Building The Strongest Family

Luke's office was a whirlwind of organized chaos.

The sleek glass walls of his penthouse suite framed a breathtaking view of Neo-Luminara's skyline, where the first twinkling lights of evening began to dance against the darkening sky.

His desk, a slab of blackened steel salvaged from a failed drone prototype, was strewn with half-disassembled gadgets, a cold cup of coffee, and three holographic displays frozen mid-calculation.

Luke himself lounged on a custom-made leather couch, one arm draped over his eyes, his shirtsleeves rolled up past his elbows in a casual defiance against formality.

A sharp knock at the door broke through the haze.

"Come in, Selene," he called without lifting his arm.

The door hissed open, and Selene Vasari stepped inside, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished concrete floor.

Dressed in her signature tailored navy suit with her dark hair pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail, she held a tablet tightly in one hand.

"You look like hell," she remarked bluntly.

Finally lifting his arm and blinking against the light, Luke replied with a weary smile, "Feel like it too. How bad was the damage?"

Selene raised an eyebrow as if to say 'you know exactly what I mean.' "You mean after you casually announced we were building an army of drone hives in front of three hundred merchants?"

She tapped her tablet; data flickered to life between them like stars igniting in the night sky. "Let's just say we're going to need bigger servers to handle all the contracts."

Luke sat up straight and rubbed his face as if trying to wipe away fatigue. "Give me the numbers."

Selene wasted no time getting to the point. "What's the total from today's conference?" With a flick of her finger, a holographic display sprang to life, revealing staggering figures. "Four hundred seventy-three million Unicreds, just the initial commitments."

Luke raised an eyebrow and whistled. "Not bad for a day's work."

"Not bad?" Selene scoffed, incredulous. "Luke, we've just secured contracts with every major retailer from here to the Eastern Side! The Merchant Chamber of Commerce alone committed two hundred million in infrastructure deals!"

She scrolled down the data with urgency. "We have three pharmaceutical companies signing exclusivity agreements and two military contractors inquiring about weaponized applications..."

"Denied," Luke interjected firmly.

"...and the Luminara City Council has fast-tracked permits for twelve new Hive installations," she continued, undeterred.

Luke leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Good. That's good."

Selene hesitated before adding, "There's more."

"Of course there is," he replied, bracing himself.

She swiped again, pulling up a detailed map of the Aurelian Federation, a vast nation that dominated Panterra's third-largest continent.

The display zoomed in on clusters of glowing blue hexagons representing current Hive deployments.

"Thirty in Neo-Luminara and one hundred seventy spread across first and second-tier cities," she stated flatly.

Luke's expression darkened as he absorbed this information. "That's it?"

Selene shot him a pointed look. "Luke, we've built two hundred Hives in just two months! That's more infrastructure than most nations achieve in a decade!"

"It's not enough." He stood abruptly, pacing toward the window where the city sprawled below like a living organism, a labyrinth of lights and movement.

"We need saturation, every major city, every distribution corridor. I want two thousand Hives operational by year-end."

Selene didn't flinch at his audacity. "That's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible when you remember we have a sister company that's an infrastructure powerhouse!" Luke flashed her a confident grin.

"Oh! I almost forgot about that!" Selene's eyes lit up with realization but quickly dimmed as she considered logistics: materials and manpower were already stretched thin.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "We're pushing supply chains to their limits, the ceramisteel alone for the Hive casings..."

"Then continue negotiating with Osborn Supply Chain Group," Luke suggested casually while rolling his eyes at Selene.

She shook her head in disbelief but couldn't suppress a smile.

"And oh! You better hurry up with this," he added quietly yet firmly. There was steel beneath his casual tone,"This isn't just about profit anymore,"

Luke declared, his voice steady but urgent. "Today's breach wasn't a coincidence. Someone is testing our defenses."

Selene's lips pressed into a thin line. "The gray-suited man."

Luke nodded, his expression grave. "He wasn't merely a corporate spy; he knew precisely where to strike us."

He tapped his wrist, and the hologram flickered to life, displaying the security feed from Hive 12. The footage revealed an unsettling truth, the stranger had navigated their systems with ease, as if they were mere shadows.

Selene scrutinized the video, her face betraying nothing. "Do you think he's working for a rival company?"

"Or maybe a government agency," Luke replied thoughtfully. "Or something entirely different."

He shook his head, determination setting in. "What matters now is that we're not just building Hives; we're fortifying them. And we need to accelerate our efforts."

For a moment, silence enveloped them, broken only by the soft hum of holographic displays illuminating the room. Then Selene straightened her posture, her professional demeanor returning like armor.

"Two thousand Hives by year's end," she stated firmly, weighing each word carefully. "That'll come at a cost."

Luke didn't flinch. "How much are we talking?"

"Double our current projections, maybe even triple."

"Done!"

Selene raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You don't even know what that number is yet."

Luke flashed a sudden grin, sharp and confident. "Doesn't matter! We've got four hundred million reasons today alone to make this work."

"And besides!" He spread his arms wide as if embracing the challenge ahead. "If it's not enough, I can always borrow from Holdings!"

Selene sighed but couldn't help the flicker of amusement in her eyes. "You're insane."

"Probably," Luke admitted with a chuckle before turning back to gaze out the window at a delivery drone zipping past against the twilight sky.

Selene joined him by the window, arms crossed thoughtfully. "We'll need to expand our teams and implement double shifts at the fabrication plants, and let's be honest: those above us won't appreciate the risk involved."

Luke's smile faded slightly but remained resolute. "Those above don't have to like it; they just need to fund it."

She shot him a sidelong glance filled with curiosity and concern. "You're really going to push this through?"

Luke took a moment before responding, watching as life pulsed through the city, a million people relying on systems they barely understood.

"Yeah," he finally said with conviction. "We're pushing through."

Selene nodded once in agreement. "Then I'll draft up the proposals."

She turned to leave, but Luke quickly caught her arm. "Selene," he said, urgency lacing his voice.

She paused, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

"This is our chance to carve out a niche for ourselves and truly stand out among the countless companies under Osborn Holdings."

For a moment, Selene remained silent, contemplating his words before finally nodding.

"I know that!" she replied, determination shining through.

"Good!" Luke beamed back at her. "And hey! Thank you!"

In that instant, Selene's stern demeanor softened for the first time that evening.

"Don't thank me just yet," she teased with a playful smirk. "Wait until you see those overtime bills."

Luke chuckled; the sound sliced through the tension like a warm knife through butter. Selene flashed him a knowing grin as she strode out of the room, her heels clicking rhythmically against the floor.

The door hissed shut behind her, leaving Luke alone once more.

The weight of the day settled over him like a heavy blanket. He exhaled slowly, feeling the pressure ease just a bit as he reached for the cold coffee on his desk.

Just as he took a sip, his wrist comm buzzed to life with an incoming notification:What now?