CHAPTER 459: THE DOWNFALL OF THE MEGA FAMILY

That’s right.

Madam Mega collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.

Deep down, she knew Mr. Mega was right.

Neither her father nor her family would recklessly go to war with the Mega family for the sake of a daughter who had been married off decades ago.

And now that they had already accepted the Mega family’s compensation, it was even less likely.

She had been abandoned.

The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly, she let out a bitter laugh, her body trembling with the force of it.

In that moment, she felt an overwhelming sorrow—not just for herself, but for the vast majority of women in this world.

After marriage, a woman’s marital home was never truly hers, and neither was her birth family.

"We’ve lived under the same roof for over twenty years, after all.

The Mega family won’t be completely heartless," Grandma Mega said coolly, her gaze fixed on Madam Mega’s disheveled state.

"We’ve already prepaid fifty years’ worth of medical expenses at the psychiatric hospital.

At the very least, you won’t have to worry about food or shelter for the rest of your life."

She continued to idly twirl the string of bodhi beads in her hand, the picture of detached indifference.

No one would have guessed she was the mastermind behind it all.

A psychiatric hospital?

No worries about food and shelter?

Madam Mega’s smile slowly froze on her face.

For the first time, she truly understood how venomous this old woman’s words could be beneath her pious facade.

A sense of helplessness, mingled with despair, robbed her of all words and reason, leaving her face ashen.

Grandma Mega turned slightly toward the butler and spoke indifferently.

"Have someone take her away."

"Yes," the butler nodded and opened the door. "You two—come in and escort Madam to the car."

"Understood."

The two bodyguards waiting outside immediately stepped in and moved toward Madam Mega.

She made no attempt to resist, only turning her gaze toward grandma Mega and her son.

"Karma will find you.

The entire Mega family will pay for this."

How dare this wretched woman still talk back at a time like this?!

Mr. Mega pressed his lips together, his brows knitting in displeasure.

But grandma Mega remained expressionless, her eyes utterly unreadable.

Madam Mega’s every move seemed utterly unworthy of eliciting any reaction from her.

Yet grandma Mega’s composure didn’t last long before it was shattered by a sudden commotion outside.

"Grandma!

Grandma!

Something terrible has happened!"

A man in a black suit, his beer belly protruding, rushed toward them in a panic from a distance.

His frantic, uncoordinated strides betrayed just how desperate he was.

*Again with the "something terrible"!*

Couldn’t she ever catch a break?!

Grandma Mega’s fingers, which had been idly toying with her prayer beads.

Her cold, stern eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze toward the door.

Mr. Mega, Mrs. Mega, and the others also shifted their attention to the newcomer.

It was Martin, the head of one of the Mega family’s collateral branches.

Martin held a position in the Mega Corporation and was relatively close to the main bloodline, making him someone Mrs. Mega valued highly.

Back when Antonio was still around, he had been the one Madam Mega assigned to assist—and, at the same time, keep an eye on—him.

Now that Antonio was gone, with Madam Mega in poor health and Martin needing to avoid the media spotlight, Martin had taken over handling most of the Mega Corporation’s affairs.

That’s precisely why his current disheveled and frantic appearance was so telling.

"G-Grandmother..."

Martin came to an abrupt halt upon entering the room, his breath ragged as he struggled to speak.

"Such a spectacle," grandma Mega remarked coldly, her slow, aged voice dripping with reproach and disdain.

"Anyone would think the sky was falling."

The younger generation of the Mega family truly had no one worth mentioning.

At that thought, a shadow flickered briefly in her eyes. But the sky *was* falling.

Martin, still gasping from his frantic sprint, could barely catch his breath.

His lips trembled as they parted and closed, failing to form a coherent sentence.

All he could manage was a shaky nod.

"Out with it," Mr. Mega snapped, his brows furrowing deeper at the sight.

"What on earth has you in such a state?"

Mr. Mega added impatiently, "Collect yourself and speak properly."

After all, Martin was a high-ranking executive in the Mega Corporation.

Whatever had shaken him this badly couldn’t be trivial.

The more anxious she became, the more infuriated she grew at Martin, who stood there stammering without managing to get a word out.

Finally, Martin took a deep breath, his face pale as he looked at Grandma Mega and Mr. Mega.

His voice was heavy with dread.

"All... all of our corporate partners for this quarter have called to terminate their contracts."

"What did you say?"

Grandma Mega’s previously composed expression darkened instantly, her voice turning icy with barely suppressed fury.

"Say that again!"

Mr. Mega stiffened, his face frozen in disbelief as he stared at Martin.

Swallowing hard, Martin forced his stiff, ashen face to move and elaborated in greater detail.

"Every single one of our corporate partners for this quarter has demanded to terminate their contracts.

They’re refusing to give any explanations—won’t even let us ask questions.

Their stance is absolute."

Martin gulped again before continuing, his eyes darting between the two of them.

"The news leaked almost immediately, and now every major financial outlet is reporting it.

The entire Mega Group is in chaos."

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Mr. Mega’s mind.

Mr. Mega sat frozen in his seat, unable to process the magnitude of the disaster.

Grandma Mega’s pupils constricted sharply before dilating again.

Her aged fingers, clutching her prayer beads, whitened from the sheer force of her grip.

The only one who couldn’t suppress a flicker of satisfaction was Madam Mega—though for now, she remained unnoticed in the storm. The Mega Group—collapsing?

Damn, karma’s hitting this fast?

"Get the news suppressed immediately—spare no expense," ordered grandma Mega after a brief pause, her voice no longer steady and composed but laced with unmistakable urgency.

"And hand me the contact details of those partners who backed out. I’ll deal with them personally."

Only by identifying the root cause could a solution be found.

"Of course, I can provide their contacts," Martin replied, wiping cold sweat from his brow, his tone growing graver.

"But... throwing money at the problem might not work this time."

Watching grandma Mega’s expression darken, he forced himself to continue.

"Our group’s cash flow has suddenly hit a snag—fifty percent of the funds are frozen for now.

The partners we secured are demanding explanations."

A company’s cash flow is like the lifeblood of a body.

Once cut off, something vital is bound to collapse from the shortage.

Just who was targeting the Mega family?

Veins bulged on grandma Mega’s hands as her face visibly paled to an ashen gray.

Mr Mega’s voice was hoarse with suppressed rage as he spat out the words.

"That bastard Stephen!

This has to be his doing!"

At this moment, Stephen was the only one who came to mind.

"If he had the capability to pull this off, he wouldn’t have waited until now to strike," Grandma Mega clearly disagreed, her tone icy and measured.

"Send someone to investigate.

Find out if the Luther Family is behind this."