Chapter 910: Pressure Relief and a Meeting

The maid’s face turned bright red. Penny knelt on the sofa, clutching the maid’s skirt, a strange glint flickering in her eyes.

Lynch glanced at the carpet. “That rug cost me over forty thousand…”

The maid trembled. Forty thousand—completely out of her reach.

In fact, everything in this room was beyond her means—at least for now.

Even the plain-looking cups were custom-made from a luxury brand. They looked no different from the ones sold for 49 cents, even the shape was similar.

But a logo, a designer’s signature, or just a different furnace could turn one into something sold on the street, and the other into something priced near a hundred in a high-end store.

“We must punish her—severely!” Penny emphasized, like a devil’s tail was wagging behind her.

Last time, she got beaten for making a mess. She wouldn’t be the fool again. This time, she’d be the one doing the beating.

Lynch nodded slightly. “But I saw you knock the glass over on purpose. You’ll have to take some responsibility too.”

Penny: ???

“Hey hey hey, that’s not in the script—don’t come over!”

“They do this often?”

In the living room, two National Security agents sat with Austin on a hundred-thousand-Sol sofa, sipping thousand-Sol wine while casually flipping on the TV.

It was the agents’ first night staying here—and their first glimpse into Lynch’s personal life. Just like the tabloids said—chaotic. They were honestly a bit curious.

It was… hard to describe, yet somehow not surprising.

Contradictory feelings.

Austin, glass in hand, nodded casually. “Of course. Spend enough time with him and you’ll see what he’s really like.”

She took a sip of wine she’d never buy under normal circumstances, internally marveling at the decadence of the rich, then added with a grin, “Sly, despicable, shameless, rotten to the core. Nothing like what the papers say.”

The two agents didn’t react much. They knew public image wasn’t real. It was all curated.

And most billionaires weren’t that different anyway.

But Austin wasn’t done. She set down her glass and continued, “Sometimes, he suddenly acts like a lunatic and does something kind, or something incredibly stupid—not cold or ruthless like a real capitalist.”

“He calls it a conscience. I don’t know if that’s true, but at least it’s not all bad.”

Agent A’s expression softened a bit. “Doesn’t sound too bad.”

“The job’s not bad,” Austin added.

And it was true. She’d expected to spend her career battling smugglers on the border until retirement—or death.

Then suddenly, she was reassigned to protect someone. A secret mission. A mission of honor. She accepted.

But the task wasn’t as grueling as she imagined.

The Federation’s most luxurious environment—everything provided by Lynch, down to socks and clothes.

He thought poorly dressed bodyguards would damage his image, so she wore designer brands. Mostly neutral, but still an amazing experience.

Sometimes she wondered: if she lost this job or had to return to the border, could she still adapt?

The screams from the room snapped her out of her thoughts. Her cheeks flushed—not clear if it was the wine or the noise.

What a filthy man.

God, he didn’t even care there were three women nearby while doing those disgusting things.

Some believe that emotional catharsis doesn’t have to be triggered by oneself—being on the receiving end, guided by others, could still help release negativity.

Lynch believed in that. Everyone ended up relaxed, free from negative emotions. A good game.

Monday morning, at Blackstone Capital’s temporary conference room, all shareholders of Light of Tomorrow had gathered.

Even those who couldn’t attend in person had sent representatives. They took this meeting seriously.

After all, this was a company already valued at over one billion. Even a one percent share was worth a million sols.

And with its promising future, it was worth the time to hear what Lynch had to say.

“This is… surprising,” said the elderly gentleman who’d invited Lynch to dinner, smiling as he looked around.

Blackstone Capital’s conference room was extremely makeshift. The entire floor was unfinished—four glass curtain walls, exposed floors and ceilings.

Pipes, wires, rough concrete columns—everything in its rawest form.

A bare construction shell.

And in the center of it all stood a massive, lavish table—its gold-inlaid patterns glinting under the lights, surrounded by high-backed chairs. It looked like a secret society gathering.

That’s what the old man meant—there was no decoration, yet it left a striking impression. No one could quite describe it.

Perhaps it was:

“Truth does not change based on external appearance. Even the simplest setting can express the most complex truths.”

“You don’t mind the place being a bit bare, right? Is everyone here?” Lynch glanced at Vera beside him and casually took her hand.

To be honest, being suddenly held by Lynch in such a setting felt both wonderful and awful. She tried to pull away twice but couldn’t, so she stepped forward slightly and hid her hand behind her back.

Which only made it look like she was leaning closely against Lynch.

“Five gentlemen still haven’t arrived…”

Lynch let go of her hand and rolled up his sleeve to check his watch. “It’s already ten minutes past the time I asked everyone to be here. Five people are still missing. Clearly, they don’t understand the most basic form of respect between people.”

He lowered his arm and rested his hands naturally on the armrests of his high-backed chair. In that moment, a strange feeling stirred in everyone’s hearts.

It was subtle, but if one had to put it into words, it would be: leadership.

“To earn respect, you must show respect. As for the five who are late, we will no longer work with them.” Lynch turned slightly toward Vera, whose cheeks were still faintly flushed. “Tell the staff to close the doors.”

“If they show up, have security inform them—they’re out.”

If it were someone younger—like Katherine, or Penny (though she was far too young), or even Anna—there might have been a moment of hesitation. Not because they’d question Lynch’s decision, but simply because they’d weigh the pros and cons instinctively.

But Vera didn’t. She immediately agreed and went to carry it out.

Time and experience had taught her what a man needs. That was why Lynch liked her.

A woman will always understand what a man wants—and what he hopes to project—better than a girl.

After Vera left, Lynch looked around at the dozens of shareholders and representatives seated at the table and smiled. “First, I want to apologize for what I did on the ship.”

“Given the situation at the time, I had to stall the hijacker’s timeline to stop him from coming up with any new ideas. I hope you can all understand that.”

Everyone began expressing their understanding and support, conveniently forgetting how they had someone report Lynch to the authorities after landing—suggesting he might have colluded with the hijacker.

Lynch didn’t expose it. After they made up for their little mistake with enough flattery, he raised his hand and tapped the table twice.

Knock knock…

The room instantly fell silent. With a confident yet disarmingly persuasive smile, he continued, “I know some of you aren’t interested in our current business.”

“You’re welcome to bring your contract to me. I’ll pay you a million to buy back your shares.”

“Of course, if you believe Light of Tomorrow is a good company, you can hold on to your shares—or even buy more from others to increase your stake.”

Lynch stood up as he spoke. “Light of Tomorrow will be a very special company. We will focus entirely on investment.”

“We’ll identify companies with potential—or those clearly undervalued by the market—and use the least amount of money to acquire the most equity.”

“As these companies grow, our returns will multiply. Just like our investment in EveryMoment.”

“Under normal circumstances, twenty percent of EveryMoment would be worth at least 250 million. But now, we got it for just 90 million.”

“When its value rises, we’ll get at least double the return!”

“This is a whole new kind of financial game.”