Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 105: Game Recognizes Game

THREE DAYS LATER

-------------

The emergency lights flickered ominously in the boardroom, casting harsh shadows across the anxious faces of the top executives at Osborn Real Estate and Construction Group.

Nathaniel paced his chair, a look of deep concern etched on his face.

The massive screen on the wall blared with a sensational headline from *The Financial Ledger:

"OSBORN’S ’MIRACLE’ CONSTRUCTION: INNOVATION OR ILLEGAL LABOR PRACTICES?"

With a heavy sigh, Nathaniel sank into his seat and scanned the room. "Someone get me a damage assessment," he commanded.

His operations director, Rebecca, a no-nonsense woman glued to her screens, didn’t even glance up. "The story dropped two hours ago. Union reps are already picketing our Blue Pearl site. Construction has temporarily halted."

Frustration boiled over as Nathaniel slammed his palms on the table. "I warned Arthur that moving this fast would come back to haunt us! And besides how can they claim we’re using illegal labor? Are their heads filled with water or something?"

Rubbing his temples in despair, Nathaniel’s phone rang, breaking through the tension. He raised an eyebrow at the caller ID, it was Arthur.

Without hesitation, he answered.

"Arthur! Didn’t I tell you that rushing things would land us in trouble? Now look where we are, construction is stopped and labor unions are swarming our site!" Nathaniel fired off before Arthur could respond.

"Calm down! This is just a little trick by Marcus Cole," Arthur replied coolly from the other end of the line. "I’ll handle it; just be ready to resume construction!"

"You better!" Nathaniel snapped before hanging up, indignation bubbling beneath his surface.

--------

In his study room, Arthur stared at his phone in disbelief but soon broke into a wry smile.

"Looks like Master Nathaniel is quite angry!" Evolon’s face appeared on the giant screen behind him.

"It’s not entirely his fault," Arthur mused as he leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming anxiously on the table. "But I didn’t expect Golden Arch to strike so quickly!"

He stood up and poured himself a glass of red wine, taking a sip while narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "This move by Marcus is incredibly foolish, does he really think we’re using illegal labor? At first, I thought he was clever for threatening me, but now..."

Arthur settled back into his chair with both legs propped up on the table and shook his head in disbelief.

"Sir, I presume Marcus Cole is trying to send you a warning, he wants you to know he has enough strength and resources to keep you in check!" Evolon suggested.

"That’s not a bad strategy on his part," Arthur admitted with a grin. "But if it were anyone else, it might have worked; but he miscalculated everything!"

Turning to Evolon, he asked with a smile, "Have you gathered the materials?"

"Affirmative, Sir," Evolon’s face flickered on the screen. "Should I disseminate the information online or change the headlines on the ’Financial Leader’?"

"No! Don’t do either!" Arthur exclaimed, placing his glass of wine firmly on the table and shaking his head. "Just send it directly to Marcus. He’s smart; he’ll know what to do!"

"Understood, Sir," Evolon replied promptly.

---------

In the Golden Arch CEO’s office, Marcus stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the sprawling city below with a mix of pride and contemplation.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the table, jolting him back to reality.

Frowning slightly with furrowed brows, he walked over and picked it up.

After fiddling with it for a moment, his expression shifted dramatically,fear flashed in his eyes as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Trembling slightly, he dialed a number. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Change of plans! Quickly take down those headlines and issue an apology to Osborn Real Estate and Construction Group!" Marcus barked hoarsely.

"But sir, the plan is already working!" came the confused voice from the other end.

"Don’t question me,just do it!" Marcus roared before hanging up abruptly.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he sank into his chair and gulped down some water while wiping away beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Arthur," he muttered under his breath with a cold glint in his eyes as he let out a low growl. "This time you win."

-----------

That same day saw all news platforms retracting their reports about Osborn Real Estate and Construction Group allegedly using illegal labor.

Instead, new headlines emerged declaring it was all just false rumors accompanied by apologies from various outlets.

Within an hour, all negativity surrounding Osborn had vanished like smoke in the wind, construction resumed without delay!

-----------

"President! I’ve just received news that all labor unions at the Blue Pearl site have withdrawn their protests,construction has resumed!" Nathaniel’s secretary burst into his office.

"I know; you can go back now!" Nathaniel smiled as he waved her off.

"Understood, President!" she nodded before exiting.

Suddenly Nathaniel’s phone rang; seeing who was calling made him shake his head with a bittersweet smile as he answered.

"Hey Uncle, I told you I’d handle this! It was just the petty tricks of Golden Arch!" Arthur’s voice rang out as soon as Nathaniel picked up the call.

"Yeah, I know!" Nathaniel replied, a smirk playing on his lips as he shook his head. "But how did you solve it so fast?!"

Arthur chuckled, "Let’s just say I happen to know a lot about their CEO!"

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow but decided not to pry further.

-----------

In the study room, Arthur hung up the phone with a satisfied smile.

Just then, Evolon spoke up,"Sir, why didn’t you just pass this information to the relevant department? Marcus Cole could have ended up in jail!"

"Evolon," Arthur replied thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes, "you know people like Marcus are often backed by powerful allies. He’s just a CEO; if we send him to jail today, someone else will take his place tomorrow, someone equally dangerous. Besides, look at who’s backing Golden Arch! Sometimes we need to take a step back to avoid getting caught in a complicated mess."

He leaned back in his chair with a sly grin. "This time around, we’ve merely given Marcus a little warning, and those behind him too. Let’s just say they shouldn’t push their luck too far."