Chapter 32: Kingpin's Shadow
"Worthless paper."
Hearing Lance Ryder describe Hammer Industries' shares that way made Justina Hammer furious.
Inside Hammer Industries, owning 50 percent of the company's shares meant absolute authority. By offering 20 percent, she was effectively surrendering control of the company.
If Lance joined forces with other investors, Justin Hammer could easily be forced out of the company entirely.
They had already offered enormous concessions—
Yet Lance still dismissed it.
"This is Hammer Industries' stock performance today," Lance said calmly.
He opened a chart on his phone and showed it to her.
The screen displayed a massive downward green line.
The stock had crashed.
Seeing it, Justina's anger faded into silence.
She had no words left.
"Mr. Ryder," the lawyer who had been silent finally spoke.
"My name is Royan Hall. I am the lead attorney on Mr. Hammer's defense team."
"From this moment forward, all legal matters related to this case will be handled by me."
"Lawyer Hall?" Lance said, glancing at the business card before looking the man up and down with a faint smile.
"Anyone trusted by Justin Hammer must be capable."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept you by his side."
Lance looked at Justina again before sitting upright.
"I'll speak plainly," he said.
"My demand is simple."
"You sign a debt agreement equivalent to the value of those twenty percent shares, and I will help."
"Debt?"
Both Royan Hall and Justina reacted immediately.
The word carried enormous meaning.
In corporate law, debt and bankruptcy were closely connected.
During bankruptcy liquidation, creditors had priority when assets were distributed.
Which meant—
If Hammer Industries collapsed, Lance would be among the first to claim the company's most valuable assets.
Even if the company somehow survived, he still wouldn't lose money.
Twenty percent of Hammer Industries' shares were worth billions of dollars.
If the company went bankrupt, Lance could purchase its assets cheaply, reorganize them, and rebuild a new corporation worth billions.
Either way—
He would take a massive portion of Hammer Industries' value.
And unlike a shareholder, he wouldn't need to carry the company's responsibilities.
"Mr. Ryder…" Royan Hall began, hoping to negotiate.
But Lance cut him off immediately.
"I only have one condition."
"As long as the company doesn't go bankrupt, I won't enforce the debt."
"It simply needs to remain convertible into shares of equal value at any time."
"I'm not interested in interfering with your company's operations."
Justina's eyes lit up briefly.
But Royan Hall immediately recognized the trap.
Before he could warn her, Lance continued speaking.
"You're free to go back and discuss it."
"You can give me an answer anytime."
"But remember—every minute you delay increases the chances that Hammer Industries collapses."
He stood up.
"You should leave now."
"I won't keep you for dinner."
"You still have plenty of things to deal with."
The negotiation had lasted only a few minutes.
Lance had laid out his condition and refused to bargain.
No matter what happened next—
Justina and her lawyer would be the ones forced to make concessions.
And what they lacked most right now was time.
Pressure from every direction was closing in.
Government agencies.
Financial institutions.
Public opinion.
Even the courts could be influenced.
Every delay weakened their position.
"You don't need to discuss it," Justina suddenly said.
"I agree to your condition."
Her decisiveness surprised even Royan Hall.
She accepted immediately.
No negotiation.
No hesitation.
Lance had expected this.
But instead of looking at Justina, he turned to Royan Hall.
Even though Justina spoke for the company, the lawyer's approval was crucial.
If Royan Hall refused—
Justina would have no choice but to fire him.
And even that might require Justin Hammer's approval.
Royan Hall struggled internally.
In the end, he sighed.
"…Fine."
"We agree."
"Excellent," Lance said, crossing his arms.
"You made the correct choice."
"If you had hesitated or refused, this conversation would already be over."
"That was your final opportunity."
Justina shivered slightly.
Only now did she realize—
Lance had been testing them.
If they had walked out earlier to negotiate elsewhere, he would never have spoken to them again.
Royan Hall felt the same realization.
He had met people like this before.
Powerful figures in politics and business.
People whose decisions shaped entire industries.
And every one of them was extremely dangerous.
Still, deep inside, Royan Hall felt a small sense of relief.
With someone as confident as Lance involved…
Perhaps Justin Hammer's situation might still turn around.
"Someone will contact you tomorrow to finalize the contract," Lance said.
Then he looked back at Justina.
"Now let's discuss something else."
"Your other option."
"Who is it?"
"I need to understand my competition."
Justina's actions over the past two days revealed something important.
She had another possible partner.
Even though she had claimed she was willing to sacrifice everything—including herself—she had never actually taken that step.
Which meant she hadn't reached true desperation.
And whoever that alternative partner was—
They had to be powerful enough to stand on equal footing with someone like Lance.
Justina hadn't expected him to ask that question first.
She thought he would discuss strategies for saving her father or the company.
After a moment of hesitation, she glanced at Royan Hall.
Then she decided to reveal the truth.
"Kingpin."
The moment she said the name—
Both Lance and Royan Hall froze.
Royan Hall was the most shocked.
He stared blankly for several seconds before slapping himself hard across the face.
"My stupid curiosity," he muttered bitterly.
"I should have left earlier."
His regret was obvious.
"Kingpin…"
"How could Justin Hammer consider working with him?"
"Has he lost his mind?"
Lance was also surprised.
He hadn't encountered Kingpin personally since returning to the modern world.
But he knew the name well.
Among New York's underworld, Wilson Fisk—Kingpin—was legendary.
A crime lord whose influence extended across New York, the United States, and even North America.
Kingpin was the enemy of Spider-Man, Daredevil, and The Punisher.
He had also clashed with the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
His organization maintained deep connections with groups like The Hand, Hydra, and A.I.M.
And most importantly—
Kingpin himself was incredibly powerful.
He wasn't technically a superhuman.
But his strength was extraordinary.
Some stories even claimed he could survive a direct encounter with the Hulk.
Compared to him, even Abomination looked like a child.
In close combat, Kingpin could kill Abomination outright.
But his greatest strength wasn't physical power.
It was his mind.
For years, he fought against superheroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil.
Yet none of them had managed to permanently defeat him.
The only time he had ever gone to prison was because of a financial scandal connected to the Hand.
Even then, it wasn't superheroes who arrested him—
It was the IRS.
And somehow, he eventually walked free again.
Even while imprisoned, he had continued controlling his empire from behind bars.
Lance understood the danger immediately.
He could probably kill Kingpin in a direct fight.
But the retaliation afterward would be devastating.
Kingpin was the type of enemy who never stopped retaliating.
People like that were extremely troublesome.
Still, Kingpin had limits.
In the original timeline, he had never provoked enemies like Iron Man, Thor, or the Hulk.
And when dealing with someone like Doctor Strange, he preferred diplomacy instead of conflict.
"I understand now why you came to me," Lance said coldly.
"If you went to Kingpin…"
"He wouldn't just help you."
"He would swallow Hammer Industries whole."
"Every asset."
"Every dollar."
"Even the bones."
Justina's face turned pale.
The truth was—
She had actually considered going to Kingpin.
But before she could, the prosecution had filed charges against her father.
That was the only reason she had a chance to visit him.
When Justin Hammer learned she had thought about contacting Kingpin, he nearly exploded with anger.
He warned her repeatedly.
Even if they had no other options—
They must never work with Kingpin.
If she ever approached him alone, Justin Hammer would cut her off completely.
No inheritance.
No company.
Not even a father-daughter relationship.
That was how dangerous Kingpin was.
"Your father was reckless enough to consider doing business with him," Lance said with a shake of his head.
"But you…"
"You were actually thinking about asking him for help."
He looked at her like she was insane.
Justina opened her mouth to speak.
But Lance raised a hand and stopped her.
"Kingpin will not be involved in anything related to us."
"If I discover you cooperating with him…"
"I will personally destroy Hammer Industries."
"And everything connected to it."
"Your company."
"Your father."
"And you."
His words were so cold that Justina shivered.
She nodded instinctively.
"Good," Lance said calmly.
"You can leave now."
"I'll handle matters related to your father and Hammer Industries."
"You only need to focus on running the company."
He paused before adding one final instruction.
"Prepare a bankruptcy plan."
"And find the right moment to announce it."
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