Victor Hale slowly adjusted his sleeve, his movements calm and deliberate, as if nothing in the world could disturb his composure. His voice, when he spoke, was light—almost casual.
"Since that's the case… I'll grant your request."
There was no anger in his tone, no visible hostility. Yet the moment he tilted his head slightly and spoke to the butler behind him, the entire atmosphere shifted.
"Mr. Foster. Notify them."
A brief pause followed.
Then Victor spoke again, each word measured and precise.
"From this moment onward, the Quinn family is blacklisted."
The sentence was simple.
But its impact—
Was devastating.
Chairman Quinn felt his mind go blank. "B-blacklisted…?" His voice trembled as panic surged through him. "Chairman Hale! This is a misunderstanding—please, this is all a misunderstanding!" He rushed forward instinctively, reaching out as if he could physically stop what had already begun.
But the moment Victor's gaze swept over him—
Cold.
Indifferent.
Chairman Quinn froze.
His hand remained suspended in mid-air, trembling.
Victor didn't even look at him again. Instead, he continued calmly, as if issuing routine instructions.
"Within five minutes, cut off all Quinn family bank loans."
"Within ten minutes, terminate every upstream supplier."
He paused briefly, his tone turning colder.
"After that, I don't want to see a single company in Skyhaven City doing business with them."
Another pause.
Then the final line—
"Anyone who helps them… becomes my enemy."
Silence fell over the hall.
No shouting.
No violence.
And yet—
It felt colder than a battlefield.
This was the true power of capital.
No blood needed to be spilled. No fists needed to be raised. With nothing but words, an entire family could be erased.
Lucas Reed stood to the side, his expression darkening. He wanted to speak, to challenge Victor, to expose the cruelty behind this display of power—but before he could say a single word—
A ringtone shattered the silence.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, the entire Quinn family was surrounded by the sound of ringing phones.
It came all at once.
Like dominoes collapsing.
Chairman Quinn answered one call with shaking hands. A cold, emotionless voice came from the other end.
"Due to increased financial risk, your 300 million loan is being recalled immediately. Failure to repay will result in legal action."
The phone slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a dull clatter.
Before he could even react—
Another call.
"Old Quinn… we're canceling the project. Don't worry about the penalty—we don't dare offend the Hale family."
Another.
"No more raw materials. Supply is cut off."
Another.
"The partnership is over."
Each call was like a blade.
Cutting away another lifeline.
Within two minutes—
Everything collapsed.
The Quinn family, which had stood proudly moments ago, was now on the verge of ruin.
The relatives who had been praising Lucas earlier now turned pale, their admiration twisting into anger and fear.
"It's all your fault!" Sophia's aunt shouted first, pointing at Lucas hysterically. "Why did you have to act like a hero? Look what you've done!"
"You think your skills matter? Can they feed us?!"
"Sophia! Stop standing there! Throw him out! Do you want to destroy this entire family?!"
The accusations came one after another, relentless and desperate.
Lucas stood at the center of it all, silent.
His fists clenched tightly, his entire body tense.
He didn't understand.
Before this, strength had been enough. A display of ability, a show of confidence—people would follow him without question.
But now—
Faced with absolute financial domination—
His strength felt meaningless.
Pathetic.
Victor stood at the edge of the crowd, watching everything unfold with cold detachment. When he saw the frustration and disbelief in Lucas's expression, a faint trace of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
In a world ruled by capital—
Pride without power was nothing more than a joke.
"Victor Hale!"
Lucas suddenly roared, his eyes bloodshot like a cornered beast. "What kind of skill is this? Using such despicable methods?! If you have the guts, face me directly!"
Victor didn't respond.
He simply glanced at his watch.
"Thirty seconds," he said indifferently. "If the Quinn family doesn't remove him… by sunrise tomorrow, every one of you will be on the enforcement list."
That—
Was the final blow.
Chairman Quinn's face twisted with desperation. His eyes turned red as he spun toward the bodyguards.
"What are you waiting for?!" he roared. "Throw him out! Now!"
The bodyguards hesitated.
They feared Lucas.
But they feared ruin more.
Slowly, they began to close in.
"Dad, stop!" Sophia cried, rushing forward and placing herself in front of Lucas. Tears streamed down her face as she shielded him. "He helped us! How can you treat him like this?!"
"Helped us?!" Chairman Quinn shouted. "He's destroying us! Do you want to kill me?!"
The situation spiraled into chaos.
And just as Lucas was about to act—
A heavy thud echoed from the back.
Then a terrified scream pierced through the hall.
"Someone help! The old master—he's coughing blood!"
"Grandpa is dying!!"
Everything froze.