Calum had no choice. He had an entire workforce to feed. On the other side of the display, he listened quietly as Damian laid out all his conditions. He didn't respond right away. His fingers tapped the edge of the bed in a slow, steady rhythm. "Sixty percent of the profits in exchange for your absolute freedom," he said at last. He looked at Damian's projection and slowly curved his lips. "Fine. I'll agree. But…" Calum's tone shifted. He lifted his chin just slightly, his gaze sharpening as it locked onto Damian. "You're going to guarantee that NexusPrime Tech's yearly payout to me never drops below its current numbers." If Damian really went bankrupt, then all of his effort would go up in smoke. Damian's smile deepened. "Rest assured, Marshal. I wouldn't dare walk into a deal with you if I planned to shortchange you."A deal with him comes with consequences. He couldn't afford to disappoint him. When Damian finally shut off the lightcore, his assistant stared at him, completely baffled. "Mr. Voss, you just gave Marshal Calum that much profit. Why didn't you use the opportunity to ask him to help you return to Ms. Emma Tibarn?" That's sixty percent of the profits. Once the staff are paid, almost everything goes straight to Marshal Calum. Is our star lord basically working for free? This has to be a joke. "I'm cooperating with them. It has nothing to do with her. If I brought up something like that, how would I be any different from before?" Damian replied. Besides, Calum and Lucien would disagree. If he said that out loud, he could forget ever getting close to Emma again. Damian pulled out a proposal and tossed it to the assistant. "Get started. All those projects we've been shelving—we can finally push them without holding back."The assistant opened the file. His eyes lit up with excitement. "I'll arrange everything right away." Those projects had been stalled for too long and were dragging down NexusPrime Tech's growth. Once they rolled out smoothly, that female, Dahlia, wouldn't stand a chance against them. … Meanwhile… Right after Calum ended the call with Damian, a message from Lucien popped up. 'Marshal, Damian should've reached out to you by now. I'll handle everything. I want forty percent of the cut.' Calum snorted. This brat really has the nerve. He got up and stepped out of his room. He thought Lucien was in the room. But when he stepped out, he found him sitting in the living area, eating a late-night snack with Silas, Corvin, and Alaric.When Corvin spotted him, he immediately handed over an extra set of silverware. "Calum, you're up? Are you hungry? Come eat." Calum sat down, accepted the utensils, and murmured, "Thanks." Then he fixed his gaze on Lucien. "You only negotiated forty percent from Damian. Now you want the whole thing moved to your side. You expecting me to work for free?" Does Lucien think that just because he's stronger now, he can get cocky? How dare he make me work for nothing? Lucien took a sip of broth, dabbed the corner of his mouth, and glanced up calmly. "I did ask for forty percent, but Damian's not the type to stick to the minimum. I bet he offered you an extra twenty on his own." "You show your face, say a few words, and pocket twenty percent. I'm the one doing all the dirty work. Isn't that fair?" Corvin blinked, completely lost. "Damian? Isn't he Emma's match? You two are trying to take his company?"He had heard NexusPrime Tech had run into trouble lately, and Damian wasn't doing well. Are these two really trying to squeeze him when he's already down? Emma would go crazy if she found out. Just as Corvin was about to say more, Silas placed a piece of beast meat on his plate. "It's your favorite. Eat it." Corvin shut his mouth instantly. He might not be as sharp as the others, but he wasn't an idiot. Silas was telling him to drop it. Alaric quietly continued eating, not weighing in at all. "He's Ms. Tibarn's match?" Calum frowned. He honestly hadn't known. If they took advantage of Damian like this, Emma might actually be upset. He turned to Lucien. "You're trying to set me up?" Lucien sighed. "He and Emma have already dissolved their match. She won't care.""Oh. Well, that's different then." Calum nodded, then added, "Let's cut through the nonsense. We go fifty-fifty. I'll handle the Empire's higher-ups. You deal with the Fox Clan Elders." He wasn't about to let a sure thing get away. There was no way he'd let Lucien take the bigger share. Even if they were family, their industries were separate. And while all the profits went to Emma, she could always tell who contributed more. "Deal!" Lucien agreed without hesitation. He knew it was the biggest compromise Calum would ever make. After finishing their late-night snack… Everyone headed back to their rooms. Alaric lingered behind Silas and lowered his voice. "Corvin, Lucien and Calum have already accepted my place among them."