Chapter 26 – A Throne Built on Ashes

The city was whispering.

Hwan was gone. Phoenix Conglomerate had crumbled overnight. The once-invincible empire was nothing more than a pile of burnt contracts, frozen assets, and shattered reputations.

But Joon wasn't celebrating.

He stood in the middle of a boardroom, facing the remaining executives of Phoenix Conglomerate. These were men who had once looked down on him, who had once laughed at the mere thought of his existence.

Now, they sat in silence, their fear thick in the air.

Joon leaned forward, placing his hands on the long glass table. "You have two choices."

His voice was calm, almost friendly.

"Leave everything behind and disappear… or stay and serve under me."

One of the men, Kyung-tae, swallowed hard. "Y-You can't just—"

Joon cut him off with a sharp gaze. "I already did."

The reality sank in. There was no negotiation. No escape. The man who had erased Hwan from existence was now standing before them, offering mercy.

Or something close to it.

One by one, the executives lowered their heads.

Joon smirked. "Good choice."

---

With the fall of Phoenix, Joon didn't just shut down an empire—he took its skeleton and rebuilt it in his own image.

He absorbed every company, every asset, every last piece of wealth.

Bankrupt corporations? Bought and reshaped under his control.

Corrupt politicians? Replaced with his own people.

The underground economy? Now under his fingertips.

Within weeks, his name wasn't just whispered—it was feared.

But he wasn't done.

---

The biggest companies, the ones that had once dictated the market, now had a new predator on the loose.

One by one, Joon targeted them.

Seok-jin, the arrogant CEO who had mocked his ambitions, woke up to find his stocks had plummeted overnight. His suppliers had mysteriously backed out, and his factories were in shambles.

Dae-sung, a businessman who had once tried to have Joon blacklisted, was now pleading for a meeting, only to be told he wasn't worth the time.

Even those who had once been untouchable were feeling the shift.

The business world wasn't just being restructured. It was being rewritten.

And Joon was holding the pen.

---

The same high-society elites who had once looked down on Joon now scrambled for his attention.

At a prestigious gala, where billionaires and heirs gathered, whispers filled the room as Joon walked in.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, his presence alone was enough to suffocate the air.

Women who had once ignored him now clung to his every word.

Men who had once insulted him now offered fake smiles, hoping to align with his rising power.

Joon took a glass of wine, swirling it slowly before smirking.

He wasn't here to fit in.

He was here to remind them who ruled now.

---

Back in his private penthouse, overlooking the city he now controlled, Joon stood by the window.

Soo-ah walked in, arms crossed. "You've won. Why do you look like you're planning something?"

Joon exhaled, a slow, dangerous smirk forming.

"Because this was just step one."

Soo-ah frowned. "Step one of what?"

Joon turned, eyes gleaming with something darker.

"Building an empire."

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