The next morning, Aster Core’s office did not feel like the sa place.
The phone on Sera’s desk kept ringing.
She picked up one call and passed a note to another staff mber. Before she could place the receiver down properly, another call ca in.
The new staff they had hired were also busy. One person checked old order sheets. Another answered a company that wanted delivery dates.
Kenji stood near the front room and watched all of it.
For a few seconds, he did not even move.
Only yesterday, companies had been stepping away from them. etings had been canceled. People had spoken as if dealing with Aster Core was dangerous.
Now the sa kind of companies were calling them first.
Kiri entered the office a short while later.
He stopped near the door.
Sera was already speaking into the phone again.
"Yes, we can note the requirent," she said. "Please send the written purchase request as well."
Another phone rang from the side table. Kiri looked at the staff, then at Kenji.
He did not ask anything in the front room. He walked straight toward the inner office.
Kenji followed him inside.
The mont the door closed, Kiri turned around.
"What is happening out there?" he asked.
Kenji looked at him.
For the first ti in days, there was a real smile on his face.
"Wil did what he said he would do," Kenji said.
Kiri stared at him.
"What?"
Kenji leaned against the table and let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh.
"Since morning, orders have been coming in," he said. "They are not asking for trials. They are placing direct orders."
Kiri’s eyes widened slightly.
"Direct orders?"
Kenji nodded.
"So are from the companies that were avoiding us," Kenji said. "So are from new nas. They are asking for supply volu first."
Kiri stayed quiet for a mont.
That was not normal.
He had seen how hard it was to convince even one buyer before. A new company did not suddenly beco trusted in one morning. People checked and delayed first.
Now they were calling with urgency.
Kiri looked toward the front room again.
The phone rang once more.
Sera’s voice ca through the door, calm but quick.
Kiri slowly sat down.
Every ti he saw Wil’s work, the sa feeling returned.
Wil did not look like a man who begged for a chance. He said a thing, and after so ti, the market started moving.
Kiri still did not know how Wil did it.
That made it more frightening.
It also made Kiri feel strangely lucky.
A small part of this company belonged to him too now. His future was tied to Aster Core.
He was inside it.
That thought made him smile a little.
The scene shifted to the minister’s office.
Minister Rag looked troubled.
The first complaint had annoyed him. The next few had worried him. Now even party funders were calling.
He sat behind his desk while two assistants stood in front of him.
Files lay open on the table, but he was not reading them anymore.
"Call Victor Gray," the minister said.
One assistant picked up the phone at once.
The line connected after a short wait.
Victor’s voice ca through, calm as always.
"Minister sir," Victor said, "I was just about to call you."
Rag did not smile.
"Victor," he said, his voice heavy, "where have you trapped ?"
There was a pause on the other side.
"What happened, Minister sir?" Victor asked.
Rag leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.
"The party on the other side is not weak," he said. "You told it was a young company. You did not tell they could push back like this."
Victor’s expression changed, though the minister could not see it.
Rag continued, "First, their legal side moved. The agencies are being questioned through court now. Every notice has to be explained properly."
Victor did not answer.
"And while that is happening," Rag said, "the companies we pressured are now pressuring . Their outside supply is getting hit. They are asking why they should listen to us."
His voice beca colder.
"So of them are even talking about funding the opposition."
Victor’s fingers slowly tightened around the phone.
For a mont, he could not speak.
Rag did not wait for him.
"Victor, I paid back what I owed you," he said. "I used my weight as much as I could. But I cannot help you more than this."
"Minister sir," Victor said, "give so ti."
"No," Rag said. "I am already getting threats from my own side. If this becos bigger, it will land on , not on you."
Victor’s eyes beca still.
Rag continued, "You have authority there. Deal with them there. I can make the agencies and police look the other way for a while. That is all."
Victor stayed silent.
"After that," Rag said, "you handle it yourself."
The call ended.
Victor slowly lowered the phone.
For a long mont, he only looked at the table.
There was no anger on his face at first.
There was curiosity.
’John,’ Victor thought, ’what kind of company did you touch?’
He had expected resistance. But making a minister step back was not a small thing.
Victor rembered Rag’s words.
Deal with them yourself.
That sounded simple, but Victor was not a fool.
If Aster Core truly had soone powerful behind it, then a direct move could carry a price. He could pressure them inside his city, but the matter could return to bite him.
Victor pressed a button on his desk.
Soon, his assistant entered.
His na was Aaron.
"Sir," Aaron said.
Victor looked at him.
"Tell about Aster Core again."
Aaron opened the file he had brought with him.
"It is still a new company, sir," he said. "It opened recently. The public structure is not large. Their office is small, and their visible staff is limited."
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
"A new company," he said, "created this much pressure?"
Aaron did not answer.
Victor leaned back.
The answer beca clear in his mind.
Aster Core was not standing alone.
A new company could not create this much pressure by itself. Soone else was behind it.
’Maybe a foreign company,’ Victor thought.
That would explain the confidence.
Chip manufacturing was not a simple field. If Aster Core was only the front face, then a larger outside player could be using it to enter the market quietly.
Victor’s gaze beca sharper.
Then he slowly smiled.
"I have an idea."
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