Chapter 295: With Gratitude, Time to Crush Cornick

Winter sun poured over Seattle’s endless traffic, glinting off the dark SUV’s sleek frame.

Inside, the air was heavy.

Since Charlie Pétain, CloudWave-Vivendi’s VP, laid out his smug takeover plan, Gus Harper and Zoey Parker had turned stone-cold serious, like they were staring down a juggernaut.

No company, no matter how hot, could shrug off a global titan like CloudWave-Vivendi with a grin. You had to look grim, ready for war, to seem legit.

Gus nodded to himself, tweaking his frown. More serious.

This was a life-or-death threat—their biggest rival yet. No smirking. No way.

Sure, staying private kept WindyPeak Games’ equity locked tight, dodging CloudWave’s stock-market ambush like they pulled on Ubisoft in Gus’s old life. As long as they held their shares, they were bulletproof.

CloudWave’s moves were limited: sneaky real-world attacks—cutting servers, spiking their coffee, or torching their vibe. Zoey nixed the office money tree idea, calling it “hippie nonsense.” Nothing too clever there.

Or they could sling mud, smear WindyPeak’s rep. Nebula Games tried that and flopped. If bad press could kill WindyPeak, they’d already be Nebula’s lapdog.

An overseas blockade? Trickier, but Gus wasn’t sweating. Victor Lang’s global push for IndieVibe was gaining steam, and WindyPeak’s three-year run of hits—PUBG ($50M budget), Titanfall ($170M), Sekiro ($170M)—built a loyal fanbase. Their tie-up with Tencel Bull, diversifying their portfolio, meant a blockade wouldn’t gut them.

Last resort? CloudWave could flex their cash, dropping blockbuster budgets and mega-marketing to ape WindyPeak’s games.

Gus nearly chuckled. Komina’s execs thought the same and got smoked. Wanna copy us? Go study Komina’s crash course in getting owned.

Gus was a disciple of the indie grind, not some corporate drone. Barb Cornick? I’ll rattle your cage, pal.

Best part? WindyPeak’s independence from Parker Capital was a game-changer. No more “protection fees” to Walter Parker. Gus’s 39% stake, plus Luke Bennett, Jake Rivers, and Tetsuya Moritani’s 20% combined, locked out outsiders. Exec payouts were about to skyrocket.

Sure, Gus had a selfish angle. Walter was a solid guy—cool with Gus’s messy thing with Zoey, no strings attached. Being a “kept man” wasn’t the worst gig for a single dude.

But Gus wanted his own empire. Parental cash was nice, but building WindyPeak with his own hands gave him the juice to give Zoey the life she deserved, not just ride Walter’s coattails.

So, CloudWave-Vivendi’s claws weren’t a threat—they were a gift. A chance to shine.

With gratitude, let’s bury Cornick.

Gus bit back a grin. No laughing—too obvious. Stay cool, show a pinch of worry.

“It’s on us now,” he said, cutting the car’s tense silence. “Rough road ahead, Zoey.”

She nodded, mirroring his grim look. “Yeah, our biggest fight yet. A long haul. Ain’t easy.”

Hell yeah! Zoey’s inner cheer was deafening. No more protection money to Dad!

Her 41% stake made her WindyPeak’s top dog—Chairman, calling all shots. I do what I want now. Game projects, side hustles, even loss-making stunts for rebates—this is living.

That Golden Bull Challenge stunt Gus pulled? Millions hyped Overwatch ($18M budget, assumed) on every screen. If it launched, sales would’ve crushed Zoey’s rebate scam.

Nebula Games and Komina fumbled, leaving Gus unchallenged. But now? CloudWave-Vivendi, a $1.48T crocodile, bigger than Parker Capital, rolled in to stir the pot.

Perfect timing, suckers. Zoey was itching for a brawl. Private status made WindyPeak untouchable, while CloudWave and Vivendi were public, ripe for stock games.

Come at Gus hard, Cornick. Don’t go soft. Zoey pictured swooping in, Dragon King style, reverse-buying CloudWave to gift Gus for funsies. Octane? Moritani? Small fries next to me, the Cyber Queen.

Keep it cool, Zoey, she told herself, hiding a smirk at a red light. No gloating with Gus right there.

She patted his shoulder. “It’s fine. Had to happen. With you, CloudWave’s just noise.”

Gus turned, eyes softening. He had his system cheat, but Zoey didn’t know. Her faith in him lit a fire. “I’ll make it happen,” he said, voice firm.

Whoa, slow down, don’t swear on it, Zoey thought, waving it off. “Let’s talk happy stuff. Congrats, CEO and Chief Game Director, Mr. Harper.”

Gus raised an eyebrow. “You going full-time slacker now?”

“Hey!” Zoey pouted. “Chairman’s no slacker gig. I’ve got board meetings, duh.”

Gus laughed, shaking her hand. “Thanks for your sacrifice, Chairman Parker.”

Three years in, WindyPeak Games shed Parker Capital’s shadow, becoming a lean, independent gaming beast, ready for the real fight.

Three days post-independence, they held a personnel shake-up.

Zoey Parker, ex-President with 41% equity, stepped up to Chairman, wielding ultimate power. Gus Harper, ex-VP with 39%, became CEO and Chief Game Director. Luke Bennett, Jake Rivers, and Tetsuya Moritani, holding 20% combined, rose to Vice Presidents, forming WindyPeak’s new core trio.

The gaming and tech worlds exploded.

“WindyPeak Goes Independent: Game-Changer or Gamble?”
“From $500K to $2B: WindyPeak’s Wild Ride.”
“Post-CloudWave Visit, Independence Signals Defiance.”
“U.S. Gaming’s New Star? WindyPeak Breaks Free!”

Some cheered, hyping a U.S. gaming surge and buzzing about WindyPeak’s next moves. Others scoffed, calling it Zoey’s “princess tantrum,” doubting their future, or whispering about a CloudWave merger setup.

Speculation swirled, but WindyPeak was free. Gus ignored the noise, focusing on stabilizing allies.

First stop: PacificTech. Gus flew to Los Angeles to meet Ethan Camron, laying out CloudWave’s takeover bid and how independence countered it. Ethan, a pal and PacificTech’s head, backed WindyPeak fully, especially after their three “top U.S. enterprise” nods from Global Pulse Media.

In Seattle, Luke Bennett and Jake Rivers hosted Victor Lang of IndieVibe and Ethan Caldwell of Nebula Games. Luke took charge, Jake steady at the core, outlining CloudWave’s threat and their shared fate with IndieVibe and Nebula.

“The global game’s rough,” Luke said. “WindyPeak needs you two, and the motion-cabin market needs us. International growth hinges on our games and fans. Win-win means dropping old beefs and teaming up.”

His pitch was sharp, humble yet confident, leaning on WindyPeak’s hits without arrogance. Victor and Ethan nodded, impressed by the crew’s savvy (minus Zoey’s occasional chaos).

Meanwhile, Tetsuya Moritani jetted to Bangkok to meet Xu Zhixing, Tencel Bull’s head, an old ally linked by Moritani’s matchmaking. They hashed out WindyPeak’s independence and CloudWave’s looming attack.

Xu laughed it off. “Moritani, CloudWave’s just a plumber playing games. Tencel carved a path against Pepsi and Coca-Cola with WindyPeak’s help. Vivendi doesn’t know squat about our game.”

“Oh, and Zoey—Chairman Parker now—when’s that $4.3M racetrack project happening?”

#Note: I am thinking of going on a haitus for this novel. Honestly it gets and is getting boring. I found another great novel, it has 270 chapters so far, i want to translate that one. So, let me know if you want me to continue. And thank you for the support so far. I will do what you say.