“So, you’re saying all of X Organization’s businesses and assets are in your hands now?”

Worried he’d heard wrong, the patriarch asked again, his voice a little uncertain.

It wasn’t even about how much money was involved. Just the thought of X Organization’s worldwide industry was enough to shake half the planet. Assets plus properties… The numbers were so big, they almost didn’t seem real.

Charlotte glanced up, leaned back in her chair, and casually wiped her fingers. Her tone was light, almost teasing. “Yeah, I have the guy, and I have his money too.”

The three patriarchs exchanged looks, all of them completely stunned. There weren’t even words for how they felt right now. Should they be mad their rival had managed to steal Nine away, or should they be happy that Nine had managed to bankrupt the other side?

“You weren’t forced into this, were you?” one patriarch finally asked, still worried. He pulled his chair closer, looking at her with real seriousness.

Charlotte met his eyes. Her face was flawless and pale, expression so calm and distant it made everyone uneasy.

The patriarch fell silent.

Forget it. Honestly, it was hard to say who had forced whom here.

“I need a minute to wrap my head around this,” he muttered. He was still processing, his mind all over the place. Maybe he was just getting old.

Charlotte noticed how rattled the three of them looked. She pressed her lips together and spoke quietly. “Back when both organizations were fighting for Apex territory, both sides took some hits. It’s true-N Organization couldn’t hold out against X Organization.”

The three patriarchs nodded in agreement.

That battle had been a mess, with both sides barely knowing anything about each other. X Organization had gone for the kill, and N Organization hadn’t pulled any punches either. N Organization just lost by a hair and got crushed. If things had gone the other way, N Organization would’ve probably done the same, making sure X Organization never got up again.

What they couldn’t figure out was how these two ended up getting together after fighting like that.

“So what’s the situation now?” one patriarch asked, a little hesitant. “Can we say N Organization and X Organization are basically one family now?”

Charlotte nodded. “You could even say X Organization belongs to N Organization.” The room went quiet.

Honestly, this was a way better revenge than going to war again With both organizations working together, they were strong enough to shake up the balance of power across continents.

If you really want to get back at your enemy, just take everything he owns.

“The incident from two years ago…” one patriarch started. “Let’s just call it even between us now.”

“As for your personal life, we don’t get it, and it’s not really our place to say anything.”

“Yeah,” another patriarch chimed in, sounding sincere. “If God ever dares to mess with you, the three of us will…”

Charlotte looked up at him with a little smile. “You’ll what?”

The other two patriarchs shot him a look, trying to signal him to stop talking.

Could they even win if it came to a fight?

The patriarch paused, then quickly changed his tune. “What I mean is, the three of us, along with all ofÑ Organization, would do whateverit takes to bring X Organization down.”

Charlotte stood up with a bowl of peeled oranges, glanced at the clock and looked a bit tired, “I’m heading out tonight Lake

of

things at headquarters.”