Chapter 846: Aurelia Royce She stepped off the escalator onto the executive floor. Her floor. The air here was different. Quieter. The kind of quiet that came from people who had learned that sound attracted attention, and attention from Aurelia Royce was something you survived, not something you sought. "Sato." She said it without slowing. "Melody portfolio. Replace him." The twitching assistant’s stylus froze mid-tap. "He’s... he’s performed above benchmark for six consecutive—" "Above benchmark." Aurelia repeated the words like they were a disease she’d just diagnosed. "Above benchmark is what average people celebrate. Above benchmark is the participation trophy of finance. Sato maintains. He doesn’t grow. He doesn’t innovate. He doesn’t hunger. Move him to Leipzig. Small pond. Let him feel big there. Okonkwo takes Melody." "Okonkwo has less experience—" "Okonkwo has less fear." Aurelia paused outside her office door—floor-to-ceiling glass revealing a corner suite that looked out over the city like a sniper’s nest. "Fear makes people careful. Careful makes people slow. Slow loses money. Any other objections?" Nobody spoke. Nobody breathed. "The Indonesian timber report." Her hand rested on the door handle—long fingers, manicured but not soft, nails dark enough to look like dried blood. "I requested it eight days ago. It’s not on my desk. Why." The male assistant’s face drained of color so completely he looked like he might faint. "The regional team lead—Harrington—encountered some local complications... he requested and I authorized an—" "You." One word. The assistant stopped talking. "You authorized an extension." Not a question. A verdict. "On my direct request. Without consulting me." "I... given the complexity of the situation, I thought—" "You thought." Aurelia turned. Fully. For the first time since entering the building, she gave someone her complete attention. The assistant looked like a man staring at an oncoming train and realizing his feet were frozen to the tracks. "What is your function here?" "I—to support the executive office and ensure—" "Your function is to make my instructions happen. Not to interpret them. Not to modify them. Not to think about them. When I request a report in eight days, I expect a report in eight days. When obstacles arise, I expect you to remove them or inform me so I can remove them. What I do not expect is for you to make decisions about my timeline without my knowledge or consent." She let the silence stretch. Let him marinate in it. Let everyone within earshot understand exactly what happened to people who assumed they had authority they hadn’t been given. "The report will be on my desk in three hours," she said finally. "Not four. Three. If Harrington requires motivation, remind him that I know the names of his children’s schools. Not as a threat. As a demonstration that I know everything about the people who waste my time. And that knowledge tends to become uncomfortable for them." The assistant nodded frantically. Words had abandoned him entirely—his mouth opened and closed like a fish drowning in air. Aurelia turned back to her door. Paused. "One more thing." The entourage collectively held its breath. The hallway felt smaller, colder, like the oxygen had been rationed. "Liberation Funds." The name dropped into the silence like a stone into still water. "The hedge fund my father mentioned before he retired. New. Aggressive. Managing billions with trading patterns that don’t match any algorithm we recognize." Her fingers drummed once against the door handle—the first unnecessary movement she’d made all morning. "Did you get the information I requested?" The twitching assistant stepped forward, tablet clutched like a shield. "Yes, Ms. Royce. We compiled everything we could find." "And?" "Liberation Funds is..." She paused, choosing words like she was stepping through a minefield. "Remarkable. They launched with eight billion in initial capital. Their projected assets under management are expected to reach approximately eighty-five billion dollars." The hallway went dead silent. "Eighty-five billion." Aurelia didn’t phrase it as a question. "From eight." "Yes, ma’am. Though we don’t have exact figures on their current capital—they’re extremely opaque about real-time valuations. What we do know is their client roster." She scrolled through her tablet with shaking fingers. "They manage investment portfolios and financial strategy for Quantum Tech, Torres Developments, Meridian Agency, Mercy Hospital, and—interestingly—since their Liberation Holdings owns part of Delgado and Morrison Constructions, those firms are likely to become partners with the hedge fund as well." "That’s a diverse portfolio," the head of strategy observed, voice low. "Technology, real estate development, talent management, healthcare, construction. They’re positioning across multiple high-value sectors." "And generating interest from major players," the assistant continued. "The Montclair family—after Liberation Holdings acquired the Celestial Grand Miami for them—has expressed serious interest in investing. So have sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia and Dubai. "We’re talking two to three billion in potential commitments from Middle Eastern institutional investors alone. Multiple other high-net-worth individuals and family offices are circling based on... well, based on returns that shouldn’t be possible." "Explain." "They’re averaging five percent daily returns." The assistant’s voice cracked slightly. "Five percent. Daily. That would be approximately one hundred fifty percent monthly if sustained. No hedge fund in history has maintained those numbers beyond a few lucky weeks. But Liberation Funds has been consistent since launch." Aurelia’s expression didn’t change, but something shifted in the air around her. A sharpening. Like predatory instinct focusing on prey that had just made a fatal mistake. "That’s not sustainable," the head of strategy said carefully. "Those returns suggest either extraordinary luck, insider information, or—" "Or they’re doing and using something we don’t understand yet," Aurelia finished. "Continue." The assistant scrolled again. "Liberation Funds is the investment division of Liberation Holdings, a private equity firm also based in Los Angeles. Liberation Holdings focuses on strategic acquisitions—luxury hospitality, commercial real estate, technology, manufacturing. They’re moving aggressively across multiple sectors." "Ownership structure?" "That’s where it gets complicated. Liberation Holdings appears to be privately held with a closed ownership structure. We found references to several principals—Charlotte Thompson, Madison Torres, Amanda Wells—but the full ownership breakdown is opaque. They’re using multiple legal entities and offshore structures to obscure the actual control." "Charlotte Thompson." Aurelia’s eyes narrowed fractionally. "Quantum Tech’s CEO." "Yes, ma’am. She let Liberation Holdings owns thirty-three percent of Quantum Tech. Given Quantum Tech’s current valuation of approximately two point four trillion dollars, Liberation Holdings’ stake is worth roughly eight hundred billion dollars on paper." The silence that followed was absolute. "Eight hundred billion," Aurelia said softly. "From a four billion dollar investment three weeks ago." "Quantum Tech’s stock price has increased by nearly twenty thousand percent since AR.NuN products (A/N: AI AND THE BUDS) launched," the assistant confirmed. "Liberation Holdings made that investment just before the launch. Either extraordinary timing or—" "Or they knew what was coming." Aurelia’s fingers resumed their drumming. Once. Twice. Then stopped. "What about the five companies I told you to investigate. What did you find?" The assistant’s face tightened.