When I pushed open the double doors of the villa, I was greeted by a warm, inviting glow.
Sitting together on the grand leather sofa in the living room were Seraphina, Clara, and Sophia. Hearing my footsteps, all three turned their heads toward the entryway.
I walked over, hanging up my suit jacket, and looked at them with a soft smile. "You three must be exhausted. Why are you still up? You could have had one of the maids or house staff leave the door unlocked for me."
Sera looked at me, her eyes filled with gentle concern. "Did you eat anything?"
"No," I replied, shaking my head. "But I could have just grabbed something from the fridge and warmed it up in the microwave myself."
Clara let out a light laugh, crossing her arms as she looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Really, Julian? Do you even know how our kitchen works? We have three separate refrigerators in there—one for raw meats and proteins, one for fine wines and liquor, and a commercial-grade one for fresh vegetables and prepared meals that keeps food hot or chilled for hours. Sit down at the dining table. We’re serving your plate."
I chuckled, taking my usual seat at the head of the dining table. Why did all three of them go into the kitchen just for one plate?
A few minutes later, the three women emerged. Clara brought out a freshly prepared hot plate, Sera carried a bottle of chilled water, and Sophia held three small dessert bowls. They placed everything in front of me and pulled out their chairs to join me.
As I took a bite, Clara leaned back, resting her chin on her hand. "I still don’t entirely understand, Julian... Why did you have me acquire those seven smaller companies today?"
"Because those seven companies already have active, fully approved business licenses and thousands of loyal, experienced employees," I explained, setting down my fork. "And more importantly, they operate in the exact same industries as the Young family’s core subsidiaries. Starting tomorrow, Clara, your main task will be acquiring every single commercial contract currently held by the Young family—whether through financial leverage or political pressure."
Clara blinked in surprise. "All of them?"
"Don’t worry, darling, you won’t have to do the heavy lifting yourself," I added smoothly, flashing her a reassuring smile. "I’m sending my most trusted subordinate to assist you—a man I’d trust with my life. He and his team will handle the negotiations directly. By tomorrow evening, every major contract will be sitting on your desk. All you’ll need to do is stamp them with the official Cosmos Group seal and hand them off to our legal department."
Sera softly cleared her throat, giving us both a gentle look. "Alright, enough work talk. Julian, you just came back from a high-stakes business dinner, and Clara got home barely an hour ago. Must you two jump right back into corporate strategy?"
I raised my hands in defeat, smiling warmly at her. "Fair point, sweetheart. My apologies. No more business talk tonight."
Turning my gaze toward Sophia, I asked gently, "Sophia, why are you still awake? Shouldn’t you be resting? What if Daisy wakes up and finds herself alone in an unfamiliar room? Wouldn’t she be scared?"
Sophia shook her head, a faint, fond smile touching her lips. "Daisy sleeps like a log through the night. Besides, I set up the baby monitor in her room with motion and voice sensors. If she so much as turns over or whispers, my phone gets an instant alert. I just... wanted to make sure you made it back safely tonight since it was getting so late."
Looking at the three of them, a wave of genuine warmth washed over my chest. "I’m sorry for making you all worry. I should have called to let you know I’d be running late."
"It’s alright," Sera, Clara, and Sophia said almost in unison. Sera added with a light chuckle, "Just don’t make a habit of it."
"Noted," I smiled. "I promise."
After finishing dinner, I glanced at the dessert bowls on the table and noticed three full servings remaining. "Wait... why are there three dessert bowls?"
Clara smiled playfully. "How could we eat dessert without you? We were waiting for you to come home so we could share it."
A genuine smile spread across my face. Sitting around the grand dining table under the soft chandelier light, we enjoyed the sweet treat together, chatting casually about minor household details. Once we finished, Sophia excused herself to head to her guest suite and check on Daisy.
Seraphina, Clara, and I walked upstairs to the master bedroom suite. After an exhausting evening, we quickly changed into comfortable sleepwear. Before getting into bed, I gave both Clara and Sera a gentle kiss on their foreheads. Setting the room temperature to a cool 22°C, I pulled them close, and within minutes, all three of us drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains of the master suite. We woke up early, refreshed and ready for the day ahead.
While dressing in my private fitting room after a hot shower, I pulled out my phone and dialed my chief shadow guard.
"Boss," his voice came through instantly.
"Initiate Phase Two," I instructed calmly, adjusting my cufflinks. "Have our operatives poach every single commercial contract away from the Young family’s subsidiaries under the name of Cosmos Group. Once each contract is finalized, forward the documentation directly to Clara’s executive secretary."
"Understood, sir."
"Also, release the news to the press immediately," I continued, my eyes narrowing coldly. "I want the entire financial sector to receive the news at the exact same moment. Once the Young Group’s stock begins to plummet, contact their creditor banks. Instruct them to place maximum pressure on Patriarch Young—either he stabilizes his share value immediately or liquidates his primary assets to repay his outstanding corporate loans."
"It will be handled flawlessly, sir," the shadow chief replied before disconnecting the line.
Stepping out of the dressing suite, I made my way downstairs to the bright dining room. Daisy was already sitting in her boosted dining chair, swinging her feet cheerfully.
The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. "Julian uncle! Why didn’t you eat dinner with me last night? I waited for you, you know!"
"I’m sorry, my little princess," I chuckled, walking over to gently pat her head. "Uncle had some urgent business to attend to. But tell me—did you finish your homework? I don’t want to hear any complaints from your teachers today, alright? You need to be a well-mannered student."
Daisy puffed out her small chest proudly. "Don’t worry, Uncle Julian! I won’t just be well-behaved—I’m going to be number one in my class!"
"That’s my girl," I laughed softly as the maids served a lavish breakfast spread.
Shortly after, the household went into motion. Daisy left for school under the care of our private driver and personal security detail. Seraphina went upstairs to manage household administration, while Clara headed out to the Cosmos Group headquarters to oversee the contract takeovers.
Soon, only Sophia and I remained in the spacious living room.
Noticing she was still in her comfortable morning wear, I leaned against the couch and asked, "Sophia, why aren’t you ready yet?"
Sophia blinked, looking up from her tea. "Ready? Why should I be getting ready?"
"Did you forget?" I smirked. "I told you yesterday that I have a surprise for you today. Go get dressed in something comfortable and casual—maybe that casual lime outfit we bought together?"
Sophia flushed slightly, crossing her arms. "Mr. Vance, we aren’t at the point where we wear matching outfits yet."
I burst out laughing. "Fair enough! But seriously, wear something casual—nothing too stiff or formal."
"I know what ’casual’ means, Julian," Sophia said with a subtle roll of her eyes, though a small smile betrayed her amused mood. "You don’t need to explain fashion to me."
"Alright, go get ready. I’m already dressed, so I’ll wait right here."
Sophia turned and walked toward her suite. Although she maintained her composed demeanor on the outside, her light footsteps gave away her underlying curiosity and excitement about what the surprise could be.
Sitting back on the plush living room sofa, I unlocked my phone and scrolled through the morning financial headlines. As expected, news was already breaking that Cosmos Group had successfully poached the first three major supply contracts from the Young family’s flagship enterprise.
A satisfied smile touched my lips.
This was the beauty of strategic execution. Sure, I could have used my hundreds of billions in liquid capital to simply short their stocks and force them into instant bankruptcy, but a brute-force financial war would have cost billions in friction, leaving behind only a hollow, damaged shell of a company.
Instead, my approach was like opening a fresh coconut—you get both the refreshing water and the rich cream inside. By carefully stripping away their contracts and offering fair terms to innocent Young family members, I secured multi-billion-dollar operational assets, established loyal workforce structures, and gained complete control over Metro City’s market—all while spending next to nothing.
It wasn’t just a victory; it was absolute profit.