While the Billion Bloodline group was fully occupied with the logistical nightmare of moving their key assets and strongest fighters back to the main base, Vivian was still being held inside the facility. However, "held" was a strong word for her current situation.
She was actually quite enjoying her time there because she wasn’t being treated as a prisoner in any traditional sense. Instead of a cell, she was staying in one of the building’s most luxurious guest rooms, complete with high-end furniture and a view that overlooked the shifting city. She was able to order exactly what she wished from the kitchen, getting pretty much anything she wanted delivered right to her door. Still, as she sat there in the quiet of her room, she couldn’t help but wonder how the long-term situation was going to turn out.
"So, that kid really is a member of the Stern family, and he’s managed to build up all of this from nothing?" Vivian said to the empty room, her voice trailing off as she looked at the expensive decor. "It’s quite impressive. It’s actually surprising that Chad and him are from the same family, honestly. They have such different ways of operating. But what Max and his group don’t realize is exactly how the Gilt Rats will choose to attack when they finally make their move."
Vivian knew the underworld better than most. She knew that names only carried you so far. "Maybe knowing that you’re from the Stern family would have scared off most common thugs or low-level gangs, but through dealing with Chad, we learned a lot about how that bloodline works. The rest of the Stern family doesn’t get involved in each other’s business. At least, they don’t step in for the ones that they were already afraid of or the ones they’ve cast out. They aren’t a united front."
She paced the room, her mind racing through the possibilities. "So, if the Gilt Rats get the chance, they’ll take everything they can. They won’t care about the family name. They’ll try to come at this Billion Bloodline group from another angle altogether, something Max might not be prepared for."
Vivian sat on the edge of the bed, deep in thought. "It makes me think, though. With everything that has happened recently, and the fighting arenas being pretty much done for, I doubt that the Gilt Rats will even bother with the Black Hounds for much longer. They won’t see them as partners anymore. They will just use them for their remaining raw strength as fodder, but things won’t ever go back to normal for them. The Gilt Rats will look at other ways to make their money, and if they are finally done with the prototype phase of those exoskeletons, they might even be using all their stolen money to mass-produce the rest of the items."
Vivian then reached over to a fruit bowl, picked up a fresh apple, and took a big, echoing crunch out of it, chewing slowly as she weighed her loyalties. "So, when that time comes, do I try and help the Gilt Rats? They will probably have some type of use for me, right? But there is also a very good chance they could just throw me to the side once I’ve given them what they need. So... should I show this Billion Bloodline group that I can actually be useful to them? That could be an interesting change of pace."
Elsewhere, things were moving along in the city, as every person had their own complicated lives and situations occurring simultaneously.
Bobo had been spending more and more of her time at the research facility. She was practically living there. Because of the recent massive investment she had received from Max, they were finally able to move on to the next critical step of their project. And that step was clinical trials. Once they presented the official results of these trials, they would finally have an official product that was out there in the world. They would be selling to various major hospitals and huge pharmaceutical companies. Her years of hard work were finally about to pay off in a massive way.
So, rather than going home to get any sleep, she was practically observing every single thing that was coming into place. She was obsessed with the details, knowing that her future depended on this success.
’If I keep getting success after success like this, then in ten years’ time, the heir position to the family will finally be mine,’ she thought as she stared at the data on her screen. ’Everyone will have underestimated me for so long, and they might have even forgotten I was in the race entirely. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when I’m the one on top.’
While she was in her office looking at the latest progress reports, there was a frantic, loud knocking on the door that broke her concentration.
"What are you doing? Let me in right now! You should know exactly who I am!" a sharp, familiar voice shouted from the other side of the wood.
Bobo’s heart started to thump louder against her ribs because she knew exactly who it was. There was no mistaking that tone.
"I’m her damn mother, so I don’t need any permission to go see my own daughter!"
The door was then burst open with a bang, and Karne was walking in. She was dressed in a standout, bright white suit, wearing a top hat and dark sunglasses as she strutted into the room. She looked like she had come straight from a high-society event, but her posture was all wrong. The staff member who had been by the door tried to follow in after her, a look of deep concern and apology on his face for letting her through.
But when Bobo made eye contact with the employee, she slowly lifted her hand, essentially telling him it was fine and that she would deal with it herself. The man nodded and quickly retreated, closing the door behind him.
"Mother, this is an unexpected visit," Bobo said, trying to keep her voice level. "You usually call before you come here, and you look a bit panicked. Is everything okay?"
Immediately, Karne began biting her nail, something she had never really done in front of others. She was always the image of perfection, so this appeared to be a much bigger issue than Bobo had originally thought. The sunglasses couldn’t hide the twitch in her expression.
"No, it’s not okay! Bobo, I need your money now!" Karne cried out, her voice cracking. "I need your money to save my business! Otherwise, it’s all going to crumble to the ground right in front of me! Everything I’ve built will be gone!"
She stepped closer to Bobo’s desk, her eyes wide with desperation. "Please, I’m your mother! You have to give me everything you have! You still have some of that money left, right? I know you do! I need it, Bobo. I need it now!"