Building The Strongest Family

Flashback: Three Weeks Ago - Osborn Family Estate, Arthur's Study Room**

The study room was drenched in a dim indigo light, soft pulses of energy emanating from the circular core of Evolon's projection unit.

Towering monitors lined the walls, their screens alive with vibrant digital maps of Panterra's continents, each flickering with color-coded activity.

Arthur lounged in his chair, leaning back with an air of casual confidence, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and fingers propped thoughtfully beneath his chin.

His expression was a complex tapestry of obsession and quiet intensity.

"Evolon," he began slowly, as if weighing each word like precious cargo, "I want to create an organization that exists in the seams of this world, not just a company or a gang. Something... an unseen specter in a tailored suit."

Evolon's voice flowed like silk over glass. "Shadow networks already exist: the Megis Black Cells, the Syndic Consortium, the Crimson Blood."

Arthur raised a hand to halt Evolon mid-sentence. "And that's precisely why we need ours. I don't want just another network; I want an ecosystem, a shadow structure so intricate that tracing its lines would leave you questioning where they began or ended with me. I want to touch every corner of this world without ever leaving a fingerprint."

Evolon processed this directive swiftly. "What parameters should I follow?"

Arthur stood and strode to the center holo-globe, rotating it until it focused on the continent of Noctis. "Design it like a neural system: autonomous nodes and responsive hubs.

Separate branches for surveillance, infiltration, sabotage, intelligence, contingency plans galore! Each unit should have its own command trees; let them remain blissfully unaware of one another unless absolutely necessary."

He turned sharply; something ancient and ruthless glimmered in his eyes. "I want tiers, color-coded by rank, from Black to Platinum. Black being the lowest tier and Platinum being the highest, the ones who never show their faces and never ask questions."

"Designation: Platinum Badge Tier," Evolon confirmed coolly. "Understood."

"Good," Arthur replied as he sank back into his chair once more. "In about a month, I want to start assigning missions, trial runs, to see who bleeds, who breaks under pressure, and who stands tall."

" I will be expecting this in a month time,just save the information and show it to me a month later after you are done selecting those suitable " Arthur said.

"Yes Sir " Evolon replied l.

---

Present Day - Underground Prison.

The stench of blood hung thick in the air like an oppressive fog.

In the center of the room sat a single chair. its chrome arms stained dark with dried crimson, a grim throne for Edrin Halvorth.

Once a titan among Neo-Luminara's elite, a man who had bent governments and fortunes to his will, he was now strapped into that chair, stripped bare of dignity, status, and hope.

Edrin's once-pristine platinum hair now lay matted with sweat and blood, a stark contrast to the man he used to be.

His breath came in shallow bursts, each rattle echoing painfully through the cold stone chamber.

Before him loomed an enormous holo-screen, flickering ominously as it displayed scenes of horror that seemed to come alive with every new sequence.

"No! No, stop! STOP!" Edrin howled, his voice hoarse from hours of desperate screaming.

On the screen, one of his sons was yanked from a luxury penthouse and shot in the midst of a lavish dinner party.

The next scene unfolded, a convoy of armored limousines erupted into flames on a bridge lit by chaos.

His factories burned like torches against the night sky. Offshore accounts drained as if by magic. Mistresses vanished without a trace. Loyal lieutenants executed with ruthless precision.

Every brick of his empire, meticulously laid, was being pulled down around him.

And lurking in the shadows of the observation deck was Arthur, watching silently.

He didn't flinch or smirk; he simply stared.

"Play it again," he commanded coldly.

Evolon's voice echoed through the chamber: "Sequence looping; this will be the 311th viewing."

Edrin thrashed against his restraints, eyes wild and bloodshot. "Please! Arthur! Have mercy! I was wrong! I didn't mean for it to go this far!"

Arthur descended the metal staircase slowly, each step resonating like a cruel heartbeat in Edrin's ears. He stopped just out of reach.

"You thought I wouldn't find out," Arthur said flatly. "You believed that because I sat quietly while you laughed in that room, I was weak, that you could take from me…" His voice dropped into an icy whisper, "…my brother."

Edrin sobbed uncontrollably. "It wasn't me directly! It was just a warning, a way to make you reconsider!"

Arthur crouched down until their eyes locked, a predator meeting its prey. "You made Billy bleed and thought I wouldn't stain my hands in return? You know what's funny, Edrin?"

He leaned closer and added with a chilling smirk, "I am the warning."

With a wave of his hand, Evolon summoned another display detailing Edrin's entire lineage:

"Edrin Halvorth: Father of eight legitimate heirs; four mistresses; twelve offshore companies; twenty-three board memberships; sixty-nine corporate aliases; ninety-seven shell firms; two hundred sixteen personal staff."

Arthur gestured dismissively at the screen. "Gone, all of it."

Edrin's head hung low under the weight of his ruin.

Turning to those standing behind him, Malik, Selene, Jax, Arthur declared sternly,

"This," he declared, his voice steady and commanding, "is what happens to anyone who underestimates the Osborn Family."

"Selene."

"Yes, Boss," she replied, her expression an unreadable mask.

"Did you execute according to protocol?"

"Every second was timed to perfection. All assets neutralized; none escaped."

Arthur nodded approvingly. "Good."

"Jax, Malik, clean up the mess. Wipe all trails. Make it look like a financial collapse."

"Already on it," Jax responded.

"The media will spin this as the greatest empire crash in twenty years," Malik added with a chilling grin.

Arthur turned back to Evolon. "And you?"

"Deep purge completed; there's no digital trace linking Edrin's downfall to the Osborns."

"Excellent."

He stepped closer to Edrin one last time, his voice dropping to a whisper that sliced through the dying man's consciousness like a scalpel.

"You see, Edrin... we were never insignificant. We were simply unseen."

With that, he extended his hand, and Jax swiftly placed a gun into it.

Holding the weapon steady at Edrin's head, Arthur tilted his head slightly and said coldly, "In your next life, be good and don't provoke just anyone. You served as our scapegoat; your sacrifice won't be in vain."

With that final word hanging in the air, he pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The gunshot echoed ominously as Edrin's head erupted into a gruesome mess, a stark reminder of consequences meted out without mercy.

Arthur stood tall for a moment, surveying Edrin's lifeless body before spinning on his heel and striding into the shadows.

As he passed Jax, he tossed him the gun and pulled out a crisp white handkerchief to wipe his hands clean.

"Make sure to feed the body to the fishes; those creatures must be quite hungry," he ordered coolly.

"Yes Sir!" Malik responded loudly.