The butler caught the stern look in Grandma Mega’s eyes and nodded repeatedly.
"I’ll get right on it, right away."
Mr. Mega turned and strode briskly out of the room.
Everyone present completely ignored the wife slumped on the floor—or rather, they simply had no energy to spare for her.
The despair on Madam Mega’s face gradually twisted into a cold smirk.
She made no move to get up, content to watch the drama unfold from where she sat.
"Whatever happens, the cash flow must not be disrupted," Grandma Mega’s voice was icy, her expression graver than ever before.
"Even a sinking ship has its worth.
No matter who’s behind this, thinking they can bring down our Mega family so easily is nothing but a pipe dream."
She raised her eyes to fix Mr. Mega and Martin with a piercing gaze, her tone heavy with authority.
"Contact the heads of our other businesses and the branch families.
Transfer every available fund—whether liquid or not—to the group’s accounts immediately."
The Mega family’s empire was vast.
While the main family’s primary asset was the Mega Group, "primary" didn’t mean "exclusive."
With the assets and funds from the collateral branches, it wasn’t impossible to plug the financial gap in a short time.
Mr. Mega’s eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly and turned to make the necessary calls.
But Martin hesitated, rooted to the spot. His gaze lingered on the matriarch.
"Grandma," he ventured cautiously, "I’m not sure the other collateral branch heads will be willing."
Traditionally, the collateral branches had always deferred to the main family—partly because aligning with them maximized their benefits, and partly because the main family controlled the lion’s share of the economic lifelines.
But now, with this sudden crisis, the situation had changed.
As a branch head himself, Martin understood this better than anyone.
"They can’t possibly be blind to the fact that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken," the matriarch snapped, her brows furrowed tightly.
The composed demeanor she had maintained earlier was gone, replaced by barely restrained fury.
"If the Mega Group collapses, how long do they think they can last without our support?"
Other families might operate differently.
But the Mega family was unique.
Even without the main family’s backing, there was still *him*—someone they could turn to.
Of course, Martin didn’t dare voice that thought aloud.
Just as he turned to leave, Grandma Mega called him back.
Her voice sounded even more aged and somber now.
"Compile a list of contact information for all the old family friends who have business dealings with the Mega Corporation.
I’ll reach out to them personally."
Human hearts were indeed inscrutable—Martin wasn’t wrong about that.
Today, even if it meant sacrificing her dignity, she couldn’t stand by and watch the corporation’s situation deteriorate further.
Martin nodded with a grave expression and immediately set to work.
Madam Mega sat on the floor, her cold gaze taking in the unfolding events within the Mega household.
Through her eyes, one could already see the first cracks in the mighty Mega empire beginning to show. ——
At the auction house.
"Well now," Taylor remarked after successfully bidding for a painting, refilling Camilla’s teacup before turning his attention to Sinclair.
His demeanor remained as refined and courteous as ever.
"The auction’s more than halfway through, and you still haven’t seen anything you like?"
Taylor knew perfectly well that Sinclair wasn’t here for some charity gala’s financial verification—this was all about making Camilla happy.
Camilla took a sip of the freshly poured hot tea in front of her, her beautiful eyes crinkling with quiet amusement as she remained silent.
Of course she understood Sinclair’s intentions, but she hadn’t planned on actually buying anything.
Just the thought behind it was enough to bring her joy.
"Nothing yet," Sinclair glanced down at Camilla, his strikingly handsome face as composed as ever.
"If it’s for Camilla, it has to be perfect or nothing at all."
His voice was cool and even, but Taylor could hear the unmistakable tenderness beneath those words.
In the past, no one—himself included—would have imagined Sinclair going to such lengths for a woman.
Marriage changes people beyond recognition.
Just as Taylor entertained this thought, he recalled how the very person who’d said those words now clung to his girlfriend as if glued to her twenty-four seven.
Well, this one wasn’t much better either.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, he picked up his Americano, the bitter brew barely cutting through the saccharine atmosphere around him.
"Sweetheart," Camilla tilted her head toward her husband, her porcelain-perfect face lit with a faint, knowing smile.
"How are things with the Mega family?"
Her tone was casual, as if she were merely commenting on the weather.
Sinclair pulled her closer, his thin lips curving into a chilling smirk—one she couldn’t see.
"Mhm," Camilla nodded and nestled comfortably into the man’s embrace, which exuded a reassuring warmth.
It seemed the auction’s conclusion would also mark the beginning of the Mega family’s downfall.
Taylor had grown accustomed to ignoring the couple’s intimacy.
Leaning back on the sofa, he flipped leisurely through an English-language magazine, deliberately isolating himself from the pair across from him.
Meanwhile, at the Mega residence, Martin and the others moved swiftly under the matriarch’s orders, each assigned their own tasks.
But soon, they realized—every possible path had been blocked in advance.
The Mega Corporation had barely begun to falter when its subsidiaries also started collapsing one after another, each too overwhelmed to help the other.
Some even turned to the main company for aid, let alone offering any support in return.
With the core subsidiaries rendered useless, news from both the main and branch families trickled in.
Just as Martin had predicted, only a handful were willing to lend a hand—most chose to watch from the sidelines as the crisis unfolded.
The matriarch was livid, but her fury didn’t stop there.
Swallowing her pride, she personally called the heads of various allied families, yet the investments she secured were pitifully small—nowhere near enough to mend the Mega Corporation’s shattered financial chain.
These people were practically groveling at our feet when they wanted to collaborate with the Mega family.
But the moment trouble hits us, they’re the first to turn their backs," Mr. Mega spat through gritted teeth, his face contorted with rage.
"A bunch of ungrateful snakes."
Grandma Mega watched her son’s furious outburst with a cold, mocking smile curling her lips.
Businessmen were hardwired to chase profit and flee disaster.
No amount of past camaraderie would make them willing to be dragged down by the suddenly capsizing Mega family.
Right now, the Mega empire was like a collapsing dam—once the breach started, there was no telling when it would end.
Trouble came in relentless waves.
News of the Mega family’s crisis spread like wildfire.
Countless shareholders, sensing impending disaster, immediately began dumping their Mega Corporation stocks at rock-bottom prices.
This triggered a catastrophic plunge, sending the company’s shares straight into freefall until they hit the daily limit down.
The phone lines at the Mega residence were overwhelmed—call after call from within the corporation and major media outlets flooded in, ringing nonstop. ...