The night after the chaos outside the company was unusually silent. The villa that Bill and Steeven were staying in felt heavy, almost suffocating. Even the air itself carried tension.
Bill was sitting on the couch while continuously checking the company's stock charts on his laptop. Every few seconds, the numbers refreshed, and each refresh made his face darker.
Steeven, on the other hand, was standing near the large glass window while quietly drinking coffee. His expression remained calm, but his eyes were sharp.
Suddenly—
RING! RING!
Bill's phone started vibrating.
The moment he looked at the caller ID, his expression changed.
"Thomas Anderson…" Bill muttered angrily.
Steeven slowly turned around.
"Put it on speaker," he said calmly.
Bill immediately answered the call.
The next second, Thomas's arrogant laughter echoed through the room.
"Hahaha! So, Bill Jonson… how does it feel?" Thomas mocked.
Bill clenched his fists.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
Thomas laughed again.
"What do I want? Isn't it obvious? Tomorrow morning, your company's shares will fall so badly that even beggars won't buy them."
Hearing this, Bill's expression stiffened.
Thomas continued proudly,
"I gave you both enough chances to surrender. But instead of accepting defeat, you chose to fight me. Now I'll crush your company completely."
Bill angrily shouted,
"You bastard!"
But before he could continue, Steeven walked forward and took the phone from his hand.
His voice remained calm.
"So this was your plan all along?"
Thomas smirked from the other side.
"Of course. Do you really think children like you can compete with me? Tomorrow, the entire Floris business world will watch your company collapse."
Steeven narrowed his eyes slightly.
"And what if it doesn't collapse?"
Thomas burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Then I'll kneel in front of your company myself!"
Steeven calmly replied,
"Good. Remember your own words."
Thomas's tone suddenly became colder.
"You still sound confident even now. Interesting. Let's see how long that confidence survives after tomorrow morning."
The call disconnected.
Silence filled the room.
Bill immediately stood up in frustration.
"Damn it!" he shouted.
He kicked the table nearby.
"This Thomas has gone completely crazy! If the company shares really fall tomorrow, then we're finished!"
But Steeven remained calm.
Bill looked at him in disbelief.
"How are you still this calm?!"
Steeven placed the phone on the table.
"Because panicking won't solve anything."
Bill ran his fingers through his hair nervously.
"You don't understand! If investors lose trust, then the company will collapse before we even get the chance to fight back!"
Steeven looked directly at him.
"No, Bill. The company will only collapse if we lose control."
Bill frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Steeven slowly sat down.
"Thomas's biggest mistake is believing that fear controls us."
Bill looked confused.
"But what can we even do now?"
Before Steeven could answer—
RING!
Bill's phone rang again.
This time, the caller was his father.
Barry Jonson.
Bill immediately answered.
"Father?"
Barry's serious voice came from the phone.
"Bill… I just received news about the stock market situation."
Bill's face became nervous.
"So you already know…"
Barry sighed heavily.
"Yes. Thomas has already started spreading rumors against our company. Investors are panicking."
Then Barry's tone became sharper.
"Where is Steeven?"
Steeven calmly took the phone.
"I'm here, Uncle Barry."
Barry immediately asked,
"Steeven, tell me honestly. Do you have a plan?"
For the first time, even Barry sounded worried.
After all, if the company shares crashed too badly, even his empire would suffer enormous damage.
But Steeven calmly replied,
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'll handle everything."
Barry stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke again.
"Do you really have confidence?"
Steeven smiled faintly.
"Thomas believes he's hunting us. But he doesn't realize he already stepped into my trap."
Even Bill looked shocked after hearing this.
Barry slowly exhaled.
"Alright… I'll trust you."
Then his tone became serious again.
"But remember this carefully. If the company falls, then our entire business reputation will be destroyed."
Steeven replied confidently,
"It won't happen."
After ending the call, Bill immediately turned toward him.
"Trap?!" he asked in disbelief.
"What trap are you talking about?"
Steeven simply smiled.
"You'll understand tomorrow."
That night, neither of them slept properly.
The entire business world of Floris was restless.
Rumors spread everywhere.
"Jonson Company is collapsing…"
"Thomas Anderson is taking over…"
"The company is finished…"
The next morning arrived quickly.
At exactly 10:30 AM, the stock market opened.
Inside the company office, everyone looked tense.
Employees whispered nervously while staring at the giant screen displaying the company shares.
And then—
The numbers suddenly started falling.
10%.
15%.
22%.
The company's stock price crashed heavily within minutes.
Panic immediately spread throughout the office.
Some employees even started arguing with each other.
Bill stared at the screen in horror.
"No… no… no…"
His hands started shaking.
"It's really happening…"
Meanwhile, in another building across the city, Thomas Anderson sat comfortably inside his office while laughing proudly.
Wine rested in his hand.
"This is the power of experience," he said arrogantly.
One of his assistants smiled.
"Sir, their company shares are falling rapidly."
Thomas smirked.
"Good. Soon they'll beg me for mercy."
At that exact moment—
Steeven's phone rang again.
Thomas.
Steeven answered calmly.
Thomas immediately started mocking him.
"So, Mr. Temporary Head… how does defeat feel?"
Bill angrily tried to grab the phone, but Steeven stopped him.
Thomas continued laughing.
"Your company shares are collapsing exactly as I predicted. What will you do now? Cry?"
Steeven stayed silent.
Thomas smirked proudly.
"What happened? Cat got your tongue?"
Still no response.
Finally, Thomas laughed arrogantly again.
"Hahaha! You finally realized you can't defeat me."
Then he coldly added,
"By tomorrow, your company will belong to me."
The call disconnected.
Bill looked completely stressed now.
"What are we supposed to do?!"
But surprisingly—
Steeven smiled.
Not a nervous smile.
A dangerous smile.
He slowly took out his phone.
Bill looked confused.
"What are you doing?"
Steeven calmly dialed a number.
Then he spoke only one sentence.
"It's time to begin."
The moment he said those words—
His eyes turned ice cold.
And for the first time…
Bill realized that maybe…
Thomas Anderson had made the biggest mistake of his life.