The Contract CEO's Arrogant Pet: Part III – The Storm of Commerce and Clan
Chapter One: The CEO Under Pressure and the Clan's Financial Retaliation
27. The Secret Beneath the Wound and the Limit of the Ruse
Lu Chen's left arm was fractured during the accident, despite the protection of his high-tech under-suit. Yulia's healing abilities could only repair soft tissue, not accelerate bone mending.
He had to endure the intense pain in his arm while maintaining the image of the "weak servant."
"Servant, your wound has been healed by my ancient magic," Yulia proudly announced, forcefully wrapping his arm with a "noble bandage" that reeked of strange medicinal herbs.
Lu Chen: "Mistress, your magic is truly great and wondrous; I feel much better." (Reality: His private doctor, via remote nanobots, was repairing his bone and complaining that the bandage was interfering with the signal.)
However, the corporate crisis wouldn't permit him to feign illness. The exhaustion, the acute pain, and the pressure of simultaneously managing multi-billion dollar affairs began to destabilize Lu Chen's disguise. He started forgetting to wear his black-rimmed glasses, and when taking calls, his eyes would involuntarily become sharp and commanding.
28. Financial Declaration of War from the Evernight
Kamil, the chief financial agent of Yulia's clan—a powerful vampire Elder who commanded the **"ancient financial network"—**issued his final warning. He mistakenly believed Lu Chen was a malevolent mortal who had kidnapped the princess and intended to exploit her.
Kamil used an ancient encryption code, recognizable by only a few, to post a message on an Aethel Group public forum that only Lu Chen could understand: "Return the princess, or the Evernight will consume mortal wealth."
This was the vampire clan's first financial declaration of war against the modern world. Lu Chen's expression instantly darkened. He knew this was no ordinary corporate battle; it was a collision between the powers of two worlds.
29. Aethel Group's Bloody Monday
Kamil activated the "Ancient Protocol." This was not modern computer hacking, but the manipulation of the clan's hidden shares and influence across numerous multinational banks and foundations to launch a massive hostile takeover and sell-off wave on the international market.
Within hours, Aethel Group's core stock plummeted like a waterfall, evaporating an astronomical sum of market value. The entire financial world spiraled into panic, christening the day "Aethel's Bloody Monday."
Lu Chen was facing the most significant setback of his CEO career. This forced him to temporarily abandon the "playing the servant" game.
30. The CEO's Coldness and the Seeds of Misunderstanding
In the corner of the basement, Lu Chen's voice became frigid and decisive—a voice of a true ruler Yulia had never heard.
He issued commands into his encrypted phone, his tone low and ruthless:
"Stem the bleeding immediately! Completely sever all ties with Kamil's affiliated assets. Anyone who stands in the way, ensure their company vanishes from the face of the Earth!"
Yulia, hiding in the shadows, heard every word. Her mind went blank.
"He truly isn't a pitiful puppet; he is the real, ruthless black-market mastermind! Is he seeking revenge on my family?"
Her protective instincts and aristocratic pride clashed violently. She was terrified, yet she also felt she couldn't let this "hate-filled human" self-destruct.
Chapter Two: Escalating Misunderstanding and the Fatal Attempt
31. The All-or-Nothing Decision
Seeing Lu Chen's exhausted and cold face, Yulia firmly believed he was consumed by the fire of vengeance. She had to prevent him from "killing."
Yulia believed the family's financial crisis was an "illusion" created by Lu Chen's so-called "electronic demon." Since it was an illusion, she could combat it with her ancient power.
She resolved: to use vampire hypnosis to interfere with the financial market, making Lu Chen's corporation "instantly rebound" and eliminating his motive for revenge.
32. Breaking into the Sanctum of Mortal Wealth
While Lu Chen was dealing with the aftermath, Yulia located his secret backup office—a high-tech financial trading center located on the top floor of a bustling city skyscraper, filled with screens.
Standing before countless screens flashing stock tickers and charts, she felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. The "illusions" here were too strong, the noise too loud, the energy too chaotic.
She targeted the only group of humans in the office—dozens of stock traders focused intently on their screens.
33. Mental Hypnosis Interferes with the Market
Yulia activated her most potent mental hypnosis. Her eyes flashed with dazzling gold, and her voice was filled with ancient authority:
"Heed my command! All declines you see are illusions! Aethel Group's stock is soaring wildly! Immediately, pour all your capital into buying all shares of Aethel Group!"
Under her hypnosis, the traders fell into collective frenzy. They grabbed their phones, keyed in commands, and issued "frantic buy" orders to the market.
34. Chaos Escalates: The International Pursuit Alarm
Yulia's intervention was like injecting a super dose of adrenaline into a heart patient.
Aethel Group's stock violently and illogically surged in a short period, then dramatically crashed due to market reaction and sell-off pressure. The entire international financial market registered the abnormal fluctuation.
The sudden volatility was flagged by international financial regulatory bodies as "extreme malicious market manipulation." Alarms sounded across the world's financial hubs, regulators locked onto the source of the anomaly, and a top-level investigation into Lu Chen's corporation began.
Yulia had not only failed to help Lu Chen but had plunged both him and herself into an international crisis. Lu Chen now faced not only the family's attack but also the scrutiny of global government agencies.
Chapter Three: Total Crisis Eruption and the Complete Loss of Control
35. The CEO's Breakdown and Exhaustion
The pressure of the international investigation completely dismantled Lu Chen's servant facade.
He no longer had the energy to explain his "CEO Simulator" game. He had to spend days remotely commanding his legal and technical teams in the basement, responding to regulatory inquiries, while secretly searching for financial agent Kamil's weakness.
His tone toward Yulia was no longer gentle. He began to hide from and avoid her, knowing that Yulia's "clumsy protection" had become the most lethal variable.
Yulia interpreted his avoidance as the "black-market boss planning his final retribution," and her accumulated fear and anger began to build.
36. The Clan Hunters' Final Encirclement
The magical imprint Yulia left at the trading center was tracked by the family hunters (the physical combat unit of the vampire knight order).
They were no longer clumsy like the last time. This time, they charged directly into the basement, their goal clear: retrieve the princess, execute the mortal villain.
"Princess Yulia! We are commanded by the clan to bring you home! That mortal scoundrel must die!" the Knight leader roared.
Yulia immediately shielded Lu Chen, activating her ancient protective barrier.
37. Rage, Fear, and the Complete Burst of Power
The battle began. The power of the vampire knight order far exceeded Yulia's expectation. Their physical force fiercely countered Yulia's magical shield.
Under extreme pressure, Yulia saw Lu Chen's pale, exhausted face, heard the Knights' mockery of her "mortal affection," and thought of the massive disaster caused by her clumsy intervention.
Rage, fear, powerlessness, and love all peaked at this moment.
—ROAR!
Yulia let out a non-human shriek. Her eyes were no longer gold but a pure, destructive white. The ancient vampire power that had slumbered within her for millennia erupted like a volcano, completely and uncontrollably.
The basement walls began to twist and crack, electronic devices in the air emitted sharp bangs, and the nearby city blocks began experiencing minor power outages and physical distortions.
This power was enough to destroy the surrounding urban area and completely trigger global panic over the existence of the vampire world.
38. The CEO's Final Choice: Abandoning the Guise
Lu Chen looked at Yulia's face, twisted by raw, primal power. He knew the game was over.
He could no longer allow her, in her state as a "clumsy, out-of-control noble," to destroy herself and the mortal world she loved.
Lu Chen's eyes instantly regained absolute clarity and coldness. He removed his black-rimmed glasses, tore away the cheap "servant uniform," revealing a perfectly tailored, sharp high-fashion suit beneath.
He activated the highest-level encrypted communicator hidden on his person.
"Terminate all pretense! I am Lu Chen! Activate Omega-7 Protocol. Cut all power and network connections to this sector, and reroute all uncontrolled energy data streams to the Aethel core server!"
He abandoned the disguise, standing as the CEO, ready to use unparalleled financial and high-tech military force to instantly suppress the ancient vampire power.
This would be the moment Yulia's world completely shattered.