The Silent Dragon Won't Stop Here

The Sixty Million Dollar Surprise

Frederick Vance stood on the curb, his phone still buzzing with the disconnected tone, his face a mask of absolute horror. The color had drained from his skin, leaving him looking like a wax figure melting in the sun.

"Ruined..." he muttered, his voice trembling. "The Vance family... blacklisted?"

He looked up at the towering glass monolith of Emgrand Enterprise. Just minutes ago, it was a ladder he intended to climb to crush Julian York. Now, it was a tombstone.

He turned his gaze slowly to Julian, who was still straddling his battered e-scooter, one leg resting casually on the pavement. Julian’s expression was infuriatingly calm, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips.

"Did you... did you do this?" Frederick stammered, the thought absurd even as he spoke it. How could a live-in son-in-law, a man who washed dishes for a living, destroy a multi-million dollar family empire with a phone call?

"Me?" Julian shrugged, checking his fingernails. "I'm just a piece of trash, remember? I'm just waiting for my wife."

"You... you must be cursed! You brought this bad luck on me!" Frederick screamed, his rationality fracturing under the pressure. He didn't have time to argue with a loser. He had to rush home. He had to beg his father for forgiveness, though he knew it was futile.

Frederick scrambled into his luxury car, stripping the gears as he reversed violently and sped away, leaving a cloud of exhaust fumes that Julian waved away with a lazy hand.

"Enjoy the poverty, Frederick," Julian whispered into the wind.

Meanwhile, inside the penthouse office of Emgrand Enterprise.

Natalie Hayes sat on the edge of a plush leather sofa, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt so tightly her knuckles were white. She felt like an imposter. The office was larger than her entire apartment, decorated with original art and furniture that cost more than her life's earnings.

The door opened, and Doris Young walked in.

Natalie stood up immediately, bowing her head nervously. "Miss Young! I... I am Natalie Hayes from the Hayes Group. Thank you so much for seeing me. I know our company is small, and we might not meet your usual standards, but—"

"Mrs. York—I mean, Miss Hayes," Doris interrupted, her voice surprisingly gentle. She walked around the desk not to sit behind it, but to stand in front of Natalie, offering a respectful handshake. "Please, sit down. There is no need to be nervous."

Natalie blinked. Doris Young was known as the 'Iron Lady' of Riverton’s business world. She was famous for making grown men cry during negotiations. Why was she looking at Natalie with... was that admiration?

"I reviewed the proposal you brought," Doris said, picking up the folder Natalie had left with the secretary. She didn't even open it. "It's excellent."

"You... you haven't read it yet," Natalie pointed out timidly.

Doris smiled, a professional, practiced expression that hid her panic. The Chairman had given her strict orders: Give her whatever she wants, but don't let her know it's because of me.

"I trust your reputation, Miss Hayes," Doris lied smoothly. "The Hayes Group is exactly the kind of local partner Emgrand is looking for. Reliable, hungry, and... resilient."

"Really?" Natalie felt a surge of hope. "We were hoping to secure a contract for thirty million dollars to handle the interior decoration of the new hotel wing."

"Thirty million?" Doris frowned, tapping her chin.

Natalie’s heart sank. "Is... is that too high? We can lower it. Twenty-five? Twenty?"

"No," Doris said firmly. "It’s too low. Emgrand Enterprise does not do small projects. If we are to collaborate, we need to ensure the quality is world-class."

She pulled a pre-printed contract from her desk drawer and slid it across the glass table.

"I have authorized a budget increase. The contract is for sixty million dollars."

Natalie stopped breathing for a second. She stared at the paper. The number '60,000,000' was printed clearly in bold ink.

"Sixty... million?" she squeaked.

"Yes. And we will provide a thirty percent advance immediately upon signing, to help with your liquidity." Doris handed her a gold-plated pen. "If you are agreeable, just sign at the bottom."

Natalie felt dizzy. This was a dream. It had to be. Yesterday, her grandmother was throwing tea in her husband's face over five hundred thousand. Today, the most powerful woman in the city was handing her sixty million like it was pocket change.

"Why?" Natalie asked, her hand trembling as she took the pen. "Why us? Why me?"

Doris paused. She thought of the man downstairs on the scooter, the man who owned this entire building yet chose to live in humility.

"Let's just say," Doris said softly, "that our Chairman owes a great debt to someone close to you. He wants to see you succeed."

"Someone close to me?" Natalie furrowed her brows. "Is it... the Chairman knows my grandfather?"

"Perhaps," Doris said vaguely. "Please, sign."

Natalie signed. The scratch of the pen on paper sounded like a thunderclap in the quiet office.

"Congratulations, Miss Hayes," Doris said, standing up and extending her hand again. "I look forward to our partnership."

Natalie walked out of the building in a trance. She clutched the contract to her chest as if it were a newborn baby. The sunlight hit her face, and she blinked, looking around for the familiar figure of her husband.

Julian was there, leaning against a lamp post, scrolling on his phone. He looked up, and his face broke into a grin.

"Well?" he asked. "Did you get kicked out?"

Natalie ran to him. She didn't care about the people watching. She didn't care about his frayed suit or the rusty scooter. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I did it, Julian," she sobbed, the relief washing over her in waves. "I really did it. Sixty million. They gave me sixty million!"

Julian patted her back gently, his eyes cold as he looked over her shoulder at the city skyline, but his voice was warm. "I told you, didn't I? My wife is amazing."