Chapter 649:

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“The Brussels acquisition,” he said, his voice filled with deep, resonant affection. “The regulators were trying to block the final transfer of ownership for the last two chip fabs on our list. I spent the last two days in D.C. making sure that problem went away. I also took the liberty of acquiring the EU’s leading quantum chip supplier. The path to your complete monopoly of the European market is now clear. Vance, execute.”

Vance typed a single command into his terminal: EXECUTE DIRECTIVE 7. He hit enter.

Instantly, every screen in the launch venue, every Gilliam Group terminal worldwide, and a press release to every major news outlet flashed the exact same message.

“URGENT: Today’s ‘Aethel’ launch has been postponed indefinitely due to a force majeure event involving a critical EU supplier.”

At the venue, Serena’s face went from triumph to utter, horrified confusion. The color drained from her skin.

On Wall Street, absolute chaos erupted. The catastrophic event the short-sellers had bet their entire existence on simply wasn’t happening.

Before the market could even process the delay, Cassius gave his second order.

“Now.”

Vance executed the second command. “Sir, as per Ms. Joyce’s protocol, the buyback is being executed through three legally distinct, non-affiliated funds in Zurich and Singapore. It’s untraceable to the Group’s main balance sheet, avoiding any market manipulation charges.” Gilliam Group’s massive offshore reserve fund began buying back its own stock with overwhelming, brutal force.

Dо𝗐𝘯𝘭𝗈𝘢𝘥 𝖯D𝘍ѕ 𝗳𝘳eе оn g𝗮𝗅n𝗈v𝗲lѕ.сo𝗆

The stock price didn’t just stabilize — it rocketed upward. Five percent. Ten percent. Fifteen percent. The green arrows shot up the screens in a matter of minutes.

For the short-sellers, it was a death blow. It was a short squeeze of epic, historical proportions. They were suddenly forced to buy back shares at an astronomical, climbing price just to cover their bleeding positions.

Margin calls were triggered automatically by the banks. Vulture Capital’s funds were instantly wiped out. Billions of dollars in predatory capital evaporated into thin air in less than ten minutes.

In the command center, Cassius ignored the financial carnage on the main screens, turning his attention instead to a smaller monitor displaying a decrypted email.

“Vance, confirm the paperwork on all three acquisitions is finalized,” Cassius said calmly.

Vance’s eyes widened slightly as he read the newly arrived confirmation. “The final transfer of majority shares is confirmed for all three entities, sir. The technology is officially ours. The political roadblocks have been… cleared.”

Cassius smiled. He had used the full weight of his political power to clear the final obstacle for her.

“Keep this strictly confidential until the market closes,” Cassius instructed. “I want to be the one to tell her that her complete monopoly of the European market is now secure.”

He looked at the secondary screen showing Ayla’s face in the penthouse. She was staring at the market data, a look of fierce, brilliant victory on her face.

He hadn’t given her a gift. He had simply acted as the shield for her sword, ensuring her conquest was absolute.

At the venue, corporate security discreetly surrounded a pale, sweating Serena Thorne. Her phone vibrated violently with frantic, furious messages from offshore numbers that would soon be permanently disconnected.

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