Elliot said, "Zane wants the Newsom family fortune. After Winona shut him down, I bet he''s thinking of using the illegitimate daughter to threaten Mr. Newsom."


    "Mr. Newsom''s inplete istion. Zane can''t get to him," Tarquin replied.


    "Then he''ll switch tactics. He''ll throw himself into building his ownpany, especially Central Pharmaceuticals."


    Tarquin''s voice went cold.


    "If he tries to leverage Central Pharmaceuticals, we''ll expose his connection to thepany immediately. His reputation''s already trashed-no one''s going to invest in him now. When he''s desperate for cash, you reach out to him as Alpha Thorne and sign a profit-sharing contract."


    A profit-sharing contract at this stage? That''d be like pulling the rug out from under Zane-game over.


    Elliot understood exactly what Tarquin meant.


    "Leave it to me. I know how to handle it."


    Tarquin nodded, then turned to Elijah. "Any progress on your end, Elijah?"


    Elijah jumped right in,


    "I checked out the sketches Mom drew. I found a few spots."


    "Here, and here there are underground bases. People are actually living down there."


    "And all these spots are close to the Myan District. I think Zane built them as transfer stations."


    "He gathers people there, waits for a chance, and then ships them all to Burmalia."


    Tarquin studied the areas Elijah had circled.


    "Send me the general locations. I''ll have our team dig deeper."


    "Okay, Dad. But... aren''t you going to ask Zane about the mystery man?"


    "No rush," Tarquin said, his voice firm.


    "He needs to bepletely ruined first. Once Zane''s desperate, talking about the mystery man will be easy. People only behave when they''ve lost everything."


    Just as the three of them predicted, once Zane realized he couldn''t get his


    on the Newsom fortune,


    he


    his attention back


    to his


    own empire.


    By lunchtime, Central Pharmaceuticals announced ns to go public. The news sent shockwaves through the business world.


    Central Pharmaceuticals had been on a meteoric rise for the past two years. All the big yers on Wall Street had their eyes on it.


    The moment thepany started raising funds, everyone would be lining up to buy shares.


    Watching the financial news and all the hype about Central Pharmaceuticals, Zane finally felt a hint of satisfaction.


    Central Pharmaceuticals was his creation-his proof that he was more than just a


    name.


    Why did he look down on Keaton and Tarquin? Because they coasted on family money, while he built everything himself.


    If they had swapped backgrounds, Zane was convinced he''d leave both Tarquin and Keaton in the dust.


    He already had it all mapped out: after Central Pharmaceuticals went public, he''dnd a massive deal. At the very least, he''d make a cool billion dors.


    Then he''d expand even more, rake in even more cash.


    Once his empire was big enough, and Tarquin was out of the picture, he''d be strong enough to swallow all of Tarquin''s assets.


    He''d be at the top of the pyramid-the richest, most brilliant man in the country.


    Only then would he go after Elysia again. He refused to believe she wouldn''t fall for him then.


    Zane was riding high on his dreams. But just as the news about the IPO went out, Tarquin hit him with a cold dose of reality.


    A bombshell exploded online: Zane was outed as the secret owner of Central Pharmaceuticals.


    Suddenly, the inte was aze.


    If this hade out before, people


    would''ve been shocked, maybe called him ambitious for building such a giantpany behind the Newsom family''s back.


    But now? With Zane''s reputation in the gutter, it was a whole different story.