Chapter 50: The Bribe and the Bluff

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Bribe and the Bluff

The walk from the stage to the exit felt like a mile, but neither of them rushed.

As soon as they pushed through the massive double doors of the ballroom, the flashbulbs hit them like physical blows. The press had been waiting in the lobby. They were locked out of the private gala, but they could hear the shouting through the doors. Now, they had the biggest scoop of the decade walking right toward them.

"Miss Vance! Are the rumors true? Is your core permanently crippled?"

"Evelyn! Do you still possess your A-Rank abilities?"

"Who is your backer? Are you seriously challenging Kaelen with a shattered core?"

Reporters shoved microphones in their faces. Security guards scrambled to hold the velvet barricades, completely overwhelmed by the sudden chaos.

Evelyn didn’t say a word. She kept her chin up. Her expression remained completely unreadable behind her silver mask. She walked with a cold effortless grace, ignoring the desperate questions about her health. Let them wonder.

A particularly aggressive reporter shoved his way past a struggling guard. He jammed a recording device right in front of Donald’s chest. "Sir! Who are you? Are you representing a rival Guild? How much capital is backing this takeover attempt?"

Donald didn’t break stride. He turned his head slightly, the golden mask catching the glare of the camera flashes.

"I don’t represent Guilds," Donald said smoothly. His voice was calm enough to cut through the shouting. "I represent smart investments. And the Iron Vanguard is currently under terrible management. We’re just here to initiate a hostile takeover. Have a good night."

He put a hand on the small of Evelyn’s back, guiding her past the stunned reporter and out into the cool night air.

They made it down the red carpet and slipped away from the main crowd. They turned the corner toward the luxury parking garage where they had left the rental car. The noise of the press faded, replaced by the quiet hum of the city traffic.

Evelyn let out a long, shaky breath. Her shoulders finally dropped an inch.

"Hostile takeover?" she asked, glancing sideways at him. A tired smirk played on her lips. "That’s a good line. You sounded like a real corporate shark back there."

"I watch a lot of old movies," Donald admitted. He loosened his gold tie just a fraction. "But it worked. By tomorrow morning, every financial network in Genesis City will be trying to guess my net worth. Sterling is going to look like he’s losing control of his own narrative."

They reached their sleek black rental car. Donald reached for the door handle, but his [Lesser Mana Perception] suddenly pinged. A faint, highly controlled mana signature was waiting in the shadows between two concrete pillars.

Donald stopped. He didn’t draw a weapon, but his stance shifted slightly.

"We have company," Donald said quietly.

A woman stepped out of the shadows. She was in her late forties, wearing a sharp, tailored silver suit that screamed old money. She held a long, thin cigarette holder, the cherry glowing faintly in the dim garage light. Two massive, silent bodyguards stood perfectly still in the darkness behind her.

Donald’s system immediately ran the numbers.

[Target: Lady Aris Thorne]

[Class: C-Rank Oracle / Chief Executive of Thorne Financial]

[Status: Highly intrigued. Calculating risks.]

"Good evening, Evelyn," Aris said. Her voice was smooth and cultured. "I must say, your return was quite the spectacle. I haven’t seen Sterling look that pale since the market crash of ’21."

Evelyn crossed her arms. Her aura hummed just beneath the surface of her skin. "Aris. I didn’t think the head of Thorne Financial attended street-level brawls."

"I attend anywhere money changes hands, darling," Aris smiled faintly. She took a slow drag from her cigarette and shifted her gaze to Donald. "And this young man just threatened to short thirty percent of the industrial sector. That makes him very interesting to me."

"I’m glad you’re entertained," Donald said. "But it’s late. Was there a reason you’re blocking my car?"

Aris tapped the ash from her cigarette. "Sterling is a brute, but he is a wealthy brute. You embarrassed him tonight, but challenging Kaelen to a sanctioned duel? That is suicide. Kaelen is a prime A-Rank Berserker. You were the best Vanguard in the city, Evelyn, but the whole room knows about the Obsidian Vault. A shattered A-Rank core doesn’t just glue itself back together overnight."

Aris took another drag, looking at Evelyn with genuine skepticism. "Even if you pieced it back together enough to walk and talk, you can’t match a Berserker’s raw output. The public doesn’t know if you’re healed or just running on fumes. I am a businesswoman. I see a high-risk venture. I want to know if you are actually backed by real capital, or if this was just a very flashy suicide note."

It was a test. She was trying to figure out if Donald was a real player in the underworld, or just a kid with a loud mouth and a good suit. If he showed weakness, she would sell them out to Sterling in a heartbeat to secure her own Guild’s standing.

Donald’s [Valuation Eye] flared to life. The golden text scrolled rapidly across his vision, tearing through Aris Thorne’s public persona and digging into her hidden data.

[Scanning Target Liabilities...]

[Vulnerability Detected: Thorne Financial is currently over-leveraged on Sector 4 real estate. Owe 12 million credits to the Iron Vanguard Guild. Desperate for a market shift.]

Donald smiled. It was a cold, knowing smile.

"You aren’t here to assess my risk, Lady Thorne," Donald said. He took a slow step toward her, keeping his hands in his pockets. He looked entirely relaxed. "You’re here because you’re terrified of your own."

Aris’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Excuse me?"

"Sector four," Donald said casually. He watched the color drain slightly from the woman’s face. "You bought heavy into the industrial zones expecting the Awakener Association to re-zone it for commercial use. They didn’t. Now you’re sitting on dead properties, and you owe Sterling twelve million credits by the end of the quarter. You don’t have it."

The two bodyguards in the shadows tensed. They sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Aris held up a hand, stopping them. She stared at Donald, completely stunned.