amber looked into his calm, confident eyes. A wave of warmth washed over her, and she nodded, trusting him completely.
"Okay," Amber smiled softly.
9:45 AM. Horizon Plaza, 40th Floor Executive Suite.
The air in the glass conference room was tense.
Sitting at the center of the table was Attorney Raymond, the senior legal executor representing the aristocratic trust selling the Imperial Crest Manor. On a velvet mat beside him were the unsealed master deed and an obsidian box containing the property’s biometric master keys.
To Raymond’s right sat VIP Wealth Manager Mikay, wiping cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief as he stared at the digital wall clock: [09:50 AM].
Mikay was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Ten minutes left. Every minute felt like a hammer striking his chest.
Sitting across from him were two heavily armored executives from the Ironfang Guild, led by Vice-Master Boros, a burly six-foot-four S-Rank warrior with a jagged scar running across his sneering face.
Boros rested a spiked steel war hammer against the edge of the table, tapping his armored fingers with an arrogant rhythm.
"Give it up, Mikay," Boros laughed mockingly. "Your so-called Chairman Evren is a broke fraud who got lucky once. It’s nine-fifty. He doesn’t have forty-five million dollars in liquid cash to close this deal."
"Chairman Evren will be here," Mikay insisted through gritted teeth, though his heart was beating fast.
What if Evren couldn’t make it? What if the funds didn’t exist? The five-million-dollar deposit would vanish into thin air, and Apex Guild’s reputation would be ruined before it even started.
"Attorney Raymond," Boros turned his gaze toward the seller’s executor. "The purchase contract clearly states that if certified settlement funds are not delivered by ten o’clock sharp, the initial buyer defaults, forfeits the five-million-dollar deposit, and Ironfang Guild’s backup acquisition takes immediate effect."
Attorney Raymond adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, nodding. "That is correct, Vice-Master Boros. If Chairman Evren does not deliver the forty-five million dollar balance by ten o’clock, the deed will be executed in favor of the Ironfang Guild."
[09:55 AM]
The digital numbers on the wall changed.
The silence in the room grew unbearable.
[09:58 AM]
Boros stood up from his leather chair with a triumphant sneer spreading across his scarred face. He slid Ironfang’s pre-signed acquisition contract toward Attorney Raymond.
"Time is up, Raymond," Boros chuckled arrogantly. "Execute the default. The Imperial Crest Manor belongs to Ironfang Guild..."
BANG!
The double doors of the executive suite were kicked open with force.
Boros froze instantly, his hand hovering three inches above the deed.
Evren walked through the doorway.
Boros sneered, turning his head toward the door. "So, the mysterious fraud finally shows up with empty hands? You’re two minutes too late, kid..."
Evren didn’t even glance at Boros.
He walked unhurriedly straight to the center of the conference table, right in front of Attorney Raymond.
Reaching into his inner coat pocket, Evren pulled out a gold-sealed parchment document and slammed it directly onto the glass table.
SLAP!
The document landed under the bright lights of the chandelier. Its golden watermark and official markings shone brilliantly.
[METROPOLIS CENTRAL BANK: CERTIFIED CASHIER’S DRAFT]
[ISSUING AUTHORITY: CENTRAL MONETARY COMMERCE BUREAU]
[PAY TO THE ORDER OF: IMPERIAL CREST MANOR ESTATE SETTLEMENT]
[AMOUNT: $45,000,000.00 USD (FORTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS)]
[SETTLEMENT STATUS: 100% FULLY GUARANTEED & IMMEDIATELY PAYABLE]
The entire conference room went dead quiet.
The only sound in the room was the soft ticking of the digital clock turning to [09:59 AM].
Boros’s triumphant sneer vanished completely.
His scarred jaw dropped open, and his eyes bulged in pure shock as he stared at the authentic, gold-stamped forty-five-million-dollar draft.
"T-This... a certified Metropolis Central Bank draft?!" the Ironfang legal advisor beside Boros gasped, dropping his digital tablet in horror. "It’s fully backed by the Central Reserve... it’s completely authentic!"
Attorney Raymond examined the watermark through his scanner.
BEEP.
A bright green verification rune flashed across the terminal.
"Authenticated," Attorney Raymond declared. "The forty-five million dollar balance is fully received and cleared at nine fifty-nine AM. Contract completed in full."
CLACK!
Attorney Raymond brought the official estate trust seal down onto the master deed with a stamp, finalizing the ownership transfer.
"The Imperial Crest Manor is officially deeded and registered to Chairman Evren and Miss Amber Sterling!"
Attorney Raymond reverently picked up the polished obsidian box containing the golden biometric master keys and presented it directly to Evren.
Mikay let out a massive, trembling gasp of relief, nearly collapsing back into his chair with a wide, euphoric smile.
Evren took the master key box, casually sliding the golden keys into his pocket.
Then, Evren turned his cold, indifferent gaze toward the frozen, pale-faced Vice-Master of the Ironfang Guild.
He leaned forward slightly, resting one hand on the table as a chilling smirk touched his lips: "You were saying something about my manor, Boros?"