The complete acquisition of the European Resource Council’s international networks pushed The Sovereign Group into an absolute, untouchable realm of wealth. Leon was no longer just an aggressive corporate raider; he had become the single anchor around which the planet’s raw material and financial commerce rotated. Every primary monitor inside his command office suite glowed in a steady, deep green pattern, tracking massive global trade metrics without a single dip.Leon stood at the wide glass terrace of the Obsidian Tower, looking down at the endless expanse of the city skyscrapers. He wore a flawless, custom-tailored dark onyx three-piece suit with polished diamond buttons. His posture was perfectly relaxed, radiating an immense, silent authority that completely suffocated the room. He casually took a slow sip from a crystal glass of pure water, entirely indifferent to the international news channels broadcasting his name across every timezone.Buzz.A sharp, triple-encrypted chime vibrated from his secure smartphone resting on the mahogany desk.[Sovereign Core Valuation: $3.2 Billion][Current Sector Lockdown: The Global Maritime Syndicate—the ancient coalition that controls ninety-five percent of the world’s deep-sea cargo lanes and sovereign port clearances—has officially frozen Sovereign’s European retail divisions, attempting to trigger a hostile trade block.]A low, chilling laugh broke through Leon’s lips, his sharp gaze locking onto the red alerts flashing on the global map screen. "They think a few luxury regulations can freeze the reach of my crown? Arrogant old fools."The heavy boardroom doors slid open with a smooth, silent sweep. Cynthia Murong walked inside, looking exceptionally sharp in a tailored crimson business blazer and black silk trousers. Her face carried an intense look of absolute concentration as she placed a heavy, gold-embossed black ledger on his desk."The ultimate assembly has gathered tonight, Leon," Cynthia said, her voice smooth but laced with deep anticipation as she stood right next to him. "The Grand Director of the Maritime Syndicate, Lord Harrison Windsor, has locked down the private ballroom at the Grand Imperial Plaza. He has officially called an emergency national summit, bringing together the remnants of every old money family you crushed. They are launching a combined multi-billion dollar anti-trust suit against us on live international television in exactly one hour."Leon didn’t show a single hint of hesitation. He turned around, his presence instantly filling the spacious office with a heavy, suffocating pressure that made the room feel narrow. "An anti-trust suit? Harrison Windsor has sat behind his family castle walls for too long if he thinks my grip is weak. Call the private convoy fleet. Let’s go show this entire council who truly rules the market."At 8:30 PM, the rain returned, casting a shiny glaze over the grand marble steps of the Grand Imperial Plaza. A fleet of three armored black luxury SUVs pulled up to the heavily guarded VIP entrance. The entire plaza was cordoned off by private foreign security operators holding high-grade automatic rifles.Leon stepped out of the lead vehicle, his long trench coat catching the rainy wind, his posture perfectly straight. Cynthia walked gracefully right beside him. They passed through three layers of biometric security gates, heading straight into the gold-paneled grand ballroom where the city’s highest business elites were whispering in pure tension.Sitting at the central VIP table, surrounded by fifteen international corporate lawyers and tech directors, was Lord Harrison Windsor—the elder patriarch of the main Windsor bloodline. Right next to him, looking like a desperate, starving dog waiting for a stray scrap, was the ruined Young Master Young, who had snuck inside using a forged badge."So, the orphan actually crawled out of his office," Harrison Windsor said, his voice deep and smooth, dripping with artificial superiority as he swirled a glass of vintage red wine. "Leon, you’ve been very clever taking over local banking pools. But on the global stage, you are nothing but an undocumented outsider. Sign fifty-five percent of your shipping rights over to our Trade Council right now, or our legal team will launch the suit on live television in ten minutes, freezing your entire empire by morning."Young Master Young sneered from the corner, his eyes bloodshot with pure malice. "Sign the papers, beggar! You thought you could rule the world? You’re finished!"Leon didn’t show a single hint of irritation or panic. He walked AICalmly toward the central desk, pulled out the high-backed leather chair right across from Harrison, and sat down with an effortless swagger that completely suffocated the room’s confidence. He rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, his piercing, icy gaze locking onto the old director."An anti-trust suit, Lord Harrison?" Leon murmured, his voice low, steady, and terrifyingly calm. "You traveled across the world to lecture me about trade channels, yet you forgot that a legal framework is completely useless when your own vault is already burning to the ground."Harrison’s hand froze mid-air, his glass rattling slightly against the marble table. His smug expression cracked into a dark glare. "Watch your tongue, you lucky peasant. What could a provincial cleaner possibly know about the Global Council?"Leon quietly activated the Eye of Truth, his gaze locking onto the old patriarch’s chest and the encrypted digital terminal flashing behind his lawyer’s briefcase. Instantly, the dark translucent screens of the system flashed rapidly, exposing the deepest corporate crimes, hidden black-market operations, and absolute ruin of the Trade Council:[Person: Lord Harrison Windsor][Identity: Grand Director of the Global Trade Council][Current Crisis: The Council’s primary luxury diamond reserve in South Africa is secretly completely hollow. Harrison and his inner council illegally substituted 80% of the physical reserves with synthetic counterfeits over the past three years to cover a $1.5 Billion hidden deficit. They are desperately trying to hijack Leon’s banking networks tonight to falsify their corporate balance sheets before the International Commerce Commission begins its audit tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.][Hidden Objective: The lawsuit papers on the table are completely fake, meant to stall Leon for time while they hide the funds.]A brilliant, supreme wave of confidence rushed through Leon’s veins. The ancient rulers of global commerce weren’t a mountain of iron; they were a hollow house of cards running out of time, completely unaware that Leon could see straight through their walls.Leon leaned forward, his shadow completely enveloping Harrison’s desk."The central physical vault in your primary African reserve... should we talk about the eighty percent of synthetic stones you used to replace the real diamonds, Harrison?" Leon whispered, his voice cutting through the silent ballroom like a razor blade.Harrison choked on his wine, his face instantly turning a ghostly, deathly pale as he staggered back against his luxury seat. The crystal glass slipped from his fingers, shattering onto the marble floor and spilling red stains across his expensive shoes. "You... how could you... that data is locked inside an offline, military-grade server!"The private security detail immediately reached inside their coats for their weapons, but Cynthia Murong stepped forward with absolute composure, raised her arm, and snapped her fingers.CRASH!The massive stained-glass windows of the grand ballroom shattered into a million pieces as fifteen heavily armed elite operators from Sovereign’s private tactical forces poured inside, their high-grade automatic weapons instantly locking their red laser sights onto the heads of Harrison’s guards.Leon stood tall, adjusting his silver cufflinks with a terrifying, supreme aura of absolute control."Your servers mean nothing to my eyes, Harrison," Leon stated flatly, his voice echoing with undeniable power. "I have already uploaded the original unedited manifest logs and the synthetic fraud files directly to the International Commerce Commission ten minutes ago. By the time the stock market opens tomorrow morning, the Global Trade Council will face a total international trade ban."Harrison fell out of his chair onto his knees, his hands trembling violently on the marble floor as all his aristocratic pride dissolved into pure, pathetic terror. If the trade ban hit, his family’s century-old empire would turn into absolute dust before noon. "No... please, Chairman Leon! Stop the commission transmission! I will grant you absolute, permanent control over all western shipping routes! I will give you a eighty percent share in our retail group! Just pull back the data!"Leon looked down at the kneeling patriarch with a freezing, profound indifference."I don’t need your shares, Harrison," Leon said smoothly, turning his back on him as he walked toward the exit gates. "Sign over absolute control of the Global Trade Council’s entire international distribution and auction monopoly to the Sovereign Group within three minutes. Do it, or spend the rest of your days watching your family name rot inside a federal prison cell."Without wasting a single second, Harrison frantically grabbed the pen, signing his name with shaking fingers and stamping the document with his official corporate seal, handing over a multi-billion dollar global trade network just to buy his survival.Leon stepped into the elevator alongside Cynthia, the doors closing on the image of the ruined supreme patriarch weeping on the floor. With the global trade and retail networks now firmly under his heel, Leon’s sovereign empire was absolute. The world was no longer just watching his rise—they were completely trapped beneath his shadow.
Chapter 23: The Apex Monopoly
The God-Level Appraiser: I Can See The Price of Everything!