Building The Strongest Family

Pedestrians on the side of the road gawked with wide eyes, captivated by the shimmering blur zipping past them.

"Wow, what a stunning car!" one exclaimed.

"What model is that?" another wondered aloud.

"I know! It's the Aether GT, only 200 are produced each year in all of Aurelia, and they cost a whopping 10 million Unicreds!" someone chimed in.

"Seriously? That's outrageous!What kind of car demands such a price?"

"The world of the wealthy is just so extravagant," another remarked, their voice tinged with envy as they watched Arthur's blue-silver streak glide effortlessly down the road.

Arthur gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling exhilaration surge through him as buildings blurred into indistinct shapes around him.

He was surprised by how comfortable he felt at such high speeds, and this wasn't even pushing the Aether GT to its limits!

Fearful of attracting police attention, he held back from unleashing its full power.

Moments later, Arthur made an elegant turn and came to a smooth stop in front of an impressive office building.

With a flick of his wrist, he opened the butterfly door and stepped out, flashing a charming smile that caught the attention of several office ladies exiting nearby.

Tossing his keys to a security guard with casual confidence, he strode into the building with his heart racing.

"Damn, it feels incredible to be rich! I could get used to this!"

Inside, he hopped onto an elevator that whisked him up to the 60th floor, a feat accomplished in mere moments.

The Osborn Group occupied three floors here, from 57th to 60th, and as Arthur stepped off on his floor, he was greeted by employees clad in professional suits bustling about busily.

"Good morning, President!" they chorused warmly upon seeing him before quickly returning to their tasks.

Arthur smiled and nodded back while curiously observing his surroundings.

Despite an air of tension hinting at financial struggles within the company, everyone seemed dedicated and focused, this didn't resemble a company on the brink of bankruptcy at all!

He felt proud; it demonstrated how seriously the Osborns valued their team members' commitment.

Without wasting any time, Arthur headed straight for the president's office.

As he swung open the door, anticipation bubbled within him as he caught sight of a woman figure waiting inside.

When Arthur stepped into the office, he was immediately struck by the sight of a young woman around twenty years old, dressed impeccably in a professional black suit and sleek high heels.

She was diligently sorting through a stack of documents on the table. This was his cousin, Ashley Osborn, the second child of his second uncle.

A true prodigy, Ashley had been skipping grades at an astonishing pace and graduated from Aurelia University, the top institution in the Aurelian Federation, at just twenty years old with a degree in Business Administration.

After her graduation, she joined the Osborn Group as his father's secretary.

"Brother! You're here!" Ashley exclaimed, turning to greet him with a warm smile that lit up her beautiful face.

With snow-white skin, full lips, striking emerald green eyes, and cascading black hair that fell to her waist, she exuded an aura of confidence and elegance.

Arthur smiled back and nodded at her before glancing at the mountain of documents on the table. "Looks like you've been busy lately."

"Yeah! After all, someone decided to go into seclusion," she teased playfully while rolling her eyes at him. "So I have to pick up his slack!"

"Hehehe! Sorry about that," Arthur chuckled sheepishly as he walked around the table and settled into one of the plush chairs across from her. "So what's going on?"

Ashley's expression shifted to one of concern as she replied, "Well… it's not looking good at all. We've sold off all our companies; only our real estate company is left. Currently, development on our land has come to a standstill because many other companies are eyeing it."

Arthur frowned thoughtfully; even after divesting most assets and properties, they still faced significant debts.

"Why don't we just sell off the land too?" he suggested.

"We would have sold it by now if not for the ridiculously low offers we're getting," Ashley sighed in frustration.

"We bought that land for 20 million Unicreds but they want to buy it for only 15 million, especially Horizon Legacy Real Estate Group." Her voice turned bitter as she mentioned them.

"Huh! You mean that company owned by the Sterling Family?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! It's them!" Ashley confirmed with a nod.

"How much did they actually offer?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Can you believe they offered just 10 million? How can they do this?" Ashley clenched her fists in anger.

Taken aback momentarily, Arthur shook his head incredulously and sneered, "If they think they can buy it for such a price, they're dreaming! In fact…"

He leaned forward decisively. "We don't need to put that land up for sale anymore; we'll develop it ourselves."

"Huh! Brother, what do you mean?"Ashley asked, her beautiful face etched with confusion."We don't have the capital to develop the land, where are we going to find the money for that?"

"Don't worry about the funds; I've already taken care of it,"Arthur replied casually, waving his hand dismissively.

Ashley's eyes widened in surprise."What? Is that true, brother?"

Arthur nodded, a smile playing on his lips.

But then concern clouded Ashley's excitement."But brother, you didn't do anything illegal, right?"

Arthur was momentarily speechless at her reaction, but warmth surged in his heart at her protective instincts."No need to worry; this money comes from a legitimate source,"he assured her.

Relief washed over Ashley as she patted her chest. "That's good!"

"Ashley,"Arthur continued,"can you call Aunt Emily and Second Uncle for me? I heard they're at the company; I have something important to discuss."

"Okay!"she nodded eagerly before hurrying out of the office, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts.

About five minutes later, a knock on the door startled him from his reverie.

"Come in!"he called out.

The door swung open to reveal two familiar faces alongside Ashley.

One was Nathaniel Osborn, a middle-aged man in his forties with a stern expression and square jawline that bore a striking resemblance to Arthur himself.

The other was Emily Osborn, Arthur's first aunt, radiating confidence in her tailored office attire and red high heels.

"Second Uncle! Aunt Emily!" Arthur greeted them with a warm smile as he stood up.

Emily chuckled lightly. "Arthur! You finally decided to come out of your room!"

He scratched his head awkwardly while glancing at Nathaniel's serious demeanor.

Nathaniel stepped forward with genuine concern etched on his face. "How are you doing, Arthur? Are you alright?"

"I'm good,"Arthur replied confidently.

Nathaniel nodded approvingly before asking, "Ashley mentioned you wanted to see us?"

Arthur's expression shifted as he turned serious.

"Yes," he confirmed before looking directly at Emily. "Aunt, how much do we owe the bank now?"

Emily took a breath before answering. "Currently, there's a loan of 5 million Unicreds from Nova Capital Bank, but our company account only has 3 million Unicreds."