Aron arrived back at his home when it was about eight in the morning in which he immediately joined his family in eating breakfast and spending time with them until noon before he left to continue the collection of his forces by having a visit to all the candidates Nova had prepared for him.

.....

Rina Rothchild mansion.

"Chloe, give me an update on our ongoing discussions with the Department of Justice?" inquired Rina.

"The legal team is in the final stages of negotiating with the Department of Justice, and they anticipate concluding the process by the end of this week," Chloe elaborated.

"Excellent. Notify the finance department to commence the search for a suitable bank that can provide me a loan of 5 billion dollars within two months," Rina instructed.

"For you personally? Not for the company?" Chloe asked, her surprise evident as she wondered if she had misunderstood.

"Yes, I require the funds for making certain investments," Rina confirmed.

Chloe was taken aback by Rina's response, and her surprise was evident. Observing Chloe's reaction, Rina inquired, "What seems to be the issue?"

"Miss, considering you are not the designated successor of the family, the likelihood of banks approving a loan of five billion dollars for you is quite slim," Chloe explained, providing the rationale.

"Tell them to use the Ally international shares that were given to me as collateral," she responded upon hearing Chloe's concern.

"However, even if we consider utilizing those shares as collateral, the bank may exploit the issue with the Department of Justice to justify offering the loan at an exorbitant interest rate, considering your ongoing competition with your brother," Chloe explained, highlighting the potential challenges they will face.

"That won't be an issue. Instruct the financial department to negotiate for a lower interest rate with the banks.

However, if the negotiation doesn't yield favorable results, they should accept the bank's proposed interest rate under the condition that it remains the standard rate if the loan is repaid within a year.

If the repayment timeline exceeds one year, the interest rate will align with the bank's initial proposal," Rina swiftly responded, giving the impression to Chloe that she had already considered these factors beforehand, prior to issuing the order.

Upon realizing Rina's preparedness, Chloe nodded in agreement and promptly began taking note of the instructions provided by Rina.

Another reason Chloe refrained from further questioning was Rina's influential family background. She was aware that in the event of any unfavorable outcomes, Rina would receive support from her family, resulting in relatively minor consequences for the mistake she had made.

'At most, She will regress to her previous state and have to strive to regain her position.' Chloe thought to herself while taking notes

"Also, get in touch with the account opening department and have them create a new personal investment account in my name, where the loan will be deposited," Rina instructed.

"Yes, miss," Chloe acknowledged, jotting down another note before bidding her farewell to inform the relevant departments about the instructions she had received from Rina.

Left alone, she murmured to herself, "Once the loan gets approved and deposited within this month, we'll have approximately 5 months before the Morgans initiate their attack. That should provide us with sufficient time to prepare."

[It is indeed sufficient time, but you will need to provide your accounting information to Mother. She will oversee all the preparations, leveraging her vast computing power during the process and ensure it is conducted discreetly, by spreading out the preparations over an extended period, to minimize the likelihood of attracting attention from the Morgans.] Ava replied back.

"I always hear you speak so highly of your mother, but how does her computing power compare to the advanced systems we have in our private network?" Rina asked, her curiosity piqued by the constant mention of the fabled Mother Nova, who not only handles Aron's problems but also occasionally lends her assistance to them.

[Although I don't possess the complete information about this, as Mother has kept it a secret, she has mentioned to me that her computing power could rival the combined capabilities of all existing supercomputers.

However, personally, I believe her computing power surpasses that estimation by several orders of magnitude, based on the incredible speed at which I consistently receive answers to difficult questions I sent to her.

Often, I receive responses in less than a second after she receives them,] Ava expressed her opinion, emphasizing the impressive capabilities she has witnessed firsthand.

Upon hearing Ava's estimation of her mother's computing power, Rina found herself at a loss for words. The magnitude of the revelation stirred up a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions in her mind, rendering her unable to articulate a response.

Despite being aware that Aron possessed an AI system more potent than Ava, Rina had presumed its computing power to be at most double or even quintuple that of their family's private network server and supercomputer.

However, learning that its capabilities surpassed even those expectations raised numerous questions in her mind.

After taking a moment to gather herself, she voiced her curiosity, "Wouldn't the existence of such a powerful computer attract attention? It seems astonishing that such a groundbreaking technology could remain a secret."

[Initially, Mother began her operations within a standard server farm that Sir Aron had constructed for both personal use and the company. However, it seems that at present, she is utilizing a computer specifically designed by Sir Aron himself, deviating from conventional systems,] Ava explained, providing her assumptions based on the classified information that even she was not privy to.

"Ah, I'm tired of even thinking about it anymore" Rina decided, choosing to bring the topic to a close. Her mind felt burdened and fatigued from contemplating everything concerning Aron.

[Yes] Ava replied, her tone hinting at the suppressed amusement she felt witnessing Rina's reaction to the information.

Rina refocused her attention on her work, assisted by Ava, as she tackled the remaining issues plaguing the company. She was determined to ensure that everything returned to a state free from problems.

This was crucial for her to be fully prepared for the upcoming event without any distractions that could divert her focus.

If all went according to plan, that fateful day held the promise of her regaining her position as a formidable contender for the seat of the next family head.

...

Eden.

In an opulent office space leased by CONNECT, serving as their interim headquarters, Felix could be seen having a discussion with Liam regarding the company's current situation.

Felix inquired about the progress of the company, "How are things going?" he asked Liam, the Vice President.

Liam responded, "The consolidation process is expected to be completed within the upcoming weeks. However, the infrastructure upgrade will require additional time and extend beyond that."

"Considering the circumstances, it would be wise for us to begin preparations for a special gift to our users once the consolidation is successfully concluded," suggested Felix, referring to the plan provided by Aron upon completing the company acquisition. "This gesture can serve as a warm welcome from us to those who have had their internet access monopolized by a single company."

"I agree with the idea, as it presents an opportunity to create a favorable impression among the masses. However, I'm curious to know your suggestions on how we should execute this plan," inquired Liam, eager to hear Felix's proposal.

"Yesterday, we received a collaboration request from a major corporation. Here, have a look at their proposal," Felix said, handing the folder containing the proposal to Liam.

Liam, who had grown accustomed to receiving comprehensive plans in folders, picked up the folder to examine the proposed collaboration.

The proposal originated from the globally renowned company, GAIA Technology. They offered a staggering sum of one hundred million dollars in exchange for us providing free internet connectivity for six months to users who upgraded their phone's operating system to GAIA OS, including those who have already made the switch.

"This is indeed an enticing offer, but I'm curious as to why the company would want us to promote their OS when people are already voluntarily switching to it," inquired Liam, seeking clarification on the reasons behind receiving this sponsorship offer.

"I'm not entirely sure about the exact motivations behind their request. However, considering that this offer presents a lucrative opportunity for our company, I see no reason to decline it. Moreover, even without this offer, we would still need to provide a certain period of free internet service to address some of the dissatisfaction among our users. Therefore, accepting this proposal can be viewed as a positive move for us," Felix explained, concealing the fact that the company was owned by the same individual.

"Certainly, I will carefully review the offer and explore potential ways to utilize it even more effectively, aiming to reshape the company's public perception," Liam affirmed. He bid farewell, picked up the folder, and departed from the office, heading towards his workspace to commence planning for the rollout.