Chapter 215: Acquiring Sterling Corporation
Angel slid the portable payment terminal across the table. Its sleek interface lit up as Eamon keyed in the amount, his calm face betraying nothing. "Angel," he said without looking up, "prepare the transfer."
The preparations moved quickly after that. The payment terminal connected, a smooth holographic interface spreading across the table. Eamon input the details, his fingers steady, and then gestured for Angel.
"Be ready to authorize the transfer," he instructed.
"Yes, sir." Her fingers hovered over her own console, but her chest tightened. Two billion USC... six hundred billion dollars... She knew exactly how much Xavier had given them—barely a hundred billion. ’They were half a trillion short. Her eyes flicked to Eamon, fighting to keep her expression neutral. How the hell does he plan to cover this gap?’
The terminal beeped, waiting for confirmation. Eamon’s thumb hovered over the pad. Then, like he had just remembered something, he stopped. He looked up at Ethan with a faint smile, one that carried the weight of a dagger pressed to the throat.
"Oh, that reminds me," Eamon said, almost casually. "If I recall correctly, you already owe half a trillion USC to Red Casino. A debt that will rise as time passes by."
Ethan’s eyes widened for a second before narrowing. He forced a laugh, sharp and brittle. "That’s between me and Red Casino. Nothing to do with you. I’ll handle it when the time comes."
But behind his smirk, his thoughts churned dark. ’Handle it? I’ll never pay them a cent. They can rot before I hand over that kind of money.’
The payment terminal glowed on the table, waiting. Angel’s hands trembled just slightly as she pretended to focus on her console. ’If Eamon is bluffing, this is going to blow up in our faces...’
The tension in the room tightened like a noose. Eamon’s hand slipped into his inner coat pocket, and when it came back out, a sleek black card gleamed in his grip. He set it on the table with deliberate calm, the faint golden inscriptions lighting up against the glass surface.
The words shimmered clear: RED CASINO.
Ethan’s brow furrowed, his composure cracking. "...What the hell is this supposed to mean?"
Eamon leaned back, his fingers steepling. "It means, Ethan, that your debt to Red Casino very much is my business. Because I am not just Lumen’s founder. I’m also part of the Red Casino family. I hold five percent of its shares. And I’ve been tasked to collect on a little outstanding bill of yours."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Angel’s eyes widened, her pulse jumping. ’That card... it’s Xavier’s. He owns the Red Casino stake. Did he plan for Eamon to use it here? Or... is Eamon improvising?’ The thought almost made her shiver—whether planned or instinct, it was flawless execution.
Ethan’s mask shattered. He lurched forward, his face twisted in rage. "You bastard! You don’t have the right to collect that money! The Casino itself said I don’t have to pay the whole debt at once!" His voice was sharp, desperate. "I don’t owe you a damn thing right now!"
Eamon didn’t flinch. His tone cut cold, precise, each word crushing Ethan further. "The Casino doesn’t care how you pay, only that you do. And as one of the shareholders, I assure you, Ethan, I have every right to call in what’s owed. You’re half a trillion in the hole. Which means..."
He tapped the terminal, the numbers glowing harshly. "Out of the six hundred billion dollar equivalent for this deal, five hundred billion goes straight to cover your debt. Leaving you with a hundred billion in hand."
Ethan’s breath caught. "That’s—"
"That’s the only way this happens.Take the hundred billion, or I cancel this deal, walk out, and watch Sterling collapse under its debts while Red Casino closes in on you."
The silence was brutal. Ethan’s fists shook on the table, his lips curling back like a cornered animal, but the weight pressing down on him was undeniable.
Angel, watching, finally understood. ’So that’s it. That’s where the missing 500 billion comes from... They’re not just buying Sterling. They’re stripping Ethan bare and making him choke on his own debt.’
Ethan’s breathing grew ragged, his chest rising and falling as if every inhale burned. The sweat on his forehead glistened under the auction room lights. His trembling hands hovered above the terminal like he might smash it instead of using it.
"This... this is extortion," he spat, his voice cracked and raw. "You think you can humiliate me in my own father’s house?"
Eamon didn’t blink. "I don’t think, Ethan. I know." His tone was steady, cutting with surgical calm. "And this isn’t humiliation. This is consequence."
The words landed heavy. Ethan slammed a fist against the table, the sound echoing, but it was hollow rage. His eyes darted to Angel, as if seeking sympathy, or maybe weakness. He found none. She simply stared back, her silence a verdict.
Eamon’s presence had shifted completely. Gone was the timid, cautious posture. In its place sat a man who wielded control like a blade. And the frightening part? It reminded her of Xavier. That same calm cruelty beneath the kindness. A switch flipped, and suddenly mercy no longer existed. So it runs in their blood... she thought, a chill threading down her spine.
Eamon slid the terminal closer. "Sign, Ethan. Or walk away with nothing. But understand, kid. Without this deal, your company dies within a week. And you die with it."
Ethan’s lips trembled. His pride warred against his survival, but survival always won. Slowly, with shaking hands, he pressed his finger to the scanner. The contract sealed with a cold chime.
It was done.
The screen displayed confirmation: Sterling Corporation acquired by Lumen Industries. Transfer complete.
Ethan slumped back in his chair, his face pale, hollowed out. All the arrogance and control he had tried to wield was gone, stripped bare until only defeat remained. He looked less like the heir of a mighty empire and more like a man watching his world turn to ash in his palms.
Angel exhaled slowly, her mind reeling. Watching it unfold in real time made her realize just how merciless Xavier’s family could be when cornered.
Eamon calmly retrieved the Red Casino card and slipped it back into his coat. His voice was low, final. "Remember this, Ethan—mercy is a currency I don’t trade in. And you spent the last of yours a long time ago."