?Chapter 1484:


    As the n took shape, Kolton’s voice steadied and his posture eased, confidence swelling as though he had uncovered a perfect solution.


    “After that, I bring in a first-rate firm to dismantle every fabricated story we nted — one piece at a time, backed by carefully prepared evidence. When the public sees most of the scandals exposed as lies, the credibility of the real usation will copse. They will assume it is nothing more than another corporate attack aimed at Cooper Group.”


    Across the screen, silence lingered. Thomas’s thin fingers began to drum softly against the tabletop. Tap, tap, tap.


    The measured rhythm echoed like a second heartbeat inside Kolton’s chest. He watched the motion closely, recognizing it as Thomas’s unconscious habit when weighing a decision — a signal of restrained consideration rather than outright rejection.


    Still, he refused to rx and pressed on with careful emphasis.


    “Naturally, this only applies if things reach the worst possible oue. Kiley is still a Cooper — my daughter, raised under my guidance to ce the interests of Cooper Group above everything else. Now that she is safe, she will calm down and think rationally. She has to understand that exposing the contents of the sh drive would destroy Cooper Group, and as the Cooper daughter, she would lose everything along with it. Based on what I know of her, fear will stop her from revealing it outright. She will try to use the sh drive as leverage against me instead.”


    Kolton narrowed his eyes, the curve of his mouth lifting into a merciless smile. “If ites to that, the problem bes far easier to manage. As long as she dares to appear — as long as she seeks negotiation — I will take her into custody. And then I will inject her with theboratory’s newest breakthrough: the Amnesia Serum. It will wipe out every memory she formed over the past year, stripping her back to a clean te and returning her to thepliant young woman she used to be.”


    He shifted his gaze back to the screen and continued without pause. “And that is not all. I have taken precautions to ensure there are no loose ends. I have already issued orders for the immediate relocation of all core technical data. At the same time, the self-destruction protocol has been initiated to eliminate everyboratory and any evidence tied to them. I anticipated this scenario from the beginning — each underground facility has been packed with sufficient explosives. Onemand is all it takes to turn everything to ash. Nothing will remain for investigation. Only ruins.”


    Kolton finished in a single breath, his throat tightening as dryness crept in.


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    Yet Thomas remained silent. The brief stillness pressed down like a physical weight, and sweat slowly gathered along Kolton’s brow. He pressed his teeth into his lower lip before forcing the question out carefully. “Thomas, do you find this n satisfactory?”


    The screen remained mute.


    In the stillness, Kolton could hear the pounding of his own heart. Several seconds dragged by in absolute quiet, until Thomas finally spoke, his voice emerging unhurriedly from the darkness.


    “I expect to see tangible results soon. Remember.” His tone hardened without warning, carrying a cold menace steeped in bloodshed. “Failure means death.”


    Beep. The screen cut out at once, the image copsing into lifeless ck.


    Kolton sank heavily into his chair, strength draining from his limbs as though someone had cut the strings from his body. His chest hitched as he dragged in uneven breaths, air burning its way into his lungs.


    The head of the Cooper family — once a feared tactician who bent others to his will — now looked no different from a discarded marite. Cold sweat drenched the back of his shirt, the damp fabric clinging unpleasantly to his skin.


    That suffocating pressure weighed heavier than death itself. No matter how many times he faced Thomas, the dread never faded or softened. In that moment, Kolton understood with brutal rity that the situation had turned sharply against him.


    A deep disquiet coiled in Kolton’s gut, but he was a man who never gambled on a single throw of the dice.


    Alongside executing the discussed strategy, he required an insurance policy. A prudent man always kept a second path open.


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