Chapter 242: Guardian!!

Singh adjusted his glasses and turned slightly toward the witness stand.

“State your name.”

The man swallowed hard. His hands trembled against the railing.

“I, I am Luca.”

His voice cracked under pressure.

Singh nodded slowly.

“So Luca, tell the court, why did you do this?”

Luca’s eyes darted around the courtroom. Fear had taken over his entire body.

“I work for Mr. Dominic Cross, from Cross Capital.”

A wave of whispers erupted instantly.

The sound carried through the screen.

And into the room.

Dominic froze.

It felt as if the ground beneath him had disappeared.

Bennett turned toward him slowly.

Silas took a step back.

“We are done for, ”

Geoffrey clenched his jaw.

“Just like that? He confessed so easily, what kind of man is this, ”

Miles bent slightly.

Lining up the final black ball.

Unbothered.

Calm.

On the screen, Singh continued.

“What exactly did you do?”

Luca wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“We joined ACE Finances as employees, slowly built our plan, Mr. Dominic had connections inside the cloud server company, we modified the transactions from inside the office, and someone from the cloud company removed the logs, it was clean, no one could see it, ”

A murmur spread again.

Singh’s voice remained steady.

“Isn’t it obvious that within two weeks, these transactions would be flagged by the Federal Bank?”

Luca nodded weakly.

“Yes, but by then ACE Finances would already be shut down, they would lose the market, ”

The public prosecutor stood abruptly.

“Objection. This is a fabricated story. An attempt to shift blame onto innocent individuals.”

Singh turned his head slightly.

A faint smile.

“Are you even following the case, Prosecutor?”

The courtroom stirred.

“I have already submitted copies of the evidence to you. It includes photographs of Mr. Dominic Cross meeting with these individuals and these men.”

He paused deliberately.

“Multiple locations. Multiple timelines.”

The judge leaned forward.

“You may continue, Mr. Singh.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.”

Singh looked back at Luca.

“So, was Dominic alone in this?”

Luca shook his head immediately.

“No, there were four of them, every time, Bennett, Silas, Geoffrey, ”

Silence.

Then whispers exploded again.

Back in the room, Geoffrey’s fists tightened.

Bennett’s face turned pale.

Silas stared at the screen in disbelief.

They were finished.

Miles’ lips curved slightly.

A quiet, satisfied smile.

Singh raised another file.

“Your Honor, this evidence has been collected by Police Chief Sam. This is not the first time these individuals have engaged in such activities.”

He placed the file down.

“They have used financial influence and political power to manipulate markets and destroy companies.”

His voice sharpened.

“One of them is even an advisor to the Ministry of Justice.”

The judge’s expression darkened.

He turned toward the prosecutor.

“Do you have anything to say?”

The prosecutor lowered her gaze.

“I have nothing to say.”

The silence that followed was absolute.

Miles straightened up, cue stick resting lightly in his hand.

“Like I said, when you act anonymously, you don’t get to choose your own lawyer.”

His eyes flicked briefly toward Geoffrey.

“You never know what evidence is waiting.”

Geoffrey turned toward him slowly.

His voice low.

“Who are you, you knew all this, didn’t you, ”

Miles chuckled softly.

The judge’s voice echoed through the courtroom.

“Based on the evidence presented, the court finds ACE Finances innocent.”

A pause.

“It is advised that proper background verification of employees be conducted in the future.”

Another pause.

“The court issues an immediate arrest warrant for Dominic Cross, Bennett Hayes, Silas Blackwood, and Geoffrey Barrington.”

The weight of the words crushed everything.

“They are to be investigated for financial crimes and abuse of power.”

“And as of this moment, Geoffrey Barrington and Silas Blackwood are suspended from their government positions.”

The gavel struck.

“The court is adjourned.”

Back in the room, silence hung thick.

Miles looked around casually.

“It was entertaining.”

A faint smile.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

Geoffrey stepped forward.

“You, ”

Dominic suddenly lunged toward Miles.

Rage exploding.

But before he could reach

The doors burst open.

Glass shattered.

Heavy footsteps flooded the room.

“Police!”

Armed officers rushed in from all sides.

Weapons raised.

A commanding voice followed.

“Dominic Cross, Bennett Hayes, Silas Blackwood, Geoffrey Barrington, you are all under arrest.”

Everything froze.

Guns pointed.

No escape.

Slowly,

They raised their hands.

Defeated.

Miles did not even look at them.

He leaned forward.

One final shot.

The cue struck.

The black ball rolled smoothly,

And dropped into the pocket.

Clean.

Perfect.

He straightened up.

“I won.”

A small pause.

“You lose.”

Bennett stared at the table.

He never even got a turn.

Silas looked at Miles, his voice shaking.

“Who, who the hell are you, ”

Miles turned slightly.

His eyes calm.

Cold.

“Oh, you still don’t know?”

A faint smile.

“Miles Sterling.”

The name landed like thunder.

“Chairman of Sterling Enterprises.”

Another step.

“Guardian of ACE Group.”

Their faces drained completely.

Dominic whispered under his breath.

“Sterling, ”

The officers moved in.

Cuffs clicked.

Chains tightened.

And one by one

They were taken away.

….

Gordon Sterling stood up slowly from the couch.

The screen went dark as he turned off the television.

For a brief moment, silence filled the room.

Then he spoke, almost to himself.

“Young people are the future.”

His eyes carried a quiet pride.

A rare softness.

….

Daniel leaned forward, still staring at the now blank screen.

“See, they have won.”

Elena smiled gently.

Relief had finally settled in her heart.

“I cannot believe people like that were behind everything, ”

Daniel clapped his hands lightly.

“It is time for celebration.”

His voice carried excitement.

A simple joy.

….

At the ACE Finances office, the atmosphere was completely different.

Cheers.

Applause.

People stood up from their desks.

Some laughed.

Some hugged each other.

The tension of days had finally broken.

Silvey stood at the center of it all.

A bright smile on her face.

“Congratulations everyone.”

Her voice carried both pride and relief.

A woman hurried toward her.

“Miss Silvey, please switch to Sterling Media.”

Silvey frowned slightly.

Then turned toward the screen.

The channel changed.

And what appeared next made her freeze.

A press conference.

From the newly opened Soul Tower.

At the center of the stage

Monica.

Seated with calm authority.

Executives of the Reaper Group beside her.

Silvey’s eyes widened.

“That’s, sister Monica, ”

A reporter stepped forward.

“Miss Monica, what led you to relocate the Reaper Group headquarters here?”

Monica adjusted the microphone slightly.

Her expression composed.

Confident.

“Star Harbor is a strategic location. The largest volume of exports and imports in the country passes through this city.”

Her voice was steady.

“The corporate economy here has been growing consistently. This year, it has taken a significant leap.”

A slight pause.

“Sterling Enterprises has risen again and reshaped the city in a short time. The ACE Group has expanded into this region, something that has not happened in decades.”

She continued.

“More than thirty companies have already rented space within Soul Tower. The city holds immense potential.”

A faint smile appeared.

“And the Reaper Group is here to be part of that growth.”

Another reporter spoke.

“Do you feel any competition from these companies?”

Monica did not hesitate.

“Competition is healthy. It pushes us to grow.”

Her tone sharpened slightly.

“A monopoly is the worst outcome for consumers. We believe in fair business. Growth with responsibility. Growth with balance.”

Another question followed quickly.

“We just received news that ACE Finances has been declared innocent. What is your response?”

Monica nodded slightly.

“People often forget that ACE Group is one of the oldest organizations in our country.”

Her voice softened.

“They created employment when no one else did. They are a pillar of development.”

She leaned slightly forward.

“Yes, mismanagement can happen anywhere. But strong organizations learn and improve.”

A pause.

Then she delivered the final statement.

“The Reaper Group is announcing a fifty million dollar investment into the digital banking infrastructure of ACE Finances.”

Silence.

Then shock.

Silvey’s mouth remained slightly open.

“What, ”

Her mind raced.

Reaper Group.

A global powerhouse.

Mysterious.

Unseen.

Feared.

And Monica was its face.

And Monica called Miles,

Boss.

The realization hit like a storm.

Her eyes widened further.

“Brother Miles, what else are you hiding, ”

….

Elsewhere, June stood near the pool table.

She lifted her phone and took a picture.

Only striped balls remained on the table.

Every solid was gone.

A clean sweep.

Miles glanced at her.

“What are you doing?”

June smiled slightly.

“It is a good memory of victory. You should frame it.”

Miles let out a quiet chuckle.

Then

His phone buzzed.

He looked at the screen.

Answered.

“Hello.”

A familiar voice came from the other side.

“Congratulations on your victory.”

Miles’ expression softened slightly.

“Grandma Edna, thank you.”

There was a brief pause.

Then her voice came again.

“Your grandfather is about to arrive at Star Harbor airport.”

Everything changed.

Miles straightened instantly.

His eyes sharpened.

“I am coming.”

Silverline City

The evening air was calm, but inside the room, tension quietly built.

Basil stood near the window, his gaze fixed on the distant skyline. The fading light reflected faintly in his eyes as he held the phone close to his ear.

“Grandmaster was last spotted in Citadel City.”

His voice was low.

Serious.

From the other side, Thea responded immediately.

“What was he doing there?”

Basil exhaled slowly.

“According to Edna, he received an invitation from a Chinese martial arts school as a guest.”

A pause.

“I contacted the school.”

His tone hardened.

“There was no such invitation.”

Silence.

Then

“It was a trap.”

Thea’s breath caught slightly.

“And this was, when?”

“A week ago.”

The weight of that answer settled heavily between them.

Thea spoke again, her voice tighter now.

“Damn, we don’t even know where he is.”

Basil’s fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

“Edna is currently in Star Harbor. Maybe Miles can help.”

Another pause.

Then Thea spoke, more cautiously this time.

“Fingers crossed, and Basil, ”

Her tone shifted.

“Ask Miles to stay alert.”

Basil’s brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“The oldest client of The Web has started issuing new assignments in Citadel.”

For a brief second

Basil did not respond.

Then his eyes widened.

“You mean, Mordecai?”

“Yes.”

Her answer was firm.

“And it’s not under my control. I can’t interfere.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

Danger had already begun moving.

Basil nodded to himself, though she could not see it.

“Keep me updated if you find anything.”

His voice steadied again.

“I might have an idea about Grandmaster’s location.”

A short pause.

“I will call you later.”

The call ended.

The room fell silent.

Basil slowly lowered the phone.

His gaze lifted toward the darkening sky.

“So it begins again, ”

Without wasting another second, he dialed another number.

The call connected quickly.

“Master?”

Basil’s voice returned to command.

“Arrange me a flight to Citadel City.”

No hesitation.

“Immediately.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep