Michael flicked the half-burnt cigarette to the ground, crushed it under his shoe, and headed for the elevator. Instead of going straight back, he detoured to the food center first. When he finally returned to the private room, he was holding a large tub of popcorn, already halfway gone.
He dropped into his seat, munching casually.
"So?" James asked. "How did it go?"
"Normal," Michael replied. "We talked. Got interrupted. But at least he calmed down—he won't be driving like someone who wants to die anymore."
He tilted the popcorn toward James. James took a generous handful and nodded in approval.
Michael then turned to Daniel and lifted the tub. "You want?"
"Come closer," Daniel said lazily. "I can't reach."
Michael rolled his eyes but stood up anyway, walking over and perching on the table in front of Daniel as he held the popcorn out.
Daniel reached for it—then paused.
Before Michael could react, Daniel leaned in suddenly.
"What the hell—Daniel!" Michael yelped, jerking back.
James watched the scene with open delight.
"You smoked," Daniel said calmly.
Michael immediately choked. "Who smoked?! Don't accuse me falsely!"
Daniel narrowed his eyes at him.
"Tsk." James clicked his tongue dramatically. "So you smoked to stop Prim from smoking? Wow. I thought you hated cigarettes. What a noble sacrifice—friendship at its finest."
"Will you shut up?" Michael snapped. "Who said I don't smoke? So what if I did? I didn't commit a crime!"
He stormed back to his seat, clearly offended.
Daniel sneered but didn't say anything.
Michael sneaked a glance at him, then quickly looked away, aggressively eating popcorn like it had personally wronged him.
He's so dead serious, Michael thought. This is worse. He's not even scolding me.
"I've honestly never seen you smoke before," James added thoughtfully. "You really do learn something new every day."
He casually offered Michael a cigarette.
Michael stared at it. Then glanced at Daniel.
"You look like you're asking your father for permission," James mocked.
Michael glared at him, snatched the cigarette, and lit it. "Who's afraid, damn it?"
Daniel stood up without another word and walked out.
"…Where's he going?" James asked.
"How would I know?" Michael muttered, eyes already glued to the race that had just started on screen.
Emily stepped out of the house, keys in hand, heels clicking against the driveway as she headed for the garage. The night air was cool, the lights from the estate glowing softly around her.
Then she saw him.
Nathan Carter leaned casually against his car like he owned the world—annoyingly calm, infuriatingly handsome.
Emily's expression darkened instantly.
She turned on her heel, ready to march back inside.
Too late.
Nathan crossed the distance in three strides, scooped her up like a sack of rice, and tossed her into the passenger seat before she could even scream properly. The car door slammed shut, and the engine roared to life.
"The fuck, Nathan?!" Emily yelled, struggling. "This is kidnapping!"
"So?" Nathan replied calmly, pulling onto the road.
"I'm going to sue you."
"I gave you a week," Nathan said coolly. "A whole week. And instead of coming home, divorce rumors are spreading everywhere. Emily—are you testing me?"
Emily slapped the back of his head.
"Go test your stupid attitude on your sister," she snapped. "She's the one telling everyone we're divorcing and setting you up on blind dates. Instead of blaming me, have you been watching too many dramas, big head?"
Nathan shot her a glare. "Then why the hell are you going to a club at your age?"
Emily scoffed. "Why? Men are allowed fresh meat, but women aren't?"
Nathan slammed the brakes.
"You perverted woman!" he yelled, turning toward her. "Are you trying to find some young man to be my children's new father?!"
Emily crossed her arms. "Should I find old meat like you? What do I look like? And what's wrong with young men? They have energy."
Nathan stared at her.
"What are you looking at?" Emily snapped. "Why are you stopping the car? You want to fight? Ahhh—help! Murder!"
Before she could finish, Nathan tied her wrists with his belt and shoved his tie into her mouth.
He took a deep breath.
Count to ten. Just drive.
Then—
Headlights.
A massive truck barreled toward them at full speed.
Nathan swerved hard to the left. The car flew off the road and slammed into the side of a building with a deafening crash. Glass shattered. Metal screeched.
Nathan twisted instantly, shielding Emily with his body.
The truck reversed.
Then charged again.
The car overturned.
Hidden bodyguards—stationed discreetly as Nathan had instructed—rushed in. Vehicles screeched to a halt. The truck fled as several cars gave chase.
John and the others dragged Nathan and Emily out and sped away.
The news exploded within minutes.
"Breaking news—Nathan Carter and his wife, Emily Carter, were involved in a serious accident. However, they have not been admitted to any hospital. Is the Carter family concealing the situation?"
Brian Carter, watching from his estate, clutched his chest as pain shot through him. The butler rushed forward in panic.
Meanwhile, at Henry Carter's house—
Celebration.
Laughter.
Wine.
Every Carter sibling seemed oddly pleased.
The news wasn't just on television—it flooded phones, radios, every screen imaginable.
...
Underground Race Track
The crowd roared.
The white car slammed into the black one—again and again.
Everyone waited.
Expected retaliation.
But instead—
The black car reversed.
Gasps echoed.
It sped back—not toward the finish—but straight to the starting point. Faster than before. Cleaner. Sharper.
Then it exited the underground club entirely.
"What the hell?!" James jumped up. "Why did Prim leave? We were winning! What the fuck?!"
Michael was already standing. "Something happened."
He turned and ran.
Daniel put his phone down and stepped onto the balcony just in time to see Michael leaving. He grabbed his wrist.
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked.
"What do you think?" Michael snapped. "Let go."
"No," Daniel said firmly, dragging him back. "Now is not the time."
"Something happened to him, and you don't want me to check? Are you insane?"
"Shut the fuck up," Daniel growled. "Prim needs to be alone. And whatever happened—this is Carter business."
Back at the track, Luis watched silently.
He pulled out his phone. "Neo. Check."
"I can't find anything," Neo replied. "The Kane family shut it down. All media platforms—direct order from Daniel. Whatever happened… to Carter no media platforms Dare breath it out"
Luis's eyes darkened.
"Then find out," he said softly. "Before it disappears completely."
Ava moved before fear could spread.
While the world buzzed with speculation, rumors, and half-edited clips, she sat in the quiet war room of the Carter manor—screens lit up across the dark space, blue light reflecting in her steady eyes.
Her fingers hovered briefly over the keyboard.
Then she posted.
> Official Statement – Carter Group
Any individual or media platform spreading misinformation regarding Mr. and Mrs. Carter will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Any party wishing to withdraw from contractual agreements may do so—provided they are prepared to face the legal and commercial consequences.
The message went live.
For three minutes, the world went silent.
Then the fools appeared.
Some companies publicly announced contract withdrawals, eager to distance themselves. Others demanded meetings. Press trucks crowded outside the Carter estate gates, cameras raised like weapons, reporters shouting questions that no one intended to answer.
They thought silence meant weakness.
Ava proved them wrong.
Within the hour, every journalist standing outside the manor was arrested.
Not escorted.
Not warned.
Arrested.
Phones confiscated. Cameras seized. No bail. No "mistaken identity." Charges stacked so neatly it was obvious—this had been prepared long before they arrived.
The companies that withdrew contracts didn't even make it to the next morning.
Ava activated the Hayes Law Empire.
Cases were filed simultaneously across jurisdictions. Assets frozen. Accounts locked. Licenses revoked. Stocks collapsed.
By nightfall, twenty companies were bankrupt.
Every remaining asset—every patent, property, and subsidiary—was absorbed cleanly into Nathan Carter's empire.
Those who had "added wood to the fire" followed swiftly—arrests made regardless of status or surname.
Even Henry Carter wasn't spared.
He was taken in quietly. His company dealings suspended indefinitely.
By the end of the day, only one rule remained clear:
If you stood against them, you fell.
The world went quiet again.
This time, it stayed that way.
People finally understood.
They had mistaken Ava Carter for a child.
But a lion does not give birth to a rat.
Nathan Carter Manor
The doors opened softly.
Prim walked in, jacket slung over his shoulder, expression calm—too calm for someone who had just abandoned an underground race mid-victory.
Ava spun around immediately.
"Where the hell have you been?" she snapped. "I've been calling nonstop. Mom and Dad aren't answering."
She shoved a laptop into his hands. "I had to stall using official complaints."
Prim sat down without a word.
The room filled with the sound of keys.
Not frantic.
Not rushed.
His fingers moved like ghosts—silent, precise, unreal.
Firewalls dissolved. Private servers collapsed. Backup archives corrupted themselves before anyone could react.
He didn't suppress the information.
He erased it.
Every leaked video.
Every internal memo.
Every message that existed before the crash.
Gone.
"Done," Prim said calmly, closing the laptop.
Ava stared at him for a second. "…So they really were in an accident."
"Yes," Prim replied. "Minor complications. Handled."
She exhaled slowly.
"Continue what you're doing," he added casually. "I already cleaned up the backlash. The news cycle's been redirected."
Ava blinked. "Redirected?"
"I exposed a few businessmen and politicians," Prim said lightly. "Nothing dramatic. Financial crimes. Human trafficking. Election interference. You should've received the files."
Her tablet buzzed.
Email after email.
Evidence.
Names.
Dates.
"And," Prim continued, standing up, "I sent you the projects Dad and Mom's rivals are pushing right now. If they move—destroy them."
Ava nodded, her expression sharp again.
"And the illegal side?" she asked.
Prim shrugged. "I'll handle that."
Silence filled the room.
Not tense.
Controlled.