Building The Strongest Family

Chapter 408: The Trap

The nighttime sea stretched out like a vast sheet of black glass.Above it, a grand palace made of shimmering silver steel floated silently.

It was much more than a typical yacht; referring to it as a "yacht" barely captured its true scale. It resembled a moving fortress, a testament to the power amassed over generations.

But tonight, that power felt precarious.

Within the lavish lounge, the ten most powerful pharmaceutical titans in Panterra had convened around a sleek obsidian table.

The walls gleamed with gold detailing, the lighting was dim, and the air was thick with tension. Waves lapped gently against the hull, yet none of them paid attention. Their empires were in ruins, and each one knew who was the architect of their downfall.

Darius Veyne sat at the head of the table.

Tall, with a defined jawline and immaculately combed silver hair, his typically calm eyes now bore an icy storm. He scanned the room, making sure everyone was there:

Lira Solmarr,Rook Kael,Senna Voss,Talis Orin,Mira Hel,Joran Dyre,Korin Veyd,Veyra Aldis and Draven Sol

Titans of medicine and the rulers of suffering. Each one of them controlled a piece of the world’s distress.But that was no longer the case.

Darius rapped his knuckles on the table. "Let’s get started."

Silence enveloped the group.The soft hum of the yacht’s engines thrummed beneath them.

"We have an issue," Darius said bluntly.

Rook slammed his hand on the table. "An issue? The Osborns have utterly crushed us! First, their AMHP-9 Rebirth Pod wreaked havoc on our prosthetics and regeneration sectors. Then their VitaCore Emerald Liquid sliced our recovery lines in half. And it GENEBANE something we have been profiting for years."

Lira Solmarr added with bitterness, "As if that weren’t enough, they’ve launched a cancer cure at a price lower than bottled water."

Talis Orin rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Our entire oncology division is collapsing."

Mira Hel, who typically radiated poise and grace, seemed anything but unruffled tonight. "Shareholders are running for the hills. Global funds are pulling out. We’ve lost three trillion unicreds in market value in just two weeks."

Senna Voss fidgeted with her pen, her voice quaking with nerves. "Do you understand how many investors have threatened legal action? Our board can barely keep it together under this pressure."

"And the worst part?" Korin Veyd added grimly. "The Eleven Families, the ones who’ve supported us for generations? They’re completely silent. It’s as if they know something we don’t."

A heavy silence settled in.

Darius leaned in slightly. "They do know something."

Draven Sol scoffed, "One family wins a few skirmishes, and suddenly everyone submits? Nonsense."

Joran Dyre shook his head. "Not nonsense. The Osborns have accomplished in mere years what we’ve maintained for centuries."

Veyra Aldis whispered, "And they’ve managed it without any scandals or leaks. There’s nothing we can use against them."

That statement struck hard in the room.

Silence blanketed the table.Outside, the waves continued to strike the hull,soft yet ominous.

Darius pressed a small button.A holographic display flickered above the table,cold statistics laid bare for all to see.

"Osborn Pharmaceutical’s market share: 90% in GENEBANE treatment," he read aloud.

"Cancer cure adoption rate: 62% within three days."

"Projected dominance in oncology: total."

Senna gasped. "That’s unbelievable."

"No," Darius replied flatly. "It’s affordable. That’s what makes it dangerous."

Mira Hel nodded thoughtfully. "People already see them as heroes. Their low prices make us seem monstrous."

Rook snarled, "We’re being likened to vultures."

"We are vultures," Korin muttered quietly.

The others shot him disapproving looks, but he held his ground.

"We thrived on pain," he continued. "We profited from suffering. Now someone has alleviated that suffering at a price even the poor can afford. Of course, the public adores them."

Lira crossed her legs, her tone firm. "This isn’t just about showing affection in public; it’s about control. If Osborn takes charge of health, they will dominate everything."

Senna pounded her fist on the table. "And what about us? We’re on the brink of bankruptcy because of a family that didn’t even exist a decade ago!"

Joran got to his feet. "They’re a reality now, and they’re everywhere: in every store, every clinic, every news outlet, every product people buy."

"And every significant treatment," Darius added somberly.

Draven Sol shared another report.

"Take a look at this," he urged. "Our analysts are acknowledging something we never imagined: Osborn Pharmaceutical isn’t merely leading the market; they’re completely transforming it."

Veyra gasped as data flashed across the screen.

Cancer Collapse: Oncology revenues fell by 40% in just one week.

Diagnostic machines, chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapies,rendered obsolete almost overnight.

Everything their empires relied upon was disintegrating right before their eyes.

Talis spoke unsteadily, "We’ve survived for centuries,through wars, plagues, and economic downturns. But now, we’re falling apart because one young man refuses to conform to our way of doing things."

"He’s not just conforming; he’s redefining the whole system," Lira interrupted.

"And in doing so, he’s erasing us," Mira added.

The atmosphere turned tense.A few attendees wiped sweat from their foreheads as anxiety settled in like a dense fog.

Senna stood to address everyone. "Let’s be honest: this situation is unnatural. No new company should have the power to dismantle us this rapidly."

Rook frowned. "So, what do we call him? A genius?"

Korin Veyd shook his head resolutely. "He’s something different,something far more perilous."

Joran Dyre spoke softly, yet firmly, "He’s unreliable. He doesn’t trade in suffering; he wipes it out."

A chill swept through the room.

Darius clasped his hands together. "To the public, he’s a hero; to the elite, he’s a menace. And we know he won’t back down."

Mira’s voice quivered with distress. "We are losing everything."

"And we’ll lose even more," Darius warned. "Unless we act immediately."

Tension thickened as Darius pressed another button, causing the holograms to fade, revealing dim red outlines of supply routes, distribution centers, and financial networks.

Targets for covert operations.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Darius began, "we must prepare for retaliation."

Silence fell over the room.

Rook leaned in with caution. "Are you suggesting,...?"

"Yes," Darius affirmed. "Covert operations: sabotage, cyber attacks, smear campaigns, we need to disrupt Osborn’s supply chains and media presence."

Korin’s expression grew serious at the implication. "Are we truly discussing war?"

"A war for our very survival," Darius insisted.

Lira spoke in a hushed tone, "If we fail... we will vanish."

"We won’t fail," Draven replied, though his words carried a hint of doubt.

Senna quietly asked, "Do we all stand together on this?"

One by one, they nodded,not out of courage, but because they felt trapped.

Darius raised his hand decisively. "We authorize covert actions against Osborn’s distribution channels: using shadow groups and orchestrating paid media assaults, along with controlled leaks,anything that undermines them."

He paused to let his words sink in.

"Failure is not an option."

Just then, the yacht swayed slightly from a gust of wind,as if the sea sensed the storm they were about to unleash.

Joran activated a secure channel on the table; it flickered with encrypted symbols.

"This just arrived an hour ago," he said solemnly.

It was a request from a shadow network,a group known for one thing: dismantling systems.

Darius read the message out loud:

"Ready for deployment. State your target. Payment required upfront."

Mira shut her eyes. "This is going too far."

Darius shook his head. "There are no boundaries left."He quickly typed a single reply."Osborn Payment Rails."

The others looked at him in disbelief.

Rook murmured, "You really want to take down their financial foundation?"

"Yes."

"That’s going to throw everything into chaos."

"Exactly."

Meanwhile, in Varenya, within the heights of Arthur study room, a faint light began to blink on a control panel.

Evolon had intercepted the entire exchange, every single word, each plan, every threat.

Arthur sat alone in his office, watching the transcript stream across the glass display.

He felt no shock or fear, just a calculated calm as if he had been waiting for this moment all along.

Evolon’s soft, emotionless voice broke the silence: "Patriarch. The Ten Giants have initiated a covert war."

Arthur clasped his hands together and replied coolly,

"Good."

He leaned back in his chair, a glint of confidence in his eyes."It’s time we finally deal these ants. They have been jumping for a long time."

Evolon continued, "They’ve employed a shadow network to target your payment systems."

A slight, icy smile flickered across Arthur’s face,a predatory grin that spoke of the hunt beginning.

"Let them try," he said with assurance.

He closed the file decisively."Prepare for the counterattack."

"Yes, Patriach," Evolon acknowledged.

Arthur eyes narrowed slightly as a cold smiled tugged at the corner of his lips.

Outside, the city sparkled like a sea of stars, blissfully unaware that a silent war was unfolding over its future,and one man was poised for whatever would come next.