"By then, you'll be nothing but a desperate wreck with nowhere to go. Let’s see who’s really dependent on who." Zac’s breath hitched. "What?" He shook his head violently. "No, no way! Why the hell would he buy up Gray Corporation’s shares? Is he trying to invest in the company?" "No," Tia cut him off without hesitation. "He’s not looking to invest—he’s taking over. Right now, your Gray family is on the brink of bankruptcy. Do you really think John can hold onto his shares much longer? Do you think the debt collectors will let him off the hook?" Cloudia Corporation had been squeezing Gray Corporation relentlessly, turning up the pressure day after day. People were already talking—John’s shares wouldn’t last another week. Zac’s eyes widened in pure shock. "T-Takeover? No! He can't do that! Gray Corporation is mine! He can't take it! This is impossible! It’s impossible!" In that moment, a wave of despair unlike anything he had ever known crashed over him. Not even when they had beaten him to the brink of death—shattering his limbs, leaving him barely clinging to life—had he felt this hopeless. Because even then, he had been certain of one thing—he would survive. The law was still the law. No matter how much they beat him, they wouldn’t dare kill him. At worst, he’d suffer for a while, maybe spend a few miserable months in a hospital bed. But if Arthur took Gray Corporation from him… then he was truly finished. Zac's mother, Renee, was nothing more than a mistress. The man she had been with had a real family—a wife, a legitimate son. Zac had always been the outsider, the one kept in the shadows. If he wanted to change that—if he wanted his father to finally acknowledge him—he had to take control of Gray Corporation. That company was more than just a business; it was his leverage, his key to legitimacy. Once he built his own success, he wouldn’t have to wait for recognition—he’d have the power to claim it. He’d walk into that family on his own terms, not as an outsider, but as someone who belonged. With it, he had power. Without it, he was nothing. And now… Tia was telling him Arthur was about to take it all away? If Gray Corporation fell into Arthur’s hands, what would Zac have left? How could he ever compete? He knew what those two were like—untouchable, unstoppable. And without Gray Corporation, he wouldn’t even be in the same league as them. Tia took in his expression, the way the color drained from his face, the way his whole world crumbled before her eyes. She watched as despair overtook him, and a rush of satisfaction surged through her. This was exactly how she had felt. Locked in that room, beaten over and over again by Zac, she had begged, pleaded, and screamed for mercy. But back then, no matter how much she cried, no matter how much she suffered, Zac had never shown an ounce of remorse. And now, finally, she had made him feel the same helplessness she once endured. It was worth everything she had done to uncover this information. Just then, she noticed the crowd surrounding Arthur beginning to shift—soon, they would be turning in this direction. Without hesitation, Tia stepped forward, closing the distance between her and Zac. Before he could even react, she lifted her foot and drove it straight into his chest—hard. Crack. Zac’s ribs snapped under the impact, the sharp crack echoing through the air. "Ahh!" His agonized scream tore through the night, sharp enough to make heads turn. For the first time, the crowd turned to look at him. But Tia was already gone. The crowd had no idea why, after everything, he was still screaming. To them, it sounded like he was just screaming for attention. Across the way, Arthur finally noticed the commotion. He turned—and his gaze landed on Zac and Xavier, sprawled out on the ground, bloodied and barely conscious. Arthur raised an eyebrow. What the hell happened to them? Arthur had planned to get something useful out of Zac, but looking at him now… that seemed impossible. Sensing Arthur’s silent question, the crowd hushed for a brief moment. Then, almost immediately, voices started chiming in—eager, overlapping, desperate to be heard.“Mr. Gray, we heard these two used to bully you all the time, so when we saw them, we thought we’d teach them a lesson on your behalf!” “Yeah! If it weren’t for the law, we’d have beaten them to death!” “People like them don’t deserve sympathy! It’s not just you, Mr. Gray—they bullied plenty of us too!” “Honestly, they got off easy! Anyone who dares to mess with you deserves worse!” “Don’t worry, Mr. Gray—if we ever see them again, we’ll make sure they regret it!” “Everyone in South City knows what kind of scum they are now. They’re finished in South City.” “Consider this payback—for you and for everyone they’ve ever bullied.” One after another, voices filled the air, each person scrambling to speak first, to show their loyalty. They pushed closer, eager to win Arthur’s favor. Arthur swept a cold gaze over them. Where were these people when he was the one being bullied? Not a single one of them had stood up for him back then. People were always self-serving. That was human nature. Back then, Arthur had nothing—no power, no status—just a nobody struggling to get by. Meanwhile, Zac was the prized son of the Gray family, someone people sucked up to and feared. If Zac didn’t like someone, neither did they. Some of these same people had gone out of their way to step on Arthur, trying to curry favor with Zac. Now, the roles had reversed. And just like that, they had switched sides without hesitation. Arthur had no interest in entertaining them. His voice was calm, indifferent. "Take them to the hospital. Don't let them die." This was a civilized society, after all. Looking at Zac and Xavier, battered beyond recognition, he felt nothing but satisfaction. But still—he wasn’t about to let anyone catch a murder charge on his behalf.