In Lyco's luxurious mansion, the silence was broken by the sound of glass shattering against the wall. A crystal goblet, which had once contained a vintage wine, was now nothing more than fragments scattered across the impeccable marble floor.
Lyco, his face red with rage, walked through the main hall like an enraged bull. His heavy footsteps echoed through the large space as he knocked over everything in his path. An expensive porcelain vase was his next victim, followed by a handmade lamp brought from Italy.
"How could this happen?! How did this cheeky boy manage this?!" he shouted, throwing a chair against the wall.
The mansion, once a symbol of his greatness, now looked like the scene of a battle. The staff, accustomed to dealing with Lyco's occasional outbursts, kept their distance, watching from afar as he destroyed everything in sight.
Lyco stopped in front of a table where his devices were spread out: tablets, phones and printed reports. He grabbed one of the reports and tore it in half, but not before reading the headline that had so irritated him:
"Star Comp. Acquires Majority Control of Sys Corp. in Lightning Deal."
He threw the pieces to the floor, breathing hard. The vein in his forehead felt like it was about to explode. His lawyers and financial advisors had warned him about the possibility of a financial attack, but Lyco had never imagined that anyone would be bold enough to attempt something of this magnitude, much less that it would succeed.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Aiden Baskerville. The name sounded like poison on his lips.
Lyco finally slumped into one of the few chairs that were still intact. He ran his hands over his face, trying to calm himself, but the anger was like a fire that could not be extinguished. He glanced at one of his lawyers, who was standing near the entrance to the room, hesitating whether or not to speak.
"Say something useful, or get out of my way before I make you swallow your own tongue" Lyco roared.
The lawyer stepped forward, choosing his words carefully:
"Mr. Lyco, we've already filed the injunction to try to block the acquisition. There's still a chance to regain control of the company, but we'll need political and judicial support."
Lyco leaned forward, his eyes blazing with fury and determination.
"Then buy whoever you have to buy! Judges, politicians, anyone who can turn this situation in my favor. And fast!"
The lawyer nodded quickly, but continued:
"Still, sir, the damage to Sys Corp.'s image is severe. Even if we manage to turn the company around, it will be difficult to rebuild investor confidence."
Lyco jumped to his feet, grabbing the lawyer by the collar.
"I don't care about trust! I want that damn kid destroyed! I want him to lose everything, you know? Do whatever it takes!"
He shoved the man away, walking back across the room. His mind was racing. He knew he couldn't rely on the legal system alone. Aiden was playing on a different level, and Lyco needed to find a way to fight back.
As he paced back and forth, his daughter, Angel, entered the room. She looked worried, but tried to keep her composure.
"Dad, you need to calm down. We still have resources. All is not lost."
Lyco laughed bitterly.
"You don't understand, Angel. It's not just about business. It's about power. This kid humiliated me, took away everything I've built. He can't get away with it."
Angel hesitated before answering, "And what do you plan to do? Use violence? That'll only make things worse."
Lyco turned to her, his face even darker.
"If necessary, yes. But before that, I'm going to use every connection I have. I want the mayor, the judges, the banks… all of them on my side. This boy is going to learn that messing with Lyco Castellanos comes at a price."
A short time later, Lyco gathered his inner circle. Lawyers, political advisors, and financiers were gathered around the table in the mansion's private conference room. He spoke with authority, but still betraying the anger that boiled inside him.
"I need a detailed report on every legal vulnerability we can exploit against Star Comp. We'll smother them with lawsuits, invent violations, anything we can use."
One of the lawyers raised his hand timidly.
"Mr. Lyco, this may take time, and…"
"Then buy time! Pay whoever you need to delay the court decisions. I want the mayor on my payroll, the judges too. If anyone refuses, find something to change their minds."
He turned to one of his financial advisors.
"What about the stock market? Is there anything we can do to turn things around?"
The advisor shook his head.
"Sir, right now, Star Comp. has complete control. We would need a huge amount of capital to regain any influence."
Lyco gritted his teeth, but didn't answer. He knew his fortune was large, but perhaps not enough to take on Aiden in the financial markets. He would need to be more creative, more ruthless.
When all the advisors had left, Angel remained in the room, watching his father with a worried expression.
"Dad, is this really worth it? Maybe it's time to reconsider. We can start over, with Mystic Comp."
Lyco looked at her, his eyes filled with an almost insane determination.
"You don't understand, Angel. This isn't just about business. It's about honor, legacy. This boy crossed the wrong path, and now he's going to pay for it."
Angel sighed, but didn't press the issue. She knew that once he had made up his mind, her father would not change his mind.
Lyco looked out the living room window, the view of his mansion now seeming less imposing. He watched the darkness of the night as his mind devised plans that could restore his legacy. The reflection of the man he saw in the glass was that of someone marked by anger, but also by determination. Every fiber of his body demanded revenge.
He knew that facing Aiden Baskerville in the financial market would be nearly impossible at that moment, but Lyco was not just a businessman: he was a strategist, someone who rose to the top by crushing competitors and eliminating obstacles, no matter the method.
Angel, who was still in the living room, realized that his father's silence was more threatening than his previous outbursts of fury.
"Dad, you need a different approach. If Aiden controls Sys Corp., it means he is vulnerable on other fronts. No man builds a fortress without leaving a door ajar."
Lyco turned to Angel, surprised by the suggestion. He knew his daughter had inherited some of his ambition and coldness, but she rarely involved herself in his plans so directly.
"Go on, Angel."
"Aiden is powerful, but he's young. Young people tend to be impulsive, arrogant. That means he can make mistakes. We need to find them before he realizes it."
Angel sat down at the table, opening the laptop she'd brought with her. She began scrolling through reports, news, and financial information. Lyco watched silently, letting his daughter take control for once.
"First, we need to know what he values beyond money. Personal connections, influence, something that can't be measured by numbers alone."
Lyco nodded, sitting down next to her.
"And how do you plan to find that out?"
Angel smiled calculatingly.
"He has a team. No empire is built alone. We find the weakest link and force him to talk. Ada, for example, seems to be a key player. We must find out more about her."
Lyco narrowed his eyes, already interested in the idea. He had always known that secrets were the most valuable currency in the business world. If he could find something that compromised Ada, he could use it to target Aiden directly.
"Good. Get our contacts in the intelligence sector involved. I want detailed information on every member of his team, including Ada herself. Use money, favors, blackmail... whatever the cost."
Angel paused, considering.
"We also need to undermine market confidence in Star Comp. If we can instill doubt, Aiden will have to divert resources to contain the crisis, leaving room for us to attack elsewhere."
Lyco smiled for the first time since the disaster.
"Looks like we finally have a plan, Angel. Go ahead. The next move will be ours."
That same night, Lyco called an urgent meeting at his mansion with his most loyal allies. Seated in a smaller, more discreet room were executives, politicians, and businessmen who either owed Lyco favors or had an interest in seeing him return to power.
Lyco began the meeting with a direct and imposing tone.
"You saw what happened today. Sys Corp. was usurped by that brat. Many of you have profited from me over the years, and I am here to remind you that if I fall, so do you."
The attendees exchanged tense glances. Although they knew Lyco was exaggerating to gain support, it was true that his influence had secured many contracts and favors.
"Now, we need to act quickly. I need you to use your connections to block Star Comp.'s advances in any area you can. Licenses, government contracts, international negotiations... delay everything."
One of his allies, a high-ranking politician, raised his hand.
"Lyco, this could attract attention. Star Comp. is powerful, and Aiden Baskerville is not someone we can underestimate."
Lyco slammed his fist on the table.
"I'm not asking for permission! I'm demanding it. You owe it to me."
The politician hesitated, but nodded. Lyco knew that many in the room feared his wrath as much as they respected his ability.
The next day, Lyco enacted the first phase of his plan. Using his connections, he hired a cybersecurity expert to try to access sensitive Star Comp information.
The hacker, known only as "Shadow," was one of the best in the business. He asked no questions and delivered results. Working from a makeshift bunker, Shadow began hacking into Star Comp.'s peripheral systems, looking for loopholes that could be exploited.
Meanwhile, Angel led the other front. Using disguises and false identities, his agents began to probe mid-level employees of Star Comp., offering generous bribes in exchange for information.
Across the way, Aiden was in his office when Ada walked in with a tablet in her hands, her expression serious.
"Mr. Baskerville, we've detected suspicious activity on the secondary servers. It looks like someone is trying to access our networks."
Aiden frowned, but he didn't seem surprised.
"It's Lyco, no doubt. He's desperate and resorting to desperate measures. Activate our security protocols. I want to track every attempt."
Ada nodded, but before she left, Aiden called out to her.
"Ada, this isn't just a digital attack. Lyco will use every tool he has against us. I want a list of all our vulnerabilities, no matter how small, and contingency plans for each one."
She nodded again, already typing commands into the tablet.
That evening, as Lyco reviewed his agents' progress reports, he received a call from one of his allies in the financial sector.
"Mr. Lyco, we have a problem. The shares of Sys Corp.'s subsidiaries are plummeting. It appears Aiden has begun to liquidate the less profitable assets to shore up Star Comp's cash flow."
Lyco clenched his fists.
"He's turning my company into a source of capital for his own projects! This is unacceptable!"
His ally hesitated before continuing.
"Furthermore, rumors are circulating that he plans to lay off half of Sys Corp.'s workforce to reduce operating costs."
This was a devastating blow to Lyco. He knew that losing Sys Corp. was bad enough, but watching Aiden mold it into something more efficient was unbearable.
He hung up the phone without answering, throwing it against the wall. His anger was about to explode again.
Lyco knew he had to act fast. He ordered all his resources to be directed towards creating instability in Star Comp. while he continued to try to sabotage Aiden on multiple fronts.
But what he didn't know was that Aiden had already anticipated his every move. Atop his skyscraper, Aiden watched the city through the window, a cold smile on his face.
"You're persistent, Lyco. But that only makes the game more interesting."