The Skybridge conference room was tall-glass and sharp wood, the kind of space that made billion-dollar talks feel casual. The city stretched beneath them, steel-blue and humming with ambition.
Lucas entered flanked by Julius and two legal advisors. His blazer was unbuttoned, his walk deliberate. ATHENA had already run projections on everyone scheduled to attend.
Which made the sight of Frances Luo—already seated at the table—immediately infuriating.
Lucas didn't sit. He didn't smile.
"I wasn't aware this was a family reunion," he said flatly, his voice cutting across the room.
Frances crossed her legs with slow, intentional grace. "It's not. It's business. And I'm still a Luo."
Lucas turned to the attending counsel, eyes hard. "She's not on the board. And my father's prenup made it very clear she has no claim to future business affairs."
The older of the two company lawyers coughed politely. "We were… informed her presence would be non-binding. Observational only."
"Then she can observe from the hallway," Lucas said, cool and lethal. "This isn't a museum."
Frances's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Careful, Lucas. This company still exists in a political world."
"No," he corrected. "This company exists in the world Cyrus Han built—and I inherited. You're not a part of that."
Her expression twitched, a little too sharp. "Your father and I shared decades of—"
Lucas cut her off, calm but absolute. "A prenup. He gave you a house. Some art. And enough alimony to outlive your influence if you live modestly."
ATHENA's voice chimed in his ear."Will clauses reinforce your position. Frances Luo's attempt to interfere in Blackwell negotiations: legally void."
One of the Blackwell execs, an older man with a faint Texas accent, cleared his throat. "If this is an internal matter—"
"It's not," Lucas said smoothly. "We're here to discuss strategic energy integration. And I'd prefer if non-participants didn't muddy the room."
Frances stood, slowly. She smoothed her coat, chin tilted. "You'll regret treating me like an outsider."
Lucas met her eyes. "You were always outside. Cyrus just didn't change the locks fast enough."
Frances's lips parted slightly, a sharp retort flickering in her expression—but Lucas didn't let it come.
"I'll treat you like family the day we sit down and have an honest conversation," he said, voice low and firm. "But if you prefer lawyers doing the talking, now's a perfect time to pass them the mic."
Silence rang.
No one moved.
Frances's gaze flicked to the lawyers, then to the Blackwell reps across the table—who were clearly more interested in leaving this feud than being dragged into it.
Her jaw tightened. But she said nothing.
Lucas let it hang a moment longer, then turned back to the room.
"Let's get something straight," he said, not raising his voice but dropping all pretense of polite diplomacy. "No one in this room is Cyrus Han. Not me. Not you. That means we don't get to coast on legend."
He swept a sharp glance over the full table.
"We're going to be normal people. Smart people. That means we do two things at a time: stay focused, and get results."
ATHENA's voice chimed in his ear.
"Clarity reinforced. Group cohesion stabilizing. External observers neutralized."
Lucas reached for the materials and flipped to the next page.
"Now. Show me the revised projections on grid distribution, and make it worth the ink."
The Blackwell team scrambled back into position. Charts reloaded, numbers realigned, postures corrected.
Lucas didn't let the silence hang.
He tapped the digital tablet in front of him, flipping through the projections. "Slide seventeen. Pull it up on the main screen."
One of the execs hurried to comply.
It appeared—a complex energy grid layout overlayed with projected regional demand, investment breakdowns, and a cluster of red-line bottlenecks.
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "That bottleneck in Tier 3—those suppliers are outdated and undercapitalized. Swap them out for the alternative list Cyrus flagged last year. They already passed compliance in Q4."
The team exchanged glances. One of them, the younger strategy officer, spoke up. "Those aren't part of the original plan. We'd need to reapprove contracts."
Lucas didn't hesitate. "Then do it. You want this project to float or fly?"
No one argued.
He kept going.
"And this—" He pointed to the international pipeline component. "Cut the secondary export option. It's redundant. Use that budget surplus to increase our green compliance incentives in Asia-Pacific. We'll need them for local PR anyway."
ATHENA whispered in his ear, crisp and confident."Projected profit margin under new configuration: 2.1x increase. Political favor index: improved. Carbon credit eligibility: maximized."
Lucas glanced at the room.
"This isn't a conservation project. It's a money machine that happens to run clean."
He folded his hands. "You want approval? You've got it. With my terms."
The Blackwell CEO stood, smiling like a man who'd just been thrown a lifeline made of solid gold. "You'll have the new contracts by the end of the day."
Lucas nodded. "And I'll be watching every line item. If this leaks value, you'll know before the ink dries."
The man nodded harder.
But the room, despite their relief, remained stiff—shoulders tight, hands folded too neatly. No one spoke.
Everyone was holding their tongue.
Lucas noticed.
And he wasn't done.
He stood slowly, the movement measured and deliberate, letting silence stretch just long enough to make them uncomfortable.
"You're all very good at managing what Cyrus built," he said, voice even. "But if that's the only trick you've got, you won't be here long."
A few throats tightened. One pen clicked nervously.
Lucas's gaze moved across the table like a blade. "Two years from now, this company will have a new strategy. One I choose. One that reflects the world we're heading into—not the one you're trying to preserve."
He leaned forward, resting both hands on the table.
"I'm not just here to inherit. I'm here to redefine."
ATHENA pinged quietly."Impact registered. Leadership posture: established. Internal loyalty shift: initiating."
Lucas stepped back.
"That'll be all for today."
No one dared argue.
They just nodded—and started preparing for the storm they now knew was coming.