Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 132: Fifteen Years Of Debt

Jessica had always understood where she stood in Damien’s world, valuable yet expendable, merely a pawn on his chessboard.

But hearing it spoken aloud still stung more than she anticipated.

She turned away, whispering fiercely, "You’re a bastard."

Damien didn’t flinch or deny it. "Andyou’re an Armitage; act like one."

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating as tension crackled in the air.

Finally, Jessica straightened up, forcing her mask back into place. "Fine. I’ll play along."

Damien nodded with satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Good."

"But," she added sharply, voice cold as ice, "once this is over, I want Arthur Osborn shattered."

A slow smile crept across the mayor’s face, a predatory grin that sent chills down herspine. "Oh, my dear. That was always the plan."

With determination fueling her steps, Jessica turned on her heel and strode toward the door.

Her mind raced with possibilities; if her father wanted war, then war was what he would get!

And Arthur Osborn? He would come to regret every single insult he’d ever thrown at her.

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The study door slid open with a soft whoosh as Arthur stepped inside, his gaze immediately drawn to the wine cabinet.

He poured himself a generous glass of deep red wine and sank into the plush leather chair, loosening his collar with a relaxed smile on his face.

"Evolon!" he called out, breaking the silence.

In an instant, the screen flickered to life, igniting in a dazzling cascade of azure light that coalesced into a vast, shifting visage, a face crafted from trillions of data streams, its features both human and strikingly alien. Eyes like fractured starlight locked onto Arthur.

"Welcome back, sir!" Evolon’s genderless voice echoed warmly through the study.

Arthur raised his wine glass in acknowledgment and took a leisurely sip. "So what’s next? Are you going to accept the mayor’s proposal?" Evolon inquired.

Arthur exhaled sharply through his nose. "Nope! I’m not that naïve!"

"The mayor’s proposal was anticipated," Evolon replied, its form pulsing with strands of data flickering like synaptic flares.

"However, the timing was unexpected. The probability of a direct power grab within the next fiscal quarter is calculated at 38.6%. His personal involvement raises that to 72.1%."

Arthur unbuttoned his jacket and tossed it casually over the back of a chair. "I didn’t think he’d be the first to make a move."

He had anticipated others would act first, after all, who could resist the allure of the Osborn Family business?

But it surprised him that it was the mayor who took initiative. Yet he dismissed any threat from him; fear wasn’t on Arthur’s agenda.

"What puzzles me is why he wants to act now," Arthur continued thoughtfully. "He knows I can’t stand his daughter! Asking for that kind of bride price is just outrageous."

"I’ve already found your answer!" Evolon’s voice resonated with certainty.

"Tell me!" Arthur leaned forward, intrigued.

Evolon’s tone shifted to low and measured: "Damien Armitage is a drowning man."

Arthur paused mid-sip of his wine. "Explain."

The giant screen flickered again, projecting an intricate timeline of Neo-Luminara’s political history with one name pulsating at its center: Eastern Consortium.

"Fifteen years ago during the mayoral elections," Evolon narrated as footage played, a burning mansion engulfed in flames deemed accidental by authorities, "Damien eliminated his primary rival, Councilman Darius Rook."

"Darius was backed by the Eastern Consortium; his death should have triggered immediate retaliation."

Arthur whistled softly. "Let me guess, someone intervened?"

"Correct."The display flickered to life, revealing a blurred image of a towering figure clad in an old-world trench coat.

"Mark Kray, the former overlord of the Northern Syndicate, extended ’protection’ to Damien in exchange for exclusive docking rights in the lower city."

Arthur took a contemplative sip of his wine and murmured, "But Kray’s been dead for three years."

"Precisely." Evolon’s hologram shimmered like rippling water,"With Kray gone, the Consortium’s old grudges are bubbling back to the surface.

Intelligence suggests they’ve been quietly rebuilding their Neo-Luminara branch for the past eighteen months."

"So Damien’s scrambling for allies before they carve him up?"

Arthur swirled his glass, watching as the red liquid caught the light like a glimmering jewel. "And he thinks my resources can buy him time."

He shook his head in disbelief,"How can I help him? I’m just weak,my strength is pitiful compared to that of the Eastern Consortium!"

"More than just time," Evolon corrected smoothly,"He wants you as a scapegoat, hoping you’ll confront the Eastern Consortium to stall them while he gathers more allies and support for when things heat up."**

"Damn! This guy isn’t exactly a saint!"Arthur leaned back in his chair, shaking his head incredulously.

A cold smirk crept across Arthur’s lips. "And instead of asking nicely, he tried to strong-arm me into marriage?"

"A miscalculation."

Arthur set down his glass with deliberate calmness."How deep are the Consortium’s claws here now?"

The hologram morphed again, revealing a network of red veins spreading beneath the city’s districts,warehouses, shell corporations, even two mid-level officials from the Urban Development Bureau.

"They control 37% of the black-market arms trade and have infiltrated three key infrastructure committees. Most concerningly..."

A new file unfolded on screen, displaying blueprints of the municipal power grid.

"They’ve planted pulse disruptors beneath Sector 7’s substations. If activated during an attack, they could blackout the entire north district."

Arthur’s playful demeanor vanished instantly,"That’s practically a declaration of war."

His knuckles whitened around his glass as he pondered aloud, "But why now?"

Evolon’s voice dropped to an almost conspiratorial whisper: "Because tomorrow marks fifteen years since Darius’s death, and trust me,the Consortium never forgets a debt."

Silence thickened like fog in the air.

Outside, the city’s neon glow pulsed like a slow-beating heart, completely unaware of the storm brewing in its shadows.

Arthur took a deep breath, adjusting his cuffs with determination. "Evolon."

"Yes?" came the response.

"Dig deeper," he commanded, his voice steady. "I want to know every asset, every backdoor, and every weakness they have in this city."

His eyes sparkled under the flickering holographic lights. "If Damien wants my help surviving the Consortium..."

He downed his wine in one fiery gulp.

"Then he’d better kneel first."

"And Evolon make sure to send men to remove those pulse disruptors! I don’t want to wake up tomorrow to massive headlines screaming about chaos!"

"Yes Sir!" came the quick reply.