LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 168: Spark of Retaliation
It was a new day for many others. A new week, the official first of the new month.
Everyone was starting the month with plans and objectives to reach. Many entered the office with smiles on their faces, many had the normal facial expressions as they did on usual days.
And many... weren't at all in any sort of a joyful or hopeful mood.
One of these many was the son of the richest man in Calivernia, Tyler Mooney.
That morning, the young man sat rigidly in the sleek, modern chair of his executive office, high above the bustling heart of Moon Enterprises's headquarters in Los Alverez.
The sunlight filtered through the half-drawn blinds, casting long stripes across his clenched fists and the reflection of his own furious face in the glass table.
Throughout Saturday and Sunday, Tyler had been completely unproductive.
Not just in office standards but in his own standards too. No alcohol, no women, no extravagant spending of money and resources.
He had spent Saturday suffering from an intense hangover, and then spent Sunday suffering from intense depression.
However, only one name and one face had kept him going.
Brown hair, waved backwards with a few strands falling over his face. Chiseled jaw, pointed nose, blue eyes, solid frown.
Darren Steele.
That fucker.
The reunion replayed in his mind like a broken film reel. Darren Steele over and over again.
More Darren Steele. And even more and more.
His posture. Calm. Calculated... Superior?
The way he walked. The way he played pool. The way he acted.
How could that be the same Darren Steele he knew from high school all the way to college. That doofus?
What kind of change did he undergo?
He could still hear the low ripple of laughter after that pool match, still see the smug smirk as Darren took the bet money without a single word.
The way all the girls were gathering him. Tamara, even... Olivia.
Tyler's brows creased angrily and his fists clenched.
Even she had been talking to him at the end. He saw them, talking outside the hotel. From the distance it looked like they were secret lovers or something!
How could he have managed to get Olivia! He had tried since college and she never cared. But him... really?!
That damned Steele bastard had stolen the spotlight completely.
Tyler snarled, his teeth grinding. A mug shattered as his hand swept across the desk in frustration.
"That son of a bitch..."
He leaned forward now, pupils shrunk to thin, burning coals as he stared into the screen in front of him.
www.steeleinvestments.com
The banner glowed with modern minimalism. Sleek black and silver. It was the website that Kara had created for the company.
Tyler moved the cursor across the screen, reading everything in the homepage.
About Us. Portfolio. Services. Products. Partnerships. Tech Arm. Products. Mining & Blockchain. Strategic Real Estate.
He clicked through each with maniacal patience.
"I'll crush your real estate play first," Tyler muttered, tapping the mouse with a hard finger. "Then your tech arm. I'll have your software labs investigated. Strip you bare and humiliate you in front of the entire sector."
He scrolled to the Leadership tab and stared at Darren's profile photo. Calm. Composed. That look of someone who thought the world danced on his schedule.
"You're finished, Darren. You just made the biggest mistake of your short, smug life. You embarrassed me. You made me look like nothing in front of everyone. I'm fucking Tyler Mooney, goddamit! Everyone knows not to mess with me."
He glared at the screen before him one more time. "Fucking hell this is pointless! My rage is not satisfied. I'm only getting angrier doing this!"
A knock came on the door.
Tyler snapped his head at it. "Finally," he muttered. "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal Jaxon Daniels and Amir Singh. Both dressed slick as usual, designer blazers, tired but cocky expressions. They entered with casual ease.
"Ty," Jaxon said first. "Heard you had something urgent?"
"Yeah," Amir added. "Did someone die, or are we finally going to celebrate your successful deal in Massington?"
Tyler lifted his head, eyes bloodshot with restrained rage. He slammed the laptop shut and pointed at them.
"Jesus, man. I thought you had heat vision or something."
Amir narrowed his eyes. "Why are your eyes so red?"
"I'm going to destroy Darren Steele." Tyler growled.
Jaxon blinked. Amir's grin faltered. "Ty, did you sleep? Like at all? In the past two days?"
"Did you not hear what I said? I said I was gonna destroy Darren Steele!"
"Okay..." Jaxon said carefully. "You mean, like... financially? Or...?"
"Every way possible," Tyler snapped. "Financially, socially, legally, I don't care. I want Steele Investments burnt to ash. And I want you two in on it. With your help we can take down that bugger for good."
The silence that followed was heavier than expected.
Jaxon rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, look, Ty... I'm all for vengeance, believe me. But this guy? He literally played Horizon Strategies. Horizon Strategies."
Amir nodded slowly. "And did it quietly, which is worse. The guy's not loud. He just wins."
Tyler stepped forward. "You two are billion-dollar legacy boys, aren't you? Big talk, family empires... And you're telling me we can't take down some jumped-up, no-name bastard who mines some digital currency and got lucky?!"
"It's not that simple," Amir said. "Darren's system— sorry, company —has solid foundations. I can't lie. And uh, we've got... heat. On our own ends. Legal, financial, all that."
Jaxon sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I don't want to attract more attention to myself right now. I'm trying to pull off a few... offshore things."
Tyler's hands trembled in fury. "So you're cowards. Both of you. All bark, no damn bite."
"Come on man. For us, this is the safest thing to do," Amir said coolly. "We'll pass on this one. For now."
The two men turned, patting Tyler on the shoulder on their way out.
"You should get some rest, man."
"Yeah Ty, take a breather. You're thinking too emotionally."
Tyler stood there, fuming, as the door shut.
As Amir and Jaxon left the building, wondering what was up with Tyler, they both got notifications on their phones.
From Olivia.
"Next step. Meet me at the office."
The two men shared a glance. Then a grin.
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Olivia Sinclair sat in her high-rise office, the glow of her computer screen bathing her green hair in a soft blue hue. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, then pressed enter.
On the screen: a private email thread. Attachments. Meeting logs. Tax routing forms. Trademark registrations. None of which had her name.
She let out a heavy sigh.
Going through this again, it was unbelievable.
Amir Singh, it seemed, had already drafted a new holding company: SireCore Ventures. And Jaxon Daniels had been in contact with a private fund— one Olivia had never heard of —for weeks.
NDA documents signed by only two names. Hers missing.
Just as Darren said.
Olivia still couldn't believe it. She rubbed her forehead. Then her temples. Then ran her hands through her hair.
Everything Darren said... it was all true.
The knock on the door startled her.
She left the tab open and stood. "Come in."
As the door opened, Jaxon and Amir entered with relaxed swagger.
"We're here! What's next, boss?" Amir smirked.
"I think I've gotten a potential investor too," Jaxon added.
Olivia, of course, didn't share their enthusiasm. Rather, she spun the monitor to face them.
"What is this?"
Both men glanced at the monitor.
The color drained from their faces.