Rebirth of a Billionaire Heir-Chapter 60: The Starting Move

The late afternoon sun filtered through the towering glass walls of Zenith Tower’s top floor, casting long shadows over the polished marble floor of the conference room. Ethan Carter sat at the head of the room, his posture relaxed yet commanding, his sharp eyes fixed on the glowing projections hovering above the glass table. The table itself was a marvel of modern design—a seamless slab of tempered glass that doubled as a fully interactive display, capable of analyzing vast amounts of data in real-time.

Across the table, Jessica paced with her tablet in hand, swiping through holographic charts and graphs. Her tone was clipped, precise, as though the stakes of the moment allowed no room for unnecessary words. Ethan’s empire was built on such moments—controlled, efficient, and razor-sharp.

"We’ve narrowed it down to three key companies," Jessica said, tapping the display. Three points of light flared to life on the hologram, forming a triangle around the Arctic facility that dominated their current objectives.

"NordGen Engineering," she began, highlighting the top point. "They supply modular nuclear reactors for high-efficiency energy grids, specifically designed for extreme climates. Without NordGen, the Arctic facility’s energy backbone collapses."

Ethan studied the information, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table. "NordGen isn’t vulnerable," he said, more to himself than to Jessica. "Their contracts are airtight, government-backed, and shielded by military oversight. Any overt moves against them would trigger too much attention. What’s next?"

Jessica swiped again, and the focus shifted to the second company.

"Borealis Logistics," she said. "They’re responsible for all supply chain operations to the Arctic site. Reactor components, raw materials, personnel—all of it flows through Borealis. If we disrupt their operations..."

"They’ll be scrambling for months," Ethan finished, his voice calm and deliberate. "But logistics companies are interchangeable. Losing one won’t cripple them, just slow them down. What about the third target?"

Jessica’s fingers moved again, and the hologram refocused on the final point. "Arctech Systems. A small microchip manufacturer based in Finland. Their AI processors are proprietary, tailored specifically for Echelon’s systems. Without Arctech, the Arctic facility doesn’t just slow down—it grinds to a halt."

Ethan leaned forward, his attention narrowing. Arctech wasn’t just vulnerable; it was critical. A niche player in the market, easily overshadowed by larger competitors, but their unique technology made them irreplaceable.

"Arctech is the play," Ethan said, his tone decisive. "They’re small enough to acquire quickly, and their dependency on Echelon makes them a bottleneck."

Jessica hesitated. "Victor Han has already started buying into Arctech," she said. "He’s using proxies to keep it quiet, but I traced his movements. He’s been accumulating shares for weeks."

Ethan’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile. "Victor always did have a talent for sniffing out opportunities."

Sophia, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. She sat across the table, her expression thoughtful but tinged with concern. "Victor isn’t just sniffing, Ethan. He’s already moving. If you escalate this, he’ll retaliate, and it’ll be a public battle. Do you really want to draw that much attention to this?"

"They’re supposed to notice," Ethan replied. His voice was calm, but the steel in his tone was unmistakable. "The Conductor doesn’t play defense. They’ll respond. When they do, they’ll reveal their next move."

Sophia frowned, leaning back in her chair. "This isn’t just about The Conductor. If you start a corporate war with Victor over Arctech, the board will push back. Hard. They’re still reeling from the fallout in Shanghai."

"The board exists to follow my lead," Ethan said, his gaze unwavering. "Not the other way around." He turned back to Jessica. "Prepare the proxies. We’ll move on Borealis first. Acquire 15% of their shares through intermediaries. Force a proxy battle. That’ll tie up Victor’s resources."

Jessica nodded but hesitated. "And Arctech?"

"We take it out from under him," Ethan said, his voice firm. "Victor’s good, but he’s not invincible. We’ll let him think we’re focused on Borealis, then move on Arctech while he’s distracted."

Jessica didn’t look entirely convinced, but she began typing furiously into her tablet, running the numbers and refining the strategy. Ethan returned his focus to the glowing hologram, his mind racing ahead.

The room fell silent for a moment, the hum of the holographic display the only sound. Then Jessica spoke again, her tone hesitant.

"There’s something else," she said, bringing up a new projection. "I’ve seen this pattern before. Shell corporations moving money through Luxembourg, Singapore, the Caymans. It’s the same setup we’ve traced back to The Conductor in the past. They’re feeding money into NordGen, Borealis, and Arctech."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he studied the web of transactions. Each line represented a layer of deception, a carefully constructed network designed to obscure its true purpose. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"The Conductor," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jessica nodded. "If we follow this trail, we might uncover more about what they’re building at the Arctic facility. But if we push too hard..."

"They’ll know," Ethan finished. "And that’s the game."

Sophia watched him carefully, her brow furrowed. "This is more than a game, Ethan. You’re risking everything. If this backfires..."

"It won’t," Ethan said simply.

"And if it does?"

He didn’t answer.

The hours slipped by as the meeting dissolved, leaving Ethan alone in his office. The city stretched out before him, glittering and alive, its energy a constant hum beneath the stillness of the room. He sat at his desk, scrolling through profiles of Arctech’s board members on his tablet. Each name was a puzzle piece, a potential opening in the fortress he was about to assault.

His thoughts drifted to Victor Han. Victor had always been a formidable opponent—ruthless, strategic, and utterly without conscience. This wasn’t the first time their paths had crossed, but the stakes had never been this high.

The phone on his desk buzzed. He answered without looking.

"Carter," came the voice on the other end. Smooth, deep, and tinged with amusement.

Ethan’s hand stilled. He recognized the voice instantly.

"The Conductor," he said.

"You’ve made your first move," the voice said, almost laughing. "Bold. Predictable, but bold."

Ethan leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Flattery will get you nowhere. But I’m curious—what’s your next move?"

A low chuckle echoed through the line. "You think this is chess, Ethan. How quaint. But tell me, when the board collapses beneath you... what will you do then?"

The line went dead.

Ethan set the receiver down slowly, his mind already calculating. For all their theatrics, The Conductor was right about one thing: this wasn’t chess. It was something far more dangerous.

He turned back to his tablet, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on the edge of the desk.

"Let’s find out," he murmured, before diving back into the endless stream of data.