Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 – Nice my foot

Had he offended anyone? The question circled Voren’s mind like an insult that refused to fade, and no matter how many angles he examined it from, the answer remained the same.

The only person who had truly crossed a line was Seraphine. She had been the one to call him a fool without hesitation, the one who had looked him straight in the eye and dismissed his plea for the Walkers Global Enterprise as if it were nothing.

She had withdrawn her shares from Walkers Global Enterprise without blinking, so why exactly, was he expected to crawl? Voren refused to bend.

”Find other experts,” he said calmly, his voice steady despite the tension simmering beneath it. ”There must be someone better, someone who won’t ask for that much.”

David knew it was impossible. Nova Ghost had ruled the cyber world years ago, but his reign lasted only a few months, and no one ever heard about him again.

Even his agent, did not know of his whereabouts or how to contact him and now that he was back, he was even better than before, just like old wine.

However, he knew it was useless to sell this truth to his boss, so he replied calmly. ”Yes, sir.”

Days passed like dry leaves caught in a storm, too fast, and destructive. Within that short span, Ashkael Holdings had bled nearly one billion. It was a staggering amount, but still a fraction of what Nova Ghost was demanding.

Voren had scoffed when he saw the figure, convinced no one was worth that price. Cyber experts were flown in from all over the world, renowned specialists, elite teams, whispered legends in their field, each of them battling a single, invisible opponent.

Voren poured money into the problem with ruthless efficiency. Half a billion was spent just trying to stabilize the servers, yet every attempt ended the same way, failure.

Pete watched it all unfold with growing unease. By the fifth day, his concern could no longer be hidden. ”Sir,” he said carefully, ”I’ll go talk to that woman on your behalf.” The fall of Ashkael Holdings would be his as well, so how could he stay back and watch Voren’s pride to bring them down?

Yes, Voren was a legend but this time, he did not seem to have a better solution than humility, which he was not ready to admit.

Voren leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, his expression unreadable. He thought about it longer than Pete expected. Finally, he nodded. ”Go.”

He would not bow to Seraphine but if his assistant did it, that was different. That was strategy, not surrender. ”Good luck,” Voren added as Pete left the office.

Left alone, Voren turned to the news, every headline felt like a blade. Investors were threatening to pull out, and customers were panicking. The board had called for an emergency meeting, and most of the branches had already shut down.

Without the server, operations were paralyzed, no office work, no remote work, nothing. Voren’s jaw tightened as rage burned quietly in his chest. When this is over, he promised himself, Seraphine will pay for this.

A few hours later, Pete returned, and one look at his face was enough. ”She won’t even see me,” Pete said softly, his disappointment obvious. He had tried but that woman was just as stubborn as he perceived.

Voren stiffened, then suddenly remembered something. ”What about that girl,” he asked sharply. ”Nicole. They seem close.”

Pete hesitated. His boss had seemed indifferent before, almost dismissive, but now the losses had climbed to five billion. Meanwhile, Stone Group had risen to fourth place, their income doubling yet again. The contrast was impossible to ignore.

Pete dialed Nicole’s number, she answered almost immediately, her voice simmering in excitement. ”Pete? How are you?” Her warmth was inviting, but could not wipe the ice freezing the Ashkael Holdings. ”I just started working a few days ago. I wanted to tell you, but with everything going on, I thought you’d be busy.”

Pete forced a smile. It wasn’t a surprise that Nicole heard it too, and due to this, he hadn’t gone home for once. Even his boss stayed at the office for four days straight.

Voren’s gaze was fixed on him, sharp and impatient so Pete had no time to choose his words carefully. ”Nicole...” he began. ”I need a favor. Can you help me meet Seraphine?”

”Sera?” Nicole sounded surprised, then thoughtful. ”I’ll check with her and send you her number. She’s honestly the reason I recovered so fast after the breakup. Trust me, she’s really nice.”

From across the room, Voren scoffed under his breath. ”Nice my foot.”

Pete pretended not to hear. ”Nicole, she doesn’t want to see me, I’ve already tried. I really need your help.”

There was a brief pause on the line. When Nicole spoke again, her tone was more measured. ”I just got to work, and today is hectic. I can’t talk much, but I can invite her out for lunch. You’ll come by... as if by coincidence.”

The plan instantly pleased Voren. When Pete glanced his way for approval, Voren gave a slow, decisive nod.

”Thank you, Nicole,” Pete said quickly. ”I owe you big time.”

She laughed softly. ”You already did more than enough renting me a place and paying for it. I’ll let you know once everything’s confirmed.”

The call ended and Voren leaned back, his tone deceptively casual. ”What’s the relationship between you two?”

Pete blinked. His boss had never taken interest in his personal life before. Still, he answered honestly. ”I’ve always loved her, but when I met her, she was dating my best friend. He cheated, and she left him.”

”Oh,” Voren said. After a moment, he asked again, ”So... are you pursuing her?”

Pete smiled awkwardly. He understood Voren was only trying to ease the tension. ”Yes, but not now. I want her to heal first.”

Voren nodded. ”Good. Let me know when she confirms. I might go with you.”

Pete froze. ”You—” A sharp beep cut him off, Voren’s phone lit up.

One glance at the screen was all it took, and his expression darkened instantly. Without warning, he hurled the phone against the wall, it fell with a thud but did not break.

”Ravyn,” Voren snarled, his voice shaking with fury, ”you son of a bitch.”