Raymond leaned back against the sofa, stretching both arms across its back as if to show that he was still in the superior position.
"What a load of crap! You just got out of prison and you're already dealing with a mountain of problems. There's no way you could spend that much money on a single flower!" he scoffed contemptuously.
Beside Marvin, Gennifer immediately grabbed her husband's arm.
"Marvin, that's enough. Don't engage him," she whispered anxiously. "You know how much influence the Harvard family has in Gloriston."
Gennifer's fear wasn't unfounded. The shadows of the past still haunted her. She didn't want her husband to get tangled up with the law again just because he'd offended the most powerful family in Chemisland.
But the Marvin of today was no longer the Marvin of the past.
Back then, the Harvard name had sounded terrifying to him. Nearly everyone in Chemisland viewed the family as an untouchable ruler of the business world.
But everything had changed since the discovery of Glorisium.
After discovering the rare element, Marvin realized that the Rock family had a chance to stand alongside Harvard—or even surpass it. For years, the only thing holding them back had been the various regulations restricting the movement of their family business.
Now, things were beginning to change.
And Marvin intended to be the one who started that change.
The argument grew increasingly heated.
"From now on, stay away from my wife!" Marvin said sharply. "Gennifer is my wife, not yours. If you can't respect me, don't expect me to respect you. I don't care what family you come from."
Raymond let out a mocking laugh.
"I'm incredibly rich, Marvin. Plenty of women dream of becoming my wife. If you're willing to divorce Gennifer, I can even double Rock Electra's coal supply!"
Those words immediately hardened Marvin's expression.
"What kind of boss are you, anyway?" he shot back coldly. "Starting today, Rock Electra doesn't need coal from Harvard Corp. The Rock family doesn't need anything from you people."
The atmosphere froze.
Even Derick and Elena were stunned.
Raymond stared at Marvin in disbelief.
"How dare you say that! Your family has survived all this time because of our help. Without Harvard Corp's supply, the Rock family's little business would've collapsed years ago!"
Marvin folded his arms across his chest.
"It's precisely because we've depended on the Harvard family for too long that we've always been treated like subordinates. It's time for us to stand on our own."
No one had expected such a forceful statement to come from Marvin.
For decades, Rock Electra had bought coal from Harvard Corp. That dependence had lasted so long that everyone considered it normal.
Winsoil was in much the same situation.
Whenever their oil reserves ran low, they always relied on Harvard Corp to make up the shortfall. Now, their oil wells were nearly dry, and the company had to hold out for several months before finding a new source.
In everyone's eyes, asking Harvard for help was their only option.
But Marvin saw things differently.
He calmly swept his gaze across the room.
"Rock Electra isn't the only one," he said. "Winsoil doesn't need to depend on Harvard Corp either. From now on, the Winston family's businesses shouldn't work with them anymore."
The room erupted again.
"Marvin!" Gennifer cried.
She gestured for her husband to sit down immediately and stop talking.
Her anxiety was plain on her face.
Gennifer probably understood Marvin better than anyone. She knew her husband wasn't the type to speak without a basis. But what Marvin had said today was far too serious to accept without question.
Axel, on the other hand, chose to remain silent.
As an academic, he was accustomed to judging everything through logic.
And logic told him that Marvin couldn't possibly have gone this far without a strong reason.
That was why Axel simply watched without interrupting.
Marvin straightened again.
"Starting today," he said firmly, "Rock Electra and Winsoil are ending their cooperation with Harvard Corp."
After saying that, he sat back down and let out a long breath.
Raymond rubbed his forehead while staring at the ceiling.
"Honestly, Marvin," he said. "I really don't understand the way you think. The longer I listen to you, the more idiotic it sounds."
He shook his head repeatedly.
If that insane decision was actually carried out, Winsoil would face enormous risks.
Without supplies from Harvard Corp, they would have to find another source of oil. Their only options were The Oxy or a state-owned oil company.
The problem was that securing a new contract wouldn't be easy.
Winsoil's position in the industry was too small.
Even so, Marvin remained confident.
In his view, as long as the Winston family stayed under Harvard's shadow, they would never develop.
That was why he refused to sacrifice Gennifer in exchange for business protection.
"I disagree!" Russel shouted.
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.
Only a day earlier, Winsoil had received a huge oil shipment from The Oxy. Russel still had no idea how it had happened.
"Why do you look so worried?" Marvin asked with a faint smile. "Isn't Winsoil safe for the next month now?"
Russel snorted.
"That was just a coincidence!" he retorted. "The Oxy sent the oil out of nowhere. Don't tell me you've started playing fortune-teller now? Do you know fortune-telling is just as forbidden as pork?"
Several people held their breath at the jab.
But Marvin remained calm.
"I'm not a fortune-teller, and I'm not a prophet," he replied. "I just use logic. I've already proven two things. The Gloriest flower is here. And the crude oil has already arrived at Winsoil. So do you really think I'm joking?"
Derick and Elena exchanged glances.
For the first time that day, they began to consider the possibility that Marvin knew something no one else did.
But Russel remained stubborn.
"There's no proof!" he yelled. "Your name isn't listed as the sender of either the flowers or the oil. You're just taking credit for them!"
"Then I'll prove it."
Marvin's voice was filled with absolute confidence.
Beside him, Gennifer lowered her head.
She hugged her husband's arm and whispered softly,
"Please don't embarrass me, Marvin."
Marvin gently patted his wife's hand before picking up Raymond's ring box.
Then he held it out to its owner.
"Take back this cheap ring," he said. "My wife isn't going to wear it."
Then he added casually,
"Tomorrow, I'll buy her a Red Diamond."
Russel instinctively pulled out his phone and searched for information about the gemstone.
A few seconds later, his eyes widened.
A Red Diamond cost five million dollars per gram, and they were incredibly rare. Supposedly, only around thirty such stones existed in the entire world.
"Insane..." Russel muttered, shaking his head. "I really don't understand you."
But hatred had made it difficult for him to accept anything that came out of Marvin's mouth.
To Russel, anything Marvin did was automatically wrong.
Marvin slowly rose to his feet.
He calmly looked at Raymond.
"If I give my wife one gram of Red Diamond," he said, "its value will be equal to the five hundred rings you brought today."
Everyone fell silent.
No one had expected him to say that.
Marvin continued with a faint smile.
"As the wealthy sole heir of the Harvard family, maybe you should visit jewelry stores more often. Learn a little from the experts."
This time, Raymond's face turned completely red.
He had been humiliated in front of every member of the Winston family all afternoon.
And the most painful part was that it had all been done by the man he'd always considered worthless.
Meanwhile, Gennifer could only stare in shock.
As a woman who had grown up among the wealthy, she knew exactly how rare Red Diamonds were.
Even many billionaires couldn't afford to own one.
Then Marvin looked at each member of the Winston family in turn.
"Tomorrow," he said with complete confidence, "you'll see my wife wearing a Red Diamond necklace."