I fixed my gaze on the youngest lawyer, the one whose hands now twitched slightly under the shadow creeping around them.
"Tell me the truth. Is that really how it went?"
His throat worked. Every muscle in his body screamed self-preservation, but he tried to maintain composure.
"It... it’s the truth... sir," he stammered.
I let a faint smile curl at the corner of my mouth. ’
"You think you can make a fool out of me? I ought to make an example of you so the others stop lying so brazenly." I leaned in, letting the words land.
"You’re the youngest from your group. Children at home, a wife waiting? It would be tragic if you didn’t make it back to them."
His face said everything—sweat slicking his brow, mouth working around words that wouldn’t come.
I didn’t want this; nobody enjoys being the villain. Fine—full disclosure, I enjoyed inflicting fear on those who deserved it.
"Sir, please... don’t do this. We can still talk this through." He clutched at the arms of his chair like a man holding onto a sinking boat.
"I’ll ask again, and this is the last time: is everything you said about the transfer true?"
This time his eyes flashed white. Not an expression. An actual flash, which meant my ability finally worked.
Terror was universal. It plugs straight into the brain and flips the right circuits. People do stupid, honest things when they think their hours are short.
They confess. They beg. They burn bridges in the name of survival.
"No... all the transfers haven’t been made yet. We’re planning to do it after we get your signature... and Mrs. Mercer."
They all snapped the moment he admitted the truth.
One of the senior lawyers stood up, his voice loud and filled with scrutiny.
"You imbecile! What makes you think—"
I didn’t wait for the rest. My hand closed around the senior’s throat in a motion that felt to him like the air itself had decided to punish him.
He went from angry to surprised, to desperately struggling in the same breath.
"Oh." I lifted him from the ground. "Did I tell you to move?"
Cruelly, I tightened my grip. His face lost all color, then darkened into a ridiculous, purple, while his hands flailed helplessly.
For three slow heartbeats he hung there, all dignity and expensive suit, before I let go.
thud!
Nobody moved. Fear sharpens attention better than any lecture.
"Mike...continue. Tell me which assets haven’t been transferred yet."
The young lawyer’s hands trembled, and he ended up almost singing the details to me. Bank accounts, properties, shell corporations, each one spilling out in a nervous, staccato rhythm.
I traced the numbers in my head, doing the mental math like a game of pick-up sticks.
Even after inheritance taxes, I could still hold onto twenty percent. Not bad. Definitely better than a million.
That was all I needed. Time to set the next plan in motion.
"Good job, Mike. Congratulations, you’re officially on my payroll. You actually have enough brain cells to be honest with me. See? Not so hard, right?" I patted his shoulder, like a proud teacher handing out gold stars.
"As for the rest," I paused, my smile folding the light at the corner of my mouth. "You’re all more experienced, tougher to crack...but a little torture should do the trick."
Before anyone could protest, I knocked them out, and watched their bodies go slack.
Shadow braided into a rope at my fingertips; I looped it around their legs and dragged them toward the basement.
I turned to Ellie. "Don’t let anyone disturb us. We’ve got an important meeting."
***
***
***
An hour later, the same lawyers were sitting before me, laughing as if nothing had happened.
"Mr. Ace," the oldest spoke. ""don’t worry about anything. We’ll do our best to recover at least twenty five percent by doing some tax avoidance tactics—and transfer it directly to your account."
"Will the court not find it an issue?" I inquired.
"No" he said. "You see, Mr. Daniel changed his last will abruptly, so we haven’t formally notarized anything yet. And if you—his legal son—and the other family members don’t challenge it, there won’t be any problem."
"Good." I nodded casually, my gaze locked on the yellow spiral symbols in their eyes.
Different from the heart one, but the overall effect was the same: total control, absolute obedience.
Getting it was also easier. I just needed to make them submit to me through extreme fear.
"How about the Mercer Group’s shares?" I inquired.
Silence stretched before a reply came.
"Unfortunately... we can’t do anything about it. Dark Rock Capital legally purchased them."
Losing more money would sting. But tangling with a company that could casually hire S‑Ranks? That was flirting with death.
Time to cut my losses and rebuild, And when I’m done preparing, every cent they stole will feel like a down payment on their ruin.
First on my list: take the funds I just secured and use them to start my own guild—from the ground up.
Although this government was still run by capitalists, a guild with money, resources, and manpower would be far more dangerous, and far more useful in the long run.
"Handle everything carefully . And if anyone asks, tell them all of this was set up by Daniel last month. That way, we avoid any unwanted attention."
They all nodded in unison.
"By the way... apart from Daniel abruptly changing the will, are you certain nobody else contacted you?"
The oldest lawyer, Fredrick, nodded.
"No. We were actually against selling the stocks. It was a bad business move, but he insisted. He even paid us twenty million apiece to handle it quickly."
"That’s right, Mr. Ace," another lawyer chimed in. "Actually, we were scheduled to finalize the paperwork with him today because he was in a rush, but it never happened because of the fire."
Well, look at that. If not for that attack, I wouldn’t have gotten a dime.
Truly, fate moves things in mysterious ways.
"That’s all for now. Remember, all of you are working for me, so I expect nothing less than absolute loyalty."
"Yes, Sir."
After the meeting ended, I decided to stick around the vacation home until all the legal stuff was wrapped up.
Leaning back on the sofa, I grabbed my phone and checked my messages.
There was one from Claire — asking if I was okay after. I replied, telling her not to worry, and then asked about her mother’s condition.
She wasn’t doing well
I got her bank account number and transferred ten million right away; the cash came from the proceeds of Ellie’s jewelry
I’m a man of my word when it suits me.
Next up was the training center. Amanda, as expected, asked about my status. I replied curtly and then cut straight to the renovation.
Everything was proceeding as planned, but I instructed her to increase the budget by 500%.
I wanted the training center to look more sophisticated, hire more employees, and operate like a facility that could rival any elite center.
An extra twenty million went to her as a down payment.
I sent her a text: Buy all the necessary equipment. If you need more, just ask.
Not gonna lie, throwing money like this was addicting.