The phone was cold against Vihaan’s ear when the voice came, smooth and dripping with false warmth.

“Long time no see, my friend. Do you remember me?”

There was a pause, and then recognition struck like a blade.

“I am the Chairman of Cassandra Group,” the man continued, amusement curling in his tone. “And I thought it would be nice to greet you.”

Vihaan’s grip tightened. “So, you’re the one behind this.” His voice was steel.

A low chuckle answered. “Behind what? A legal notice? Raghav’s return? Or did you truly believe your little merger with Summit would go unchallenged?”

Vihaan’s mind flashed through the implications—Cassandra Group, the one corporate empire that had always lived in Pinnacle’s shadow. Patient, hungry, waiting for a weakness. Now, with Gotham’s health failing and Raghav’s sudden reappearance, they had chosen to strike.

“You’re wasting your time,” Vihaan said flatly. “Summit and Pinnacle are merging. No legal stunt or corporate sabotage will change that.”

The man’s voice shifted, harder, colder. “Oh, Vihaan… this is not about paperwork. This is about legacy. About power. And most of all… about reminding you that you are not untouchable.”

The line went dead. Slowly, Vihaan lowered the phone, his jaw set. The game had changed.

Gotham stood in his office facing Raghav, the air between them thick with years of unspoken accusations.

“You left,” Gotham said, the words raw. “You walked away from Summit, from the family—and now you return with lawyers and demands?”

Raghav’s smirk carried decades of venom. “I came back because you never deserved what you took. And now, with Cassandra’s backing, I’ll make sure you lose it all before you die.”

Gotham’s eyes narrowed as the truth clicked into place. “Cassandra. So that’s your legal muscle. You’ve made yourself their pawn.”

Raghav’s grin widened, his reply quick and certain. “No, brother. I’m just the one who finally saw the cracks you’ve spent a lifetime hiding.”

For a long moment, silence filled the room. Then Gotham leaned on his cane, his voice eerily calm. “Then let’s see who breaks first.”

That night, Vihaan stood in his office before the wide glass windows, the city’s lights scattered like distant embers beneath a dark sky. His mind moved quickly, calculating the shape of this new war.

The merger was no longer a business move—it was a battlefield, and Cassandra Group was somewhere out there in the shadows, laughing. But Vihaan had climbed too far to let it end here.

He reached for his phone and dialed. When his aide answered, his words were quiet but edged with steel.

“Prepare the files.”

A pause followed, the sound of breath on the other end.

“We’re going to war.”

“Get me everything on Cassandra’s board,” Vihaan said, his voice clipped. “Their moves, their allies, their weaknesses. And dig into Raghav’s history—every deal he’s touched, every contact he’s made since he left Summit. If he’s their pawn, I want to know how far their strings reach.”

“Already started. We’ve got a team pulling records from the last decade. But Vihaan… Cassandra’s Chairman. No one knows much about him. He’s a ghost—operates through proxies, never shows his face. The call you got.? That’s rare. He’s baiting you.”

“Let him,” Vihaan said, his tone flat but dangerous. “Ghosts bleed when you cut deep enough.”

Arv’s lips twitched, not quite a smile. “I’ll have the prelims by morning. What about Gotham?”

“He doesn’t need to know yet,” Vihaan said. “He’s got enough to carry. Let him focus on Raghav. I’ll handle Cassandra.”

Arv nodded and turned to leave but paused at the door. “One more thing. There’s chatter on X—posts from industry insiders. Nothing concrete, but they’re saying Cassandra’s been buying up smaller firms, quietly, for years. They’re not just coming for us. They’re building an empire.”

Vihaan’s eyes narrowed. “Then we’ll burn it down before they lay the first stone.”

He stood, pacing to the window again. The city below was a chessboard, and Cassandra had just made their opening move. But Vihaan had played this game before. He’d outmaneuvered tycoons, crushed hostile takeovers, and built Pinnacle into a titan. If Cassandra wanted war, he’d give them one they’d never forget.

Far away, in a dimly lit penthouse, the Chairman of Cassandra Group sat behind a desk of polished obsidian, a glass of bourbon untouched before him. The phone call with Vihaan had been a calculated risk, a spark to ignite the chaos. He leaned back, his eyes glinting in the low light, and turned to the figure standing in the shadows.

“You were right about him,” the Chairman said, his voice smooth as silk. “Vihaan’s sharp. He’ll fight.”

The figure stepped forward, his outline cutting through the gloom. “Good,” he said, his tone dripping with malice. “Let him. The harder he fights, the better for us.”

The next morning, cameras flashed like lightning storms as Raghav stepped onto the stage of a packed press hall. He wore a tailored suit, his smirk sharpened for the world to see. Rows of reporters leaned forward, hungry for a story, their pens and recorders ready.

“It has been a long time since I’ve spoken publicly,” Raghav began, his voice steady, carrying the weight of carefully rehearsed venom. “But I stand here today to set the record straight—about my family, about Summit, and about the truth that’s been buried for far too long.”

The room buzzed instantly. Behind him, screens lit up with Summit’s logo, twisted into a backdrop for his words.

“My brother Gotham built Summit with me. Together. But when I chose to step away years ago, it wasn’t because I had failed him—it was because he pushed me out. He wanted complete control. And now, with his health failing, what does he do? Instead of preserving Summit’s legacy, he prepares to hand it, not to the board, not to its rightful heirs, but to his daughter. A child who has never known the blood and sweat it takes to keep this empire alive.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Cameras clicked in rapid bursts. Reporters shouted questions, but Raghav raised his hand, silencing them with a practiced pause.

“I did not come back for revenge,” he continued smoothly, though his eyes glittered with it. “I came back because Summit belongs to more than one man and his chosen successor. I came back to restore balance. And I have the full backing of Cassandra Group to ensure this company remains in the hands of those who deserve it.”