The Tycoon's Odyssey

As they exited the meeting room, Rena's face was flushed with fury, her gaze drilling into Paul. Once they reached a secluded corner, she wasted no time and whirled on Paul.

"You complete and utter idiot!" she spat, her voice dripping with contempt. "How could you be so careless to get caught like that, letting the entire family witness your ridiculous brawl with Suri? Do you even understand the kind of disgrace you've brought on us?"

Paul's face turned red, but he couldn't even find a single word to defend himself. The sting of his mother's accusations, though unwarranted this time, left him at a loss. And while his anger simmered beneath the surface, he knew better than to argue now. He clenched his fists and bit his tongue and endured her scathing rebukes.

"Do you have any idea how much I've worked behind the scenes?" she hissed, pacing in frustration. "I've kept everything under wraps, maintained control over those loyal to us, and made sure to bury every trace of evidence—and you had to ruin it all in one moment of stupidity! Now the entire family thinks that you're some kind of violent fool, unfit for leadership. They won't ever trust you to hold any power after this."

They boarded the cart, the tension thick between them. Rena took her seat and glared at her son, scrutinizing him with icy disdain.

Paul sat across from her, his posture slumped. His eyes were narrowed, his mind running over the humiliating scene they'd just endured.

He finally spoke, his voice was low and bitter. "It's not my fault," he muttered, almost to himself. "There's no way Suri—or anyone else—could have recorded us unless someone else was involved."

His quiet words hung in the air as Rena's gaze darkened.

Her eyes gleamed as she followed his train of thought. "Who? Who would even dare to interfere like this?"

"Evan," Paul muttered with growing certainty. "He's the only one who has the resources. Think about it—he showed up in that high-tech suit just days ago. I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow managed to pull that footage from somewhere we thought was buried."

Rena's expression hardened as she considered this. She had always felt that Evan was a threat to her plans, a meddling outsider with no respect for the family's traditional power dynamics.

"Of course, it's him," she hissed. "He's the only one with that kind of technology and reach. I had everything set up perfectly, every ally kept in line, every potential leak blocked. Evan's interference makes sense. He's protecting Suri. He knows exactly what we are doing."

Her lips curled into a venomous smile. "But he won't win so easily. If we can't attack her outright, then we'll ruin her reputation one way or another. Push her to act out, to make mistakes. With the Queen's support, we can take ruthless measures."

Paul hesitated, his frustration bubbling over. "But I don't, why are you so fixated on him?"  Though he found Suri unbearable, it wasn't to the extent like that of his mother.

"YOU FOOOL!" Rena shouted, slamming her hands on the seat.

"Don't you understand? Your position is only safe as long as Suri doesn't show interest but what if one day she thinks of wanting to inherit all this? Who knows if we let down our guard and she comes to kill you?"

Paul stiffened as the weight of her words sank in.

"She is no weakling," Rena continued, her tone biting. "She is a superhuman, and underestimating her would be fatal."

Paul nodded reluctantly, though resentment was still etched into his features.

"I understand, Mother. But things are spiraling out of control."

"Yes, but not for long," Rena said, her smile returning. "I didn't expect Evan to barge in forcefully, but it doesn't matter. His actions are unsettling and soon many of Indra's families won't be able to tolerate him and be forced to take action to get rid of him."

Her smile widened. "If Evan's going to go that far for her, then he'll have to watch her fall. We'll make sure of it."

Just as Rena was about to elaborate on her next plan, a thunderous explosion rocked their convoy. The blast jolted the vehicle violently, tearing through the air and leaving them disoriented and rattled.

As the first explosion reverberated through the convoy, Rena's face paled, and she whipped her head around, her voice trembling with uncharacteristic panic filling her.

"What's going on?" she demanded, eyes darting around the chaos and saw a barrage of flames ahead.

The driver, equally rattled, glanced back with his ashen face. "Ma'am, the car ahead of us—it exploded!"

Before he could finish, another vehicle further up the line erupted in flames, sending a blast of heat and debris that slammed into their car. The explosion tore through the air, shattering windows and rocking the convoy violently, throwing everything into chaos. Rena and Paul's faces twisted in terror as the unmistakable reality sank in: this wasn't an accident; they were under attack.

Just then, a guard scrambled over to them, his expression one of urgent fear. "Sir, Ma'am… Please get out! The cars might have been rigged with bombs!"

With no time to process, Rena and Paul lurched out of the vehicle, their movements frantic as they stumbled onto the road.

Fear clenched their chests as they hurried away, their heartbeats loud enough to sound even in their ears. They had barely made it a few steps when their car erupted in a deafening explosion, unleashing a shockwave so intense that it slammed into them with brutal force.

The blast sent them sprawling, throwing them to the ground like rag dolls, their faces skidding against the rough pavement.

Paul scrambled up in a daze, his entire body aching. He staggered, his vision blurring from the impact, only to be met with a sight that struck him completely silent. Their entire convoy was engulfed in an inferno, all the cars burning wildly, one after another, bursting with violent, relentless explosions.

The night sky was illuminated with a sickeningly beautiful display of fire and smoke, and the road transformed into a blazing war zone. His heart sank as the sheer devastation unfolded before his eyes, filling him with a terror he'd never felt before.

A few surviving bodyguards hurried over to their side, dragging both him and Rena toward relative safety, shielding them as much as they could. But as the shockwaves from yet another explosion hit, they were knocked off balance and sent rolling helplessly across the ground with the acrid taste of grit and smoke filling their mouths and lungs.

Paul barely managed to get to his feet, shaken and disoriented, the scene in front of him surreal. The convoy was reduced to smoldering ruins, flames licking up into the sky as the last remnants of their escape vehicles burned and cracked, the night was filled with the horrifying soundtrack of destruction.

Both Paul and Rena were clearly terrified and found themselves paralyzed, their minds blank, unable to think what to do while their guards struggled to regroup and surround them.

Fortunately, there was no further attack despite them having thrown around on narrow roads for a few moments.

Meanwhile, overlooking the chaos while standing on a raised ridge a short distance away, a lone figure casually sipped a smoothie.

He watched the scene below with a faint smile, the glow of the fire reflecting in his eyes.

As he took another sip, he let out a small, satisfied exhale and murmured to himself with unmistakable amusement, "What a miraculous sight… I love it."

"Hmm! It's your luck that I am not killing you, but I will make sure that from now on, you two won't have a single peaceful moment of sleep."