The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 99: The Hollow Echo of Perfection

In the aftermath of the abduction attempt, the security net surrounding Julian Sterling was tightened by Ethan Caldwell with an almost suffocating intensity. Even Julian himself found his personal freedom subjected to a regimen of surveillance that was markedly more stringent. Naturally, it had not descended into the extremes of imprisoning a canary within a gilded cage, unable to step a single foot beyond the threshold. However, Julian was now perpetually flanked by a rotating phalanx of additional bodyguards, a constant shadow at his periphery. Initially, he voiced a few sharp complaints, chafing against the restriction, but upon reflection, Julian realized the futility of resistance. Even if Ethan were to acquiesce and withdraw the visible detail, he would undoubtedly substitute it with covert surveillance from the shadows. That sophisticated game of cat and mouse would be infinitely more exhausting to navigate. Thus, Julian resigned himself to Ethan’s arrangements, deciding to let the man have his way - provided, of course, that the brooding cluster of guards maintained their distance and did not intrude upon the rhythm of his daily existence.

Beyond the immediate concerns of safety, Julian also confided in Ethan regarding his lingering suspicions: the unsettling possibility that Gabriel Cole had successfully planted a mole within the very heart of Ethan’s company. This revelation caused Ethan to lapse into a profound, contemplative silence for a moment. The machinations of corporate espionage - planting agents within a rival’s stronghold or buying the loyalty of key employees - were hardly a rarity. The marketplace was, after all, a bloodless battlefield, teeming with subterfuge and conspiracy. The true dilemma lay in the fog of war. Ethan had no way of discerning who the infiltrator might be, what rank they held, or whether the rot was limited to a single individual or a sprawling network. He could only delegate the delicate matter to Helen, instructing her to initiate a discreet, subterranean investigation.

Meanwhile, the news that Aaron Sterling had been handed over to the authorities had inevitably drifted to the ears of the Sterling family. In truth, the nature of his transgressions occupied a murky grey area - neither entirely unforgivable nor trivial enough to be dismissed out of hand. Regarding the staged kidnapping, the Sterling family could likely smooth over the jagged edges with their wealth, employing high-powered attorneys to secure the lightest possible sentence. However, the gravest issue looming over Aaron was the specific substance the thugs had employed. Due to Ethan’s preemptive and iron-fisted intervention, Aaron had been stripped of all visitation rights for the immediate future. The Sterling family remained in the dark, unaware that the drug Aaron utilized was suspected of being a controlled substance, nor did they know whether Aaron had explicitly commanded its use or if the hired muscle had acted on their own reckless initiative.

During this turbulent period, Julian’s phone had rung with calls from Richard Sterling, and even from his eldest son, though Julian chose to let them ring into silence. Barred from visiting Aaron and grasping at straws in the dark, they were likely desperate to establish contact. Their intent was transparent enough: either to beg for favors to gain access to the prisoner, or perhaps to weaponize the heavy shackles of moral obligation and blood kinship, pressuring him to withdraw the charges. Julian remained utterly indifferent to their plight. He simply tossed the entire sordid mess into Ethan’s hands to manage as he saw fit.

He heard from Ethan’s secretary that Richard had personally humbled himself to visit the Caldwell Empire headquarters, but the outcome of that meeting was of no concern to Julian.

The only thing that commanded his focus now was the critical project with Iris Visuals.

Ethan’s overseas business trip was deemed a triumph. Even if The Olympus Group was not overseeing the entire technological scope of the project, it was of little consequence. As long as they poured their expertise into the core technology, that would suffice. Moreover, this arrangement strategically consolidated the Caldwell Empire’s grip on the project’s reins.

during Ethan’s absence, Julian had entered into negotiations with a technical firm they had previously scouted. The other party agreed to come aboard as technical consultants; the core team would comprise a hybrid of their personnel and staff transferred from Caldwell’s own technical department. This contract was signed firmly under the banner of the Caldwell Empire, rather than as a joint venture, asserting their dominance.

The holographic display Julian had unveiled to Ethan was also a fruit of this strategic collaboration. Julian provided the artistic vision and design, while they handled the complex technical architecture to render the hologram into reality. In recent days, Julian and the team had been in constant, feverish communication to refine this presentation, aiming to unveil a masterpiece on the day of the contract signing with Iris Visuals.

In the blink of an eye, the appointed day with Iris Visuals arrived.

Julian accompanied Ethan, attending in his capacity as the assistant in charge of the main project. Unlike the intimate internal negotiation of the past, this delegation was a force to be reckoned with. The Caldwell Empire’s representatives included Ethan, Julian, several senior managers who had been deployed for the project, and Ethan’s formidable head secretary and personal assistant - Helen.

To their surprise, the chief negotiator for Iris Visuals was none other than Seraphina Cole - who had just been ascended to the position of general project manager and was temporarily holding a director’s title at Iris Visuals. She was flanked by a vice president and a cadre of other staff members.

To demonstrate the sincerity and weight of this negotiation, the venue chosen was the headquarters of Iris Visuals. True to its reputation as a vanguard of art and graphics, their building was an exquisite architectural marvel. In Julian’s assessment, the exterior style bore a striking resemblance to the ancient Gothic cathedrals of his own world, imposing and majestic. Furthermore, the facade was reinforced with a titanium framework and encased in black tempered glass, transforming it into a veritable fortress that reflected the brilliant, blinding rays of the sun. It struck a unique, almost jarring silhouette amidst the city center, a dark jewel surrounded by forests of modern, utilitarian skyscrapers.

As the person directly holding the master development plan in his hands, Julian presented the project on behalf of the Caldwell Empire. Although Iris Visuals had appointed Seraphina Cole as the person in charge, she showed no inclination to soften her approach or go easy on Julian for the sake of their past acquaintance.

"I hold your concepts in high regard." She began, her tone professional yet guarded: "The hologram is visually stunning, the 3D structural development is solid, and even the blend of two creative stratums - the futuristic and the archaic - is seamless. However..." Seraphina’s voice dropped noticeably, losing its warmth.

"It fails to touch my emotions."

"Why?" Julian asked, the single word hanging in the air.

"The holographic model is constructed impeccably. Even in that final moment when the Centaurian Dynasty is extinguished, when the vast universe is left with only a few flickering, dying lights, I can feel the cold despair radiating from it." Seraphina tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table, a sound like a ticking clock: "But that excessive, biting frigidity becomes its fatal flaw. You have constructed a transcendent Centaurian civilization, yet it is merely a facade. All that glittering magnificence lacks the true essence: humanity. There isn’t a single breath of genuine emotion blown into its lungs."

"Because there is no emotion, because there are no carnal desires, no joy, no anger, no love, or hatred... it fails to resonate with me."

She leaned forward, her eyes piercing: "What is it that you truly wish to embed in the game’s core narrative? Is it merely the act of excavating space tombs, of mechanically restoring a cultural era obliterated by cosmic storms? But do you know why culture holds value? It is because it lingers within the vessel of human emotion. Knowledge of a civilization only truly shines, only truly lives, when one can feel the emotions that have been obscured by the dust of aeons. One must understand the jubilation of a golden age, must be permeated by the agonizing grief of a sudden collapse, to truly uncover the wisdom of that civilization."

"Even if it is the greed of a band of grave robbers seeking treasure, or the lunacy of fanatics, be it good or evil, it all contributes to the vivid reconstruction of a civilization’s history." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"As for your design - it is excellent, incredibly detailed, beautiful to the point of absolute perfection. But it is merely superficial vanity, a soulless shell. If you truly intend to develop the game’s graphics in this direction, I do not believe Iris Visuals can meet your requirements. What exactly do you want Iris Visuals to paint for you? A forced, sterile intersection of creative layers, or a cold reproduction of photographs from the Hubble telescope? If that is the case, just hire some third-rate 3D draftsman and be done with it."