The door to Lu Rong's office was flung open without warning. Adisorn strode into the CFO's private sanctum with an air of sheer arrogance, causing Lu Rong—who had been sitting cross-legged behind his desk—to startle visibly. The older man looked up at the intruder who had dared to enter so insolently.
"Mr. Markrim... I would have thought ZX Capital educated you better in basic etiquette," Lu Rong sneered. "Or is this uncultured behavior... simply a personal trait of yours?"
Adisorn remained unshaken. He offered a polite smile, yet his eyes were as razor-sharp as a blade ready to flay skin from bone.
"I'd call it my straightforward nature... I'm the type to express exactly what I think, without the need for a mask."
He came to a stop in front of Lu Rong's desk. That cryptic smile sent a chill down Lu Rong's spine, forcing the CFO to straighten his posture in a futile attempt at dominance. "Do you have something to consult me about? Or has CK Group's rigorous bureaucracy made your M&A team's work a bit... sluggish?" Lu Rong smirked, relishing the memory of the past two days he had spent sabotaging the team with red tape.
"Working under your regulations has been quite smooth... until we happened upon something rather intriguing."
Adisorn placed a dossier onto the desk before Lu Rong with agonizing gentleness. It revealed a summary of financial irregularities linked to Fei Yuan Assets, complete with the glaringly obvious signatures of Chairwoman Zhou Mi Ling.
"I am here to warn you of suspicious signals within KCC's financial records—significant risks that could lead someone straight to a prison cell."
Lu Rong's face shifted color slightly. He sensed a looming disaster, yet he maintained his haughty facade. "I haven't the slightest idea what those documents are. Don't waste my time with baseless accusations."
"Fei Yuan Assets... 'Special Project Advisory Fees,' authorized by a single individual for over five years," Adisorn interrupted in a voice of ice. He tapped his finger heavily on the signature line. "And the sole authorized signatory is... Chairwoman Zhou Mi Ling, your daughter."
The room became as silent as a graveyard. Lu Rong's face drained of color until it was deathly pale. He felt his world collapse. The daughter he had nurtured, the one he had fought to keep in power, had been stabbing the company in the back—and was about to drag him into hell with her.
"What... what is this..." Lu Rong's voice trembled. The arrogance in his eyes shattered as he met the gaze of the 'Grim Reaper' standing before him. "Are you telling me... Mi Ling embezzled funds?"
"Do you think I should place this report on Dr. Li Ming's desk tomorrow morning?" Adisorn leaned over the desk, closing the distance until he was inches from Lu Rong's face. The proximity radiated a lethal aura that made it difficult for the CFO to breathe. "As a father... you should know exactly where embezzlement charges end up. Your family name will be ruined for generations. It won't just be your daughter flying out of her seat; your entire tenure as CFO will be dragged into a forensic audit until there is nothing left of your reputation."
Adisorn flashed a chilling, devilish grin, holding the ultimate trump card. "But I didn't come here to destroy you... provided you know which side of the line you should be standing on."
He straightened up, looking down at Lu Rong like a lion eyeing a cornered rat. "Your stalling game is over. I want access to the database and every document you've suppressed... within the next two hours."
Lu Rong sat stunned, his pride torn out and exposed in broad daylight. Everything he built was being demolished by the man he had once looked down upon.
"And for the sake of your survival... consider carefully: will you sink with VCC, or leap to the side that holds the winning hand—ZX Capital?" Adisorn whispered in a dark, resonant tone. "The merger is less than two weeks away. If my work is hindered by you again... this secret goes straight to the Chairman." He glanced at Lu Rong with a cunning intensity. "You know the outcome. When that day comes, you and your daughter's path will end in only one place."
Adisorn leaned in one last time, his voice dropping to a whisper that cut through Lu Rong's very soul. "...In hell."
He flashed a smile that belonged to a demon in a saint's body, then straightened his suit and gave a slight, mocking nod before walking away. Lu Rong ground his teeth, closing his eyes slowly as the bitter taste of defeat rose in his throat. He had no other choice now. He had to kneel at the feet of the devil named A.P. Markrim to save the final, tattered shreds of his life and his family.