Belladoll and Crux strolled into the Green Corporation's headquarters as though the doors behind them weren't blocked by a litter of bullet- and burn-riddled corpses. Their steps were unhurried, their Godsfall flaring from time to time to deal with annoyances, but honestly speaking…
There was nothing here that could harm them.
In the end, the Green Corporation was probably the dullest and most uninteresting in the city. They did come from old money, unlike GFI, but they were the sort of old money that had already been waning in their influence for a very long time.
The Green Corporation had technically pivoted into becoming a money-lending business, but in the past, their main profits came from buying up dying companies, squeezing them dry of everything they were worth, and then tossing them to the side—whether by selling their secrets to a competitor, or just pivoting away.
All things considered, they had done well in this for a while. But in this sort of business, you made a lot of enemies and could easily be frozen out. The Green Corporation overstepped their bounds during one transaction, and the former majority owner of said company ended up moving on and excelling elsewhere.
After this, that former majority owner made it their life's mission to crush the Green Corporation, and eventually squeezed the latter out of most markets.
At this point, the Green Corporation could only make money through small-time mortgage loans and various other money-lending schemes. Their profit margins were a fraction of what they had once been, and their reputation was mostly in the gutters.
But this was also only a matter of relativity.
Compared to their former prowess, where they were among the true movers and shakers of the entire country, to being relegated to just one of the country's many large cities, the fall was great.
But as the saying went, a starving camel was still far stronger than a horse could ever hope to be. They had been biding their time, and their current head, CEO Green, had learned patience—something his predecessors and ancestors hadn't.
In the end, it really was too difficult to uproot old money entirely, and the former majority owner that led to much of their demise had overextended himself quite a bit as well in the attempt.
Ultimately, they both suffered, and were now both likewise receiving a chance to overturn things.
Funny enough… that former majority owner was none other than Crux.
Walking through the halls of the Green Corporation now, Crux found it amusing that just a week ago, he was still scheming to figure out how to crush this bastard of a corporation that had almost ruined his life. But now he was here to cooperate with them.
After receiving the memories of three lifetimes he couldn't even remember having lived, the gripes of this life seemed so very small by comparison.
But it also made him wonder… if the Green Corporation really was from such old money, the odds that they were linked to a Rebirther somewhere were quite high.
So why hadn't they been prepared for his counters this time?
Crux's smile became a sneer as he and Belladoll reached the top of the high-rise, stepping into a corner office with floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere.
"You're here."
CEO Green was an older man. Unlike the youthful Zade and Marx, he must have been in his fifties at the very least. Despite the scent of blood wafting from Belladoll and Crux, he seemed exceptionally calm at the moment.
"It doesn't look like he's very afraid of you, Crux. Maybe if your balls had dropped already, this wouldn't be a problem."
"You really should stop wearing such frilly, girly stuff if you're going to be a trucker. It doesn't make you look cute; it makes you look like you have an age-play fetish. Get over yourself."
The bickering of the two ignored the CEO before them, but the man was calm and collected in ways that couldn't be forged through anything but life and experience.
Finally, they turned to him again.
"I'm sure you know why we're here. We'd like to use the Green Corporation. There is a Godsfall Tear here that we cannot allow a certain someone to claim. It would be best if we didn't allow him to enter at all, but the odds of doing that successfully are next to zero."
"Hoho," Belladoll chimed in, "I didn't know the idiot monkey could speak so formally and business-like."
Crux ignored Belladoll.
"Is this about a Zarek Ashford?" CEO Green asked.
"It is. Have you heard of him already?"
"From my information, he is currently with Global Fitness Incorporated. He is also responsible for the deaths of Pensare Corporation elites, and the Sakks half of the Sakks and Dalton duo."
"So you mean to say that he's already pissed off two of the three of you? As expected of my honey bunch, always swinging that big dick around everywhere he goes," Belladoll swung up to the tips of her toes, her pink umbrella twirling over her shoulders.
CEO Green raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond to the words directly. What could he even say to that?
"In that case, that makes things easier. Use your contacts and we will coordinate something between the three powers."
"Pensare won't be a problem. But I'm sure you know that the waters of Sakks and Dalton run quite deep, and there's credible information that the attorney general may already be involved. They could very well have their own plans."
"That is alright," Crux said with a smile, flames flickering along the burns under his eyes. "We happen to have quite a good relationship with the attorney general."
The backroom deal happened quite smoothly and without the slightest hint of a hiccup. As for the corpses, they were quietly cleaned up without a word.
The movements of Jiade right now were quite calculated, because as Zarek had said… this Godsfall Tear was exceptionally popular.
But right now, there would only be two that could get it.
Either Zarek.
Or Jiade.
And that was because Jiade had already sanctioned the entire city after cutting a deal with the attorney general.
The only thing he had to do in return was hand Priya over, alive and well.