Titan Vale Headquarters | CEO's Office
Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Nevaris Vale's office, painting golden streaks across the sleek black marble desk where the world's youngest trillionaire sat.
Or rather—lounged.
Nevaris was slumped in his chair, legs propped up, completely engrossed in his phone. His golden eyes flicked lazily across the screen as his fingers scrolled, occasionally pausing to type something out with a smirk.
Freya Lenore, standing a few feet away, ignored him completely.
Her focus was on Astralis Holdings.
The name had surfaced in the War Room barely an hour ago, setting off alarms across Titan Vale's executive team. A lesser-known conglomerate with suspiciously deep pockets, they had been making aggressive moves in Eurasia—targeting Titan Vale's business interests with unsettling precision.
It wasn't just competition.
It was personal.
Freya had spent the last hour pulling every thread, scanning financials, tracing patterns, looking for who was backing them. But every lead unraveled into shadows.
"Freyaaa."
She didn't look up. "No."
Nevaris pouted. "You didn't even let me finish."
"Because I already know it's nonsense."
He grinned. "You wound me."
She kept scrolling through the data. The patterns were too precise, too calculated. Someone was playing a long game, moving pieces against Titan Vale with surgical efficiency.
The way she would have.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Freya."
She sighed. "What?"
Nevaris turned his phone around.
On the screen was a text conversation.
— [Mom]: Nevaris, when are you going to settle down? You're already 26. A CEO should have a proper wife.
— [Mom]: You're not getting any younger. Do you even talk to women?
— [Mom]: Freya is right there. She's responsible. You should consider it.
Freya blinked. "…Excuse me?"
Nevaris groaned, tossing his phone onto the desk. "She's been at this since sunrise."
Freya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Your mother is insane."
"Oh, I know." He smirked. "I got it from her."
Freya exhaled slowly, pushing away the urge to throw his phone and him out the window. "Focus, Nevaris."
He stretched lazily, finally lowering his feet to the floor. "Alright, alright. What do we have?"
She pulled up the data. A holographic display flickered to life above the desk, showcasing the financial breakdown of Astralis Holdings.
"They're not just a competitor," Freya said. "They're being backed by someone, but the real investors are buried under layers of shell companies. No obvious ties to any of the usual power players."
Nevaris leaned forward slightly, the laziness in his expression fading. "That's interesting."
"Even more interesting?" Freya continued, zooming in on key transactions. "Their moves aren't just business-driven. Every acquisition, every hostile takeover attempt—it's all aimed at us."
Nevaris tapped his fingers against the desk, thinking. "A grudge, then."
"Most likely," she said.
His golden eyes gleamed. "I do love when things get personal."
Freya rolled her eyes. "You would."
Nevaris smirked, then casually picked up a stylus and began signing documents at an alarming speed, flipping through them with effortless precision.
Freya watched, grudgingly impressed.
For all his ridiculous antics, Nevaris' mind worked like a machine—calculating probabilities, strategizing, running a dozen scenarios at once.
"You know," he said absently, "you could just marry me and put an end to my mother's suffering."
Freya didn't hesitate. "I would rather set myself on fire."
Nevaris burst out laughing. "That's fair."
She sighed. "Back to the topic."
He twirled the stylus between his fingers. "Alright. Let's play a game."
Freya frowned. "I hate when you say that."
Nevaris grinned. "We don't know who's backing Astralis. But we do know they want to hurt Titan Vale."
She nodded.
"So…" His golden eyes glowed faintly. "Let's poke the bear."
Freya arched an eyebrow. "You want to provoke them?"
"Of course." He leaned back, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "Whoever they are, they're hiding for a reason. But if we start dismantling their front company—taking their pieces—they'll have no choice but to show themselves."
Reckless. Risky. Bold.
But effective.
Freya exhaled. "Fine. I'll set it up."
Nevaris beamed. "Excellent. Oh, and Freya?"
She paused.
He held up his phone again.
— [Mom]: I'm visiting next week. We'll talk about this then.
Nevaris grinned. "You might want to prepare."
Freya closed her eyes. "I hate you."
He laughed. "No, you don't."