The call came from Natasha’s personal secretary.
The moment she spoke, her voice was already trembling with panic:
“President Harmon! Something terrible happened! A huge problem!”
“Half an hour ago, we received several calls in succession—Voyage International, Xinmao Capital, and Hongtu Real Estate…
All of them have unilaterally informed us that they are terminating all cooperation with us. All previously agreed-upon projects have been suspended!”
“What? Terminating cooperation?”
Natasha’s face changed instantly.
“How is that possible? The contracts are signed. Do they intend to breach them?”
“They only said it was due to ‘strategic adjustments’ and refused to elaborate. As for the breach penalty—they’re willing to pay it according to the contract! Even worse, several major raw material suppliers and distributors who had always cooperated well with us also sent letters just now, saying that due to force majeure, they can no longer supply goods or continue providing channel support!” The secretary spoke rapidly.
“There’s something like this?”
Natasha felt her heart gradually sinking.
These clients and suppliers were pillars and lifelines of the Chenfei Group. For them to simultaneously turn hostile—this was no coincidence.
“How could this happen out of nowhere? Did you get anything else out of them?” Natasha forced herself to remain calm.
The secretary hesitated, then lowered her voice.
“I privately contacted the assistant of President Li from ‘Voyage.’ He didn’t dare say much… but hinted that our Chenfei Group may have unknowingly offended some powerful figure. He doesn’t know who.”
Offended a powerful figure?
Countless possibilities flashed through Natasha’s mind.
Could it be the Spanner family?
But that didn’t make sense. Shuo Spanner and Hui Spanner were still detained at the station. They couldn’t even protect themselves—how could they retaliate so quickly?
And among her competitors, who had the power to sway so many giants at once?
“I understand.”
Natasha took a slow breath, her voice regaining its usual decisiveness.
“Stabilize the internal departments for now and calm the employees. I’ll handle everything when I get back tomorrow. Also, try to gather information from other channels—but do not alarm anyone.”
“Yes, President Harmon!”
After ending the call, Natasha stood still for a few seconds.
A chilly breeze brushed past her, bringing with it a faint coldness.
She rubbed her temples, suppressed her anger and heaviness, then put on a seemingly relaxed expression and returned to her seat.
“What’s wrong? You don’t look so well.” Dustin immediately sensed her subtle mood shift.
Natasha sat down, took a sip of her iced mung bean soup, and smiled lightly.
“Nothing serious. Just a small issue at the company. A few clients changed plans suddenly. It’s normal in business—I can handle it.”
She didn’t want Dustin to worry, especially now that he had lost his cultivation and was in a sensitive phase.
Business warfare was her battlefield.
Dustin took one look at her but didn’t press further.
“If you need help, just tell me.”
“I know, my dear Mr. Dustin.”
Warmth spread through Natasha’s heart. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving a faint rosy mark.
“You head home first and rest well. I may need to go back to the company. I’ll come find you later.”
After finishing supper, she drove Dustin back to his villa, reminded him to lock the doors, and then sped toward the Chenfei Group headquarters.
The city’s lights sparkled through the night, reflecting the cold gleam in her eyes.
Whoever dared sabotage her Chenfei Group must be prepared to face her wrath.
Early next morning, at Chenfei Group’s CEO office.
Natasha had barely slept. Her eyes carried faint dark circles, but their sharpness was undiminished.
Her desk was piled high with contracts, financial reports, and the urgently compiled list of affected clients and suppliers.
She reviewed them one by one, her frown tightening.
The damage was even more severe and rapid than she had estimated.
Not just the major clients and suppliers—even mid-sized partners seemed to have caught wind of something. Some were hesitating, others quietly reaching out to competitors.
With capital flow and supply chains hit simultaneously, if mishandled, the Chenfei Group’s massive corporate empire could suffer devastating internal injuries in a short time.
Knock knock.
Secretary Xiao Wu entered, looking even paler than the night before.
“President Harmon, we just got news—Huacai Tech and Shengshi Media have also formally notified us. They’re terminating next quarter’s advertising plans and cooperation projects.”
Two more heavyweight partners!
Natasha slammed the pen in her hand onto the desk, the thud echoing through the office.
She leaned back, rubbing her temples, which throbbed with pressure.
She had investigated all night, mobilizing hidden networks, yet still found no trace pointing to a clear mastermind.
Her initial suspect, the Spanner family, was ruled out.
Wu Spanner was tied up in his own trouble. Other Spanner factions seemed furious with Shuo and Hui Spanner’s stupidity—they were unlikely to stir up more trouble for now.
As for her main business rivals—she knew them well. They might take advantage of misfortune, but none had the sheer power to influence so many deep-rooted industry giants in such a short time.
This required not merely business leverage—but the crushing authority of a higher power.
Someone capable of pressuring these major figures into cutting ties immediately, even at the cost of breach penalties.
In Stonia, only a few ancient royal houses… or those truly tied to the imperial family… possessed that level of power.
Imperial relatives…
Natasha suddenly froze.
A name flashed in her mind like a bolt of lightning—
Dahlia!
– Marinien
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