Chapter 2

"Selena, I heard you need to make an urgent flight to Boston in three days?"

In the center of the hall, Victor, holding a glass of red wine, feigned concern and started a conversation. His voice was not loud, but just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear clearly.

Selena frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance flashing across her cold, beautiful face: "Yes. There's an extremely important conglomerate cooperation meeting over there, which is related to the life and death of the family business. But recently, air traffic control has been extremely strict, and the Winston family, at its level, simply cannot apply for the fastest direct private route. If it's not approved by tomorrow, we will miss the last window of negotiation."

Upon hearing this, the relatives around them exchanged bewildered glances. Faced with such top-level barriers involving interstate airspace control, second-rate families like the Winstons didn't even have the right to touch them.

“What’s so difficult about this?” Victor suddenly raised his voice, a haughty smile playing on his lips. “For me, it’s a piece of cake.”

All eyes in the room instantly turned to him.

Victor thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. He walked up to Selena and declared confidently, "Selena, have you forgotten? I am the Godfather's trusted agent. Within the Syndicate, there is a VIP privilege system that transcends all aviation regulations. With just one word from me, the Godfather's highest-level private routes are always open to you."

"My God! A top-tier exclusive flight route?!" Eleanor, the mother-in-law, was so excited her voice trembled, and she almost spilled the champagne in her hand. "That's a privilege that even the governor might not be able to mobilize at will! Victor, can you really do it?"

“Of course. Acting as the acting godfather, what’s a little bit of authority?” Victor raised his chin, glanced at me standing in the corner with blatant disdain in his eyes, “This is not a world that some commoners who can only wait tables at home and can’t even afford a plane ticket can imagine.”

My cousin immediately chimed in obsequiously, "Of course! Selena, look at Mr. Victor's incredible connections, and then look at your good-for-nothing husband who doesn't even own a decent suit. What can he do besides stand here looking so pathetic?"

Faced with overwhelming ridicule, I remained silent, like a forgotten ghost hidden at the edge of light and shadow.

I calmly lowered my gaze, avoiding everyone's eyes, and quietly pulled a seemingly old and bulky black cell phone from my pocket.

Few people in the world know that this device, without any markings and with a worn-out casing, is the highest-level terminal of the Syndicate financial magnates, the "absolute monarchy" capable of wiping out the entire Wall Street with a single click.

I swiped the screen with my thumb, and a barely perceptible beam of light scanned my iris. Then, with remarkable ease, I typed in a thirteen-digit top-secret code with one hand.

The screen instantly switched to the dark gold internal operating system interface.

With a blank expression, I brought up the flight route scheduling database and, in just three seconds, identified the so-called "agent" that Victor had just boasted about.

Found it.

That was just a third-level fake account registered under a syndicate's external subsidiary.

The low-level peripheral qualifications that can be rented on the black market for a little money can't even get close to my core system, let alone overstep their authority to access my exclusive routes.

Watching Victor still talking loudly in the middle of the hall, using my resources as a bargaining chip to pick up girls, my eyes were as deep and cold as an ancient well.

My thumb hovered above the screen, and I gently tapped a blood-red command.

[Supreme Approval: Erasure and Lock]

Data streamed across the screen like a waterfall. Instantly, all privileged networks Victor attempted to connect to were forcibly cut off, and the already low-quality fake account was directly labeled as a high-level spy and completely frozen.

Once the operation was complete, the screen went black. I put the phone back in my pocket, crossed my arms, and quietly watched the ensuing revelry unfold as if it were an inanimate object.

In the center of the hall, Victor, in order to fully demonstrate his overwhelming strength, took out the latest smartphone and arrogantly pressed the speakerphone button.

"Everyone, listen carefully." He cleared his throat and dialed the special line for applying for privileges with conglomerates. "Watch how I get Selena a flight route."

The entire audience held their breath, and Eleanor was so nervous that she dared not even breathe, afraid of missing a single syllable that proclaimed her authority.

The call was connected.

Victor immediately adopted an arrogant tone, speaking loudly into the speakerphone: "I am Victor, a VIP client. Immediately access the system and arrange a top-tier private flight for me to Boston in three days..."

However, before he could finish giving his order, the expected obsequious customer service greeting did not come from the other end of the phone.

Instead, a chilling, hellish mechanical voice rang out. This sound was amplified through the speakers, like a powerful slap across Victor's face.

"Warning. Password recognition failed."

"Your account does not have sufficient permissions and has engaged in unauthorized behavior!"

"All applications have been forcibly rejected! Your access has been permanently locked by the mastermind!"

"Beep beep beep beep—"

Accompanied by a piercing red alarm, the dial tone of the phone being mercilessly disconnected echoed abruptly in the magnificent hall.

The scene, which was filled with flattery and fervor just a moment ago, was instantly gripped by the cold verdict and plunged into an extremely awkward and deathly silence.

The relatives froze on the spot, and Eleanor's smile shattered completely, her mouth gaping open in a comical manner.

Victor's hand, which was holding the phone, froze in mid-air. His face, which had been beaming with pride just moments before, instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and the veins on his forehead throbbed with extreme bewilderment and embarrassment.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

"This...is this a system malfunction?" My cousin tried to break the silence by leaning forward, but his voice was weak and trembling.

Victor snapped out of his daze, hurriedly putting away his phone. His eyes darting around, he forced a loud excuse: "Yes! Didn't you hear me? I received inside information that the Godfather is planning a major operation tonight! The entire organization's privileged network has been temporarily placed under the highest level of military control! This was entirely within my expectations!"

This farcical attempt to cover up the lack of logic was utterly illogical, but the Winston family, desperate to maintain this connection, immediately backed down the ladder.

"So that's how it is! No wonder you're a top figure, you can even know such secrets in advance!" My mother-in-law laughed awkwardly and echoed loudly, desperately trying to cover up her embarrassment.

But Victor knew he had lost face completely, and the humiliation and anger made him lose all reason. He suddenly turned around, like a vicious dog whose tail had been stepped on, and without warning pointed his anger at me in the corner.

"It's all because of you!" Victor pointed at my nose, cursing angrily. "I told you long ago, these high-level operations involving the fortunes of top conglomerates must never have any lowly commoners present! It's your poor, lowly aura that's disrupting the magnetic field!"

Faced with this utterly absurd and desperate attempt to shift blame, I almost sneered. But before he could finish speaking, the surrounding relatives, like wolves smelling blood, immediately turned their guns on him.

“That’s right!” Eleanor cursed sharply. “This good-for-nothing is not only a gigolo, but he’s also ruining our family’s luck! Get out of my sight right now!”

A barrage of vulgarities rained down on me. Yet I remained standing perfectly still, not even changing the rhythm of my breathing.

I looked past the swarm of clamoring ants and stared directly at Selena.

She was looking at me, her brows furrowed.

There was no intention to defend me in those cold eyes; it was as if she also felt that all the embarrassment at this moment was truly the misfortune brought about by me, a commoner.

I felt no emotional fluctuations; only the cold intuition of a godfather was racing through my mind.

Victor is an idiot who is extremely incompetent and loves to show off. If the trip to Boston in three days goes by his arrangement, it will definitely be full of mistakes.

Having lost her memory, Selena had no idea how ferocious the hyenas lurking in the shadows, ready to tear her apart at any moment, were.

She won't live to see tomorrow with this bunch of idiots.

Three days later, no matter how much these people try to stop me, I must go with her in person.