?Chapter 725:


    Without a hint of warmth, Kolton gave a curt nod.


    “Keep buying up our shares. Coordinate with the financial institutions to push out favorable news.”


    “I’ll handle it,” udius answered, casting a quick look at the sinking stock price. Deep down, he was torn. Maia’s name had finally been cleared, and that should have brought him somefort. He had even thought this might convince his father to let him chase after her.


    But Mariana had to get involved, parading her so-called cleverness by leaking that banquet video. The aftermath was catastrophic.


    The chaos Mariana unleashed was dragging down the entire Cooper Group, and udius was seething. He had wanted to track her down that morning and demand to know what she was thinking, risking so much just to stop him from being with Maia.


    Instead, Mariana had already caught an early flight to another country, Sceibar, leaving him with nothing but anger and a mountain of work. He had spent the entire morning scrambling to scrape together enough capital to hold thepany together.


    Kolton’s voice snapped udius out of his thoughts, cold as ever.


    “Things have gone too far for you to me your sister. And as for Maia, my position hasn’t changed. She’ll still have to answer for the losses we’ve suffered.”


    udius went stiff, realizing that his father had seen right through him.


    Quickly, he replied,


    “I’ll take care of it. I’ll make sure this situation gets resolved.”


    Kolton shot him a look that could cut ss. He knew udius was sharp and resourceful, but far too ruled by his feelings.


    Even so, Kolton trusted his son’s priorities. Family interests always came first, a lesson he had hammered into him since boyhood.


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    Still, Kolton understood that the Cooper Group’s current crisis ran deeper than the free-falling stock price. Public outrage had already put several business deals at risk.


    Even so, those projects didn’t bring in the biggest profits for thepany. Tonight, however, a shipment valued at over ten billion was scheduled to move out.


    This time, only the very best from their security division had been chosen to handle it as the escort team.


    Kolton had even set up a decoy vessel to draw out the crew responsible for thest heist.


    If those thieves dared to try again, he was ready to make sure that none of them walked away alive.


    While Kolton moved his chess pieces behind the scenes, Chris finally reached the dimly lit bar hidden deep within a narrow alleyway.


    He slipped inside, shut the door, and pressed his hand to a hidden panel. In one smooth motion, a secret door slid open, and he disappeared into the darkness beyond.


    Inside, the covert base was alive with energy. More than a hundred operatives bustled about, focused on their tasks. The moment Chris emerged, several team leaders hurried over to brief him.


    “Boss, we’ve tracked the ship scheduled to leave tonight — but this isn’t like before. It’s a full-scale cargo vessel, enormous.”


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