The next morning, I woke up to see Seraphina sleeping peacefully beside me, wrapped snugly in the duvet. I leaned over, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, and quietly gathered my clothes from the floor.
Heading downstairs to the dining area, I instructed the household staff in a low voice, "Don’t disturb Seraphina’s sleep. No one is allowed on the second floor until she wakes up on her own."
I sat down, enjoying a quiet breakfast and a fresh cup of coffee. I checked with the staff to confirm that all the formal banquet invitations had been delivered. They assured me that every prominent, elite family in Metro City had received their invitation to our Grandview Villa housewarming party.
Just as I finished my coffee, Seraphina walked down the stairs, perfectly dressed and glowing.
"You’re up already?" I chuckled, looking at her warmly. "After all the hard work you put in last night, you should have slept in longer."
I gave her a playful wink.
Her cheeks instantly flushed a sweet pink. "Julian! What are you saying in front of the staff?" she stammered, looking away shyly.
I stepped forward, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I have a few errands to run in the city, love. I’ll be back by noon. Want to come along?"
"Oh, no, I have far too much to do today!" she declined gently. "I need to oversee the decoration of the grand ballroom for tonight’s party, select our matching outfits, choose the jewelry, coordinate your watch, shoes, and cologne, and select my heels. Plus, I booked Metro City’s top glam team and hairstylists for my beauty prep. All of that will take up my whole day until the party starts, so I won’t be able to join you."
"Fair enough," I smiled, pulling out one of my black elite credit cards and handing it to her. "Whatever you spend today, put it on this card."
She accepted the card with a sweet smile.
Heading out to the garage, I took my Valence & Co. executive SUV and drove toward the Cosmos Group headquarters. Dressed casually in simple clothes and wearing a pair of dark glasses, I hoped to blend in seamlessly.
When I entered the grand lobby of the Cosmos Group building, the front desk receptionist recognized me immediately. I held a finger to my lips, signaling her to keep quiet.
"Do you have a face mask?" I asked quietly. "Also, set me up in a private room with a laptop linked directly to the main conference room’s camera and microphone feeds."
"Right away, Chairman Vance," she murmured respectfully.
She quickly provided a mask, along with access to a private holding room and the live encrypted feed. Slipping my earbuds in, I watched the high-stakes negotiation between Cosmos Group and Carter Holdings unfold on the screen.
Truthfully, I wanted to see if Clara would let her personal feelings interfere with her professional ethics by giving Carter Holdings a bigger cut.
The negotiation lasted two intense hours. It was cutthroat and demanding, but Clara executed my instructions flawlessly. She held her ground against her own father, forcing Carter Holdings to accept a contract where Cosmos Group retained a 60% profit share, leaving Carter Holdings with 40%.
A satisfied smile crossed my face. Clara hadn’t compromised her professional duty, proving both her business genius and her deep respect for my trust.
Closing the laptop, I stepped out of the room to return the device to the front desk. But as I turned down the hallway on the third floor, a female staff member accidentally bumped straight into me.
"I’m sorry," I said politely, adjusting my mask.
Instead of accepting the apology, she glared at me, her eyes landing on the corporate laptop in my hand and my low-profile disguise.
"Hey! What are you doing with that laptop?" she shouted loudly, drawing immediate attention. "Security! There’s a thief trying to steal confidential company data!"
A crowd of employees quickly gathered around us.
I kept my voice calm. "Miss, I am not a thief. I was using this for official work and I’m simply returning it to the reception desk."
"Liar!" she snapped arrogantly. "Whatever I say on this floor is the law!"
I narrowed my eyes slightly under my glasses. "And who are you supposed to be? The planning director’s personal bootlicker?"
Her face fumed with rage. Pulling out her phone, she dialed a number and whined dramatically into the receiver, "Honey! Please come to the third floor right now! Someone is insulting me!"
A few minutes later, an elderly man in a sharp suit strutted out of the executive office. "Who dares cause trouble here?" he demanded, puffing out his chest. "Do you know who I am? I am Vic, the Planning Director of Cosmos Group! How dare you insult my girlfriend?"
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "I thought you had some real power, but it turns out you’re just a sugar daddy abusing your position."
"What is going on here?" a sharp, authoritative voice echoed down the hall.
The crowd parted as Clara walked forward, having just wrapped up the board meeting. Director Vic and his girlfriend immediately rushed over, pointing at me. "CEO Carter! This masked intruder was caught red-handed trying to steal company property!"
Clara looked at me, instantly recognizing my frame, eyes, and posture despite the mask and glasses. "Julian?" she murmured in surprise.
I took off my glasses and pulled down my mask, looking at her calmly. "Fire both of them immediately."
Before anyone could react, a System notification chimed softly in my mind.
[System Event Triggered: Host has uncovered severe internal corruption and kickback schemes orchestrated by Planning Director Vic!]
"Wait," I added, pulling a small flash drive from my pocket and tossing it to Clara. "Here is the complete digital evidence of Vic’s corruption and financial kickbacks. Recover every single penny he stole from the company, press full legal charges, and permanently blacklist both of them from the industry."
Director Vic and his girlfriend turned ash-gray, collapsing to their knees as security swept in to haul them away.
Ignoring the stunned employees, Clara and I walked into her executive suite.
"Did you and your father receive the invitation for tonight’s housewarming banquet at Grandview Villa?" I asked, leaning against her desk. "Make sure you’re ready, because we’re officially announcing our joint venture during the party."
Clara smiled brightly. "We received it! I’ll prepare a joint speech for us. You should also say a few words as the Chairman of Cosmos Group."
"Is that really necessary?" I asked with a light smirk.
She walked over, sitting beside me and looking up with glowing eyes. "You’re the Chairman, Julian. You should remind everyone why you hold the reins."
"Fine, I will," I gave in smoothly. "Just don’t be late. I’ll be waiting for you."
Clara’s smile deepened, her eyes lingering on mine. "I wouldn’t miss your party for the world. Don’t worry."
Leaving the Cosmos Group building, I got back into my Valence & Co. SUV. As I started the engine, a System notification chimed.
[System Notification: Host successfully eliminated corporate parasites and built a deeper personal connection with the Target!]
[Reward Granted: Professional Grandmaster Racing & Driving Skills!]
Instantly, an ocean of advanced driving techniques, high-speed control reflexes, and master-level vehicular maneuvers encoded themselves into my muscle memory.
Driving back to Grandview Villa, I found Seraphina getting her hair and makeup done by her glam team in the guest suite. Smiling at how radiant she already looked, I headed into the master suite to take a hot shower and get tailored for tonight’s grand banquet.