Caleb and Cai sat rigidly, their faces pale and twisted in disbelief.Only now did they finally realize just how massive a landmine they had stepped on.
They thought they were dealing with some university kid backed by a wealthy family.Instead, they had provoked a walking catastrophe in human form — Jason Carter.
After several minutes of stunned silence, Caleb forced himself to calm down.He pulled out his phone and quickly began arranging a few emergency matters — just as his old friend warned:
If Jason wanted to settle old scores, there family wouldn't survive unless they cleaned up every skeleton in their closet.
But just as he finished one call, his phone rang again.
The moment he answered, an anxious voice shouted:
"Mr. Caleb! Something's gone very wrong! Catastrophic, actually!"
Caleb's heart sank."What happened?"
"News about Mr Cai hiring thugs to cause trouble at Julia family business has gone viral across the entire country. And now—"
The voice trembled.
"—several video channels have dug up and exposed our company's past coercion, shady deals, forced contracts… There's even real evidence. And now people are gathering to protest at our stores!"
"What? Which store?" Caleb demanded, already feeling faint.
"All of them, sir! Every branch! We haven't taken a single new order since this morning. Customers who already paid deposits are demanding refunds!"
Caleb felt his vision blur and gripped the table for support.
He had seen public opinion destroy companies before.A billion-dollar dairy company once collapsed in a week due to rumors.
And his own company wasn't even worth a billion, and worse — the accusations weren't rumors.They were true.
Before Caleb could respond, another call came in.
He picked up, hands shaking.
"Chairman Caleb! Three competitor companies — HomeSpace Designs, PrimeCraft Renovations, and Jingston Interiors — are poaching our designers with sky-high offers and are jointly launching a price war against us!"
Caleb's face twisted."How dare they?!"
Of course, he knew exactly why.In the past, he was the one who used connections to suppress competitors.Now that he was drowning, they all wanted a piece of him.
Before he could even curse, the phone rang again.
This time, the news almost made him collapse.
"Chairman Caleb… the Riverbend Heights project is gone."
Caleb's entire body trembled.
"What nonsense are you saying?! The developer already agreed to give us that entire complex! They personally promised me the contract!"
Riverbend Heights was their lifeline — a massive new luxury housing development.Getting the contract meant Caleb could weather this crisis.
Losing it meant total destruction.
"I don't know what happened," the staff member cried."When we went to sign the contract, they wouldn't even let us into the building. I also saw Robert walk in with full VIP treatment. It looks like… the whole project is being handed to him."
Caleb froze mid-breath.
"Robert? That street thug? What qualifications does he have? He's not even in renovation!"
Then—
A horrifying thought hit him.
He remembered seeing Robert standing behind Jason at the hospital.How Robert acted like a loyal lieutenant reporting to a king.
It wasn't Robert.
It was Jason Carter.
Caleb felt his stomach drop.
Jason didn't even need to appear.If he wanted, he could move one project from Bay peoject — the massive government development he controlled — and exchange favors with developers here.
To them, giving a renovation contract to Robert in exchange was nothing.
It cost Jason nothing.It killed Caleb completely.
Caleb's hands shook as he whispered in despair:
"…You're going to play it that ruthlessly?"
Cai, standing beside him, was still in shock from the rapid-fire collapse of their empire.
He had heard of corporate warfare.He had even bragged about engaging in one someday.
But this?
This was destruction on a scale he never imagined —cold, efficient, unstoppable.
And yet—
The nightmare wasn't over.
Right after that, Caleb received yet another call.
"Boss… something big happened! The Lafferty family just got taken away!"
Caleb stiffened."Taken away by who? Jason Carter?"
"No… it doesn't seem like Jason personally. It was Director Quincy, but—"
The person paused, voice trembling.
"—I heard Director Quincy visited Jason earlier. So nobody knows whether Jason instructed him, or Quincy acted after getting Jason's silent approval. Either way… the Lafferty family is preparing to sue you. We already offered two million in compensation, but they refused."
Caleb's face turned the color of ash.
He knew very well who the Lafferty family was—and what he had done to them.
Back then, when he was rising from construction worker to small-time demolition contractor to finally running a renovation empire, he had done… many ruthless things.
And sometimes, officials preferred using local muscle rather than official channels.
Demolition too tough to handle legally?Call Caleb's people.
A homeowner refusing to sign?A "coincidental accident" made them reconsider.
A developer wanting quicker progress?Caleb handled it.
Those deeds eventually built the foundation of his entire empire.
And among all those "handled matters,"the Lafferty family was the biggest loose end.
Originally, they had been beaten into submission. They signed, they compromised, and they stayed quiet.
But now?
Even someone like Quincy, who Caleb once suppressed so harshly that he couldn't breathe in the industry, dared to turn around and bite him.
Because now—
Jason Carter was behind them.
The moment someone had Jason's backing, they no longer feared the there family.
Caleb immediately dialed a major developer he had long-standing ties with.The call rang five seconds—then cut off.
He tried again.
Blocked.
Caleb stared blankly at the phone.
The developer who owed him many favors…
The one he thought would help him survive…
Had cut him off the moment trouble arrived.
He gritted his teeth and dialed another number.This one mattered even more.
Director Wallace.His real backer.The man who covered for him in the past.The man who looked away from the messy things Caleb did when the city needed dirty work done.
The call didn't go through.
The phone was off.
"No… impossible…" Caleb's lips trembled."He wouldn't block me. He can't block me."
He tried again.
Still unreachable.
Caleb felt panic rise like a tide.He immediately rushed out to find Director Wallace in person.
Because if everything else collapsed, Wallace was his one lifeline.
If Wallace backed him, he might still survive.
But when he reached Wallace's office—
The secretary pulled him aside with a terrified whisper:
"Director Wallace… was taken away last night by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. He's under investigation."
Caleb's mind went blank.
A wave of icy cold swept from his scalp to the soles of his feet.
Director Wallace—His protector.His shield.His last lifeline—
Was gone.
Not just gone—Under a corruption investigation.
That meant every financial "favor," every "gift," every envelope, every dinner, every suspicious transaction…
Would be uncovered.
And when it came out that Caleb was directly involved?
Bribery.
A crime infinitely more serious than his son's case.
Even small bribes could get 5 years.Moderate ones 5–10 years.Major ones 10+ years.
And Caleb had… done far more than a "small bribe."
His hands were shaking uncontrollably.
He suddenly realized—
He hadn't just jeopardized his son's freedom.
He had gambled his life, his company, his legacy, and buried himself alive trying to save Cai.
This wasn't "settling old scores."This was Jason handing him a one-way ticket to hell.
The secretary standing nearby was ghost-pale. He had long suspected Jason Carter's retaliation would be terrifying…
But the reality far exceeded imagination.
The secretary quietly evaluated the situation.
There family had no future.Staying would mean going down with the sinking ship.
He began silently drafting his resignation letter in his mind—and planning which of Jason's connections he might try to approach next.
Because following Caleb any further…
Was no different from waiting to be buried alive.
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