Part 23
Six months into Project Genesis, the scale of Marcus’s shadow empire had grown to an unprecedented level.
He was no longer just a titan of technology; he was the phantom architect of a massive global restructuring.
Maya had proven to be a revelation, utilizing Marcus’s unlimited capital to systematically buy out and reform toxic companies.
But on a rainy Tuesday morning, she walked into Marcus’s subterranean command center with a file that made her hands tremble.
"We have a situation, Mr. Johnson," Maya said, bypassing the usual pleasantries as she placed a tablet on his glass desk.
Marcus looked up from his holographic displays, instantly recognizing the dark circles under her eyes.
"What did you find, Maya?" he asked, tapping the tablet to wake the screen.
"Global Vanguard Shipping," she replied, her voice thick with disgust. "They handle thirty percent of domestic freight."
Marcus scrolled through the data, his expression darkening with every line of code and internal memo he read.
Vanguard was running their warehouse employees into the ground, enforcing brutal quotas that punished workers for taking bathroom breaks.
They had lobbied heavily to crush any attempts at unionization, leaving their frontline staff completely defenseless.
"Their injury rate is hidden through a network of shell clinics that misdiagnose workplace accidents to avoid liability," Maya explained.
"And the CEO?" Marcus asked, his voice deathly quiet.
"Damian Croft," Maya said. "He just awarded himself a forty-million-dollar bonus while cutting employee health benefits by half."
Marcus leaned back in his chair, staring at the smiling corporate headshot of Damian Croft on his monitor.
This wasn't just corporate greed; this was a systematic, calculated machine designed to grind human beings into dust for profit.
"Aegis," Marcus commanded, not taking his eyes off Croft's face.
"Yes, sir?" the AI responded instantly.
May you like
"Initiate a full financial sweep of Global Vanguard Shipping. Every hidden asset, every offshore account, every buried scandal."
"I want Damian Croft's empire dismantled by midnight."
