The Awakening of the Divine Power System

Nursing a Grudge

Arnold Peter slumped against the cold marble wall, his chest heaving with ragged, panicked breaths. His eyes, which usually looked upon others with sheer disdain, were now clouded with a terrifying fog of confusion and dread. Standing before him, James O’Connell stood tall, radiating an aura so oppressive that the oxygen in the room seemed to vanish.

"This is impossible," Arnold rasped, his voice breaking. "Yesterday you were just a resident begging for a contract extension. How could you possibly buy this consortium overnight? Henry, you’re being played! This man is a fraud!"

Henry Vance, the Director-General, stepped forward, his face flushed with fury. "Shut your mouth, Arnold! Do you want me to drag you to court for defaming the owner of the foundation? Get on your knees and apologize this instant, or I will personally ensure today is the last day you ever hold a medical license!"

Under the crushing weight of Henry’s command and the piercing gaze of Julian—who looked ready to bore a hole through his skull—Arnold Peter finally broke. His knees hit the floor with a heavy thud.

"I—I’m sorry, Mr. O’Connell. I was blind. I’ve made a terrible mistake," Arnold sobbed, his entire frame shaking.

Beside him, however, Max Peter couldn't accept reality. His sky-high ego was being incinerated. To him, James was still the loser. He stepped forward, fueled by a delusional rage, and pointed his finger directly in James's face.

"Dad! Get up! What are you doing?!" Max shrieked hysterically. "You’ve all gone mad! Look at this guy! He’s wearing a rental suit and carrying a paid actor for an assistant! James, I know you’re just playing a part. Tell them where you stole all this property! You’re nothing but trash, James! TRASH!"

SLAP!

A sharp, ringing blow landed on Max’s cheek—delivered by his own father.

"Shut up! If you want to live, shut up!" Arnold hissed. The way Henry Vance prostrated himself before James was proof enough: James was no longer someone they could fight.

Max clutched his burning cheek, his eyes welling up with shock and humiliation. He turned to Sofia, looking for support, but she stood frozen. Sofia stammered, her lips trembling without making a sound. She wanted to speak, to scream, or perhaps even try to seduce James back, but her tongue felt like lead.

James didn't waste another second on their pathetic family drama. He straightened his coat button and glanced at Julian. "Ensure none of them are allowed inside the hall. Today, I wish to speak with professionals, not clowns."

"Understood, my Lord," Julian replied with icy precision.

James turned and strode into the grand symposium hall, the heavy doors sealing shut behind him.

…

Meanwhile, outside the hall—now heavily guarded by armed security—the atmosphere turned grim. Arnold Peter remained huddled on the floor, covering his face with his hands, realizing the petty kingdom he had built over decades had crumbled in minutes.

Max stood several feet away, his breath hitching with suppressed malice. He felt stripped bare in front of all his colleagues. A burning thirst for vengeance began to consume his heart. To him, James's retaliation was too sudden, too nonsensical.

"This isn't right," Max hissed, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white. "No one gets that rich overnight. He’s using some kind of black magic, or he's laundering money for an international crime syndicate!"

Sofia approached Max, her face still pale, but her eyes held a strange, flickering curiosity. "Max, calm down. But... did you see him?" she asked, her voice tinged with hesitation. "The way James looked, the way he walked. He didn't look anything like the man we knew."

She said it with a hint of fascination, as if the image of James—dashing and powerful in his navy blue suit—was burned into her retinas. That accidental note of admiration did not escape Max’s sensitive ears.

"What did you just say?" Max spun around, glaring at Sofia with bloodshot eyes full of hate. "You’re starstruck? After he destroyed my life and my father’s, you’re starting to praise him?"

"That’s not it, Max! I’m just being rational!" Sofia stammered defensively. "I’ll look into this. I have friends in the licensing bureau. A loser like him couldn't have hidden his identity for years if he was actually that wealthy. There’s a catch. There has to be a dirty secret behind all of this!"

Max looked at Sofia with pure disgust. In his mind, he was convinced Sofia had wavered the moment she saw the "new" James. He felt betrayed by his cowardly father and his disloyal girlfriend.

"You’re just like him!" Max barked. He lunged forward and shoved Sofia’s shoulder roughly, sending her stumbling back. "I bet you're already thinking about crawling back to him now that he has money, aren't you? You're just a gold-digger, Sofia!"

"Max! You’ve gone too far!" Sofia screamed, clutching her sore shoulder.

Max didn't care. He turned back toward the sealed doors of the hall, his grudge reaching a boiling point. "I’m going to find out the truth about James!" he growled. "He’s definitely just running a scam on me!"