Inside the compound of the Morgans' mansion.
The air within the compound carried a hint of happiness, a feeling that was felt by most of the inhabitants, causing the atmosphere to be permeated with the same feeling.
"We finally once again have someone in the position of leadership after eight years of not having one. This calls for a celebration," remarked George, his eyes fixed on his father, who was sporting a smile on his face, something that would rarely happen, only when he was greatly satisfied with something, a sight which at the moment, had been rare throughout the year.
"Good job," Aubrey complimented his son's contribution.
"We should prepare a celebration befitting the occasion," he added, agreeing with his son, but also added, "It would serve as the day we have the first meeting with him, during which we will finally be presenting him the complete plan of what we expect from him in return for our support for him," indicating that he didn't plan to waste even a single moment for his revenge to be delayed.
"Shouldn't we wait until he is sworn into the office next year?" George asked, noting that his father was trying to get over this as quickly as possible.
"The sooner he has the information, the earlier he can act on it after he is sworn in. So, presenting the plan to him during that party should be enough to give him the necessary time to start preparing himself to act on our terms," Aubrey answered calmly.
"Yes, Father. I will start preparing for it," George said and left the room, going back to his own to start the planning before delegating it to his assistant.
"Now, let's see how you will respond," Aubrey, who was left alone after his son left, muttered while bringing Aron's image into his mind.
He had finally found out who was the reason behind their embarrassment just a few months ago and Aubrey would always get angry whenever he remembered the incident. This was because he had been thinking that they were fighting against someone who had just entered their field just a few years ago.
....
A few months ago…
"Are you sure about this?" Aubrey asked in surprise as he read through the file in his hands, which at the moment were shaking due to anger that he was barely able to contain.
"Yes, Sir. We made sure that it was true by checking the information more than once before we had the assurance to report it to you," the assistant replied while raising his chest with pride, knowing very well that this was the discovery of the century.
Aubrey lowered his gaze back to the document in his hand as he read through the information for the second time while still in disbelief.
On the folder was the image of Aron and Rina walking through the VIP terminal. From their body language, it was clear that there wasn't any master-servant relationship at all, and in fact, it hinted that they were in a romantic relationship, which was something that Aubrey wasn't expecting at all.
However, that only acted as evidence for their relation, but what surprised him even more was the satellite image of Aron's car at the port on the day that they had launched the ten ships, which were still a mystery even with the capabilities of the intelligence community, which had left most of them baffled since the ships had done nothing of the sort that even came close to using their guns.
But the information did not end just at that. The files in his hands also contained the registration information of the companies that registered Aron as their sole owner and also revealed the amount of wealth these companies had was massive; it was a figure of numbers that even he, who would usually consider billion dollars as a measly amount of money, was surprised.
Aubrey didn't even want to believe what he was looking at first because if he were to believe it, then that means that both he and his family were not really that special. This was because the man mentioned in the folder had created such a large network of wealth in a period of nothing but two years, something that had taken for their families to accumulate generation after generation.
Aron possessed the power to shake the economy of Both Eden and Esparia with just one of his companies, and he had more than five of such companies, with each of them completely dominating a specific field.
"We need to make our move the moment we get the opportunity," Aubrey declared after standing still for a long period in silence while contemplating.
His words prompted the assistant reporting to him to have an intrigued expression as he raised an eyebrow since he didn't quite understand what the master was talking about.
However, George, who was also reading the document and was feeling jealous of the man who was mentioned in it, clearly understood what his father meant. It was time to start to prepare themselves for a fight against him, a man who was growing more powerful than they could have ever thought, which meant that the fight had now been increased by a grade higher than before, from regaining their honor to now full-fledged struggle to remove someone who if not stopped, will be their direct competitor in a short time frame and pose a major threat to them.
.....
CUBE.
Rina could be seen lying on the bed while being in a deep sleep as she cuddled with Aron while her body tried to regain its vigour and recover from the tiredness she had been inflicted upon during the hours-long celebration that had taken place after yesterday's news.
Aron, who was on the other side was still awake as he brushed his hand through her hair while at the same time using the active rune on his hand to aid her in recovery. He immediately reached out for the glasses on the bedside table and put them on once he was assured that she was now in a deep sleep.
[Congratulations, Sir,] Nova chimed in the moment he appeared inside the universal simulation.
"Thanks, but the hard work starts now. Although Chaos may lead to opportunities, it is also very easy for things to go out of our course. And so, we need to tread carefully," Aron said. Although it might seem like he was saying it to Nova, he was reminding himself so that he wouldn't forget this fact.
[I will keep that in my mind,] Nova responded, acknowledging the reminder despite knowing that it was not really for her.
"When is John going to arrive?" Aron inquired, indicating that he didn't come here just randomly but for a scheduled meeting.
[You came early, Sir. He is expected to log in in half an hour as he is making final preparations,] Nova informed, showing him the time, which showed that he was about forty-five minutes earlier than when their meeting was expected to take place.
"Good evening, Sir," John greeted when he logged in fifteen minutes before the scheduled meeting time, surprised to find Aron already waiting for him.
"Good evening," Aron responded with a smile since he quite appreciated the man in front of him.
"You could have called me if you were here earlier," John remarked when he realized that Aron might have been here much earlier than he thought.
"No need for that, since I was the one who arrived earlier than the appointed time," Aron said, showing that he would have only cared if John was to be late without any reason, but now that he wasn't, nothing really mattered.
"So, how is life going for you?" Aron inquired; although he could know whatever John was doing, he refrained from doing so since he cared about their privacy, plus Nova would have informed him if the guy had done something that needed his attention.
"I have been enjoying my life since you healed me, Sir, so there is nothing for me to say other than I'm very happy with life," John responded; when he was asked about life, his thoughts momentarily went back to the time when he was before being healed by Aron.
"And are things fine between you, AURORA, and her friend?" Aron asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"It is going well, and they have been enjoying their time in Eden as much as I have. The recent genetic enhancement I received has made things even better for me," John explained as he shuddered when he recalled the times when even his body that had gotten better after Aron's bombardment with runes when he was healing him as a test, got tired and had gotten a back pain due to having to satisfy both of them. However, now that he had also received a genetic enhancement that was perfectly tailored for his strengthened body, he could handle both of them and satisfy them without having to regret it the next day.
"And you sir?" he asked after answering.
"I'm enjoying life at the moment," Aron replied with the smile of a man who was quite satisfied with his life.
They continued having their small talk, with both men trying to get to know each other, and share their experiences during the times when they were alone and had not met each other.
And just like that, fifteen minutes passed, and now it was time for the meeting.
The moment the meeting time arrived, Athena, Nyx, and a few more AIs immediately materialized in the room, together with high-ranking generals in the ARES who had been stopped from entering the room during the time Aron and John were catching up.
A few seconds later, Alexander too arrived and apologized for being late despite only being delayed by a few seconds.
[Now that everyone is here, let the meeting commence.] Nova, who had assumed the position as the meeting secretary, announced when everyone had arrived and had finished greeting Aron and Alexander, thus officially starting the strategic meeting for Eden's military forces.
