Bitcoin Billionaire: I Regressed to Invest in the First Bitcoin!-Chapter 173: Freezing the Heir

On a fine morning, the Golden Hay mansion stood gallantly in the illustrious estate that also belonged to the Hayes family.

The birds were chirping, leaves were swaying and the air carried the coolness of the fast approaching winter.

Within the interior of the building however, the air was more thick. Filled with dread and panic, the kind that came out of nowhere and left people in shock and disarray.

The unfortunate person this time was Grant Hayes.

He stood barefoot in the center of his sprawling bedroom, the cold marble floor biting into his soles.

In his trembling hand was his Samsung flip phone, and the screen glowed before him with news, the words of this news searing into his mind like a brand.

'SUBJECT: URGENT - COURT INJUNCTION NOTICE'

His breath caught, his chest tightening as he reread the message once more, as though it would mean something entire different this time around.

'Effective immediately, all assets tied to your role as Chairman of the Golden Hay Group will be frozen pending fiduciary review and restructuring approval by the Board.'

What? He thought once more. How could this have happened?

Frozen. The word echoed in his skull, absurd and impossible. He hadn't signed anything, hadn't cast a vote, hadn't even been privy to the board's recent machinations.

So once again, how could this be happening?

He pressed on the scroll button to go down the page as his eyes followed, scanning the dense legal jargon that followed: 'Breach of fiduciary duty', 'anonymous shareholder concern', 'protective oversight measures'.

The phrases were a blur, and as he read through them, he only got more confused, more scared.

For something like this to take effect, they must have taken it to a court. And this court had approved this with terrifying speed, as if the entire system had been waiting for the signal to strike.

"No, no, no…" His voice was a dry rasp and terrified. "What am I going to do?! What am I going to do?"

First, he sped through his saved contacts, searching for the ones belonging to the company's lawyers and board members.

His hands shook as his thumb hovered over the speed dial. He pressed it, the call connecting before he could second-guess himself. As the line rang, he paced, his bare feet slapping against the marble, his mind racing through every meeting, every decision, every moment that might have led to this betrayal.

No answer.

He tried another lawyer. Another board member.

No answer.

He tried his friend, Gillian Henderson, and even he didn't pick.

What the hell was this? Are they trying to force him out as chairman?! The board— his father's board, the men and women who had toasted his ascension as chairman just months ago— had turned on him.

Finally, one of them— Vector Callahan, senior lawyer— responded.

"Vector! What the hell is going on?! Why have all my assets been frozen?!"

"What did you expect, Grant?! We warned you, and you forced our hand. The assets will be reviewed by the board and then we will know where to go from then regarding your chairmanship."

"The board isn't even picking my calls!! You are all in on this, aren't you?! You're trying to take my father's company from me."

"See you at the next board meeting, Grant."

"Vector!"

The line went dead.

Grant stared at his phone with blazing eyes and a pounding heart. He had no idea what to do now. And he suddenly felt lost.

The next board meeting was in a week. That wasn't enough time to prepare. They would take it all from him, he knew they would!

What to do... what to do!

His eyes suddenly caught a particular context on his screen. The context of a friend and savior.

Darren Steele.

--------

Across the city, the Steele Investments complex hummed with quiet efficiency. Morning sunlight poured through towering glass windows, bathing the operations floor in a warm amber glow.

As usual, the dome was a hive of controlled chaos: analysts darted between workstations, screens glowing with real-time market data, and the quiet noise of conversation filling the air.

In the business room, stood Darren Steele, his tall frame commanding the room without effort. Even though his Charismatic Command and the passive skill were presently being used, he naturally had control over the people presently with him so the effects were not noticeable.

He leaned against a digital board, its surface alive with a breakdown of market shifts: currency fluctuations, commodity spikes, and a troubling dip in tech futures.

Kara stood a few feet away, her fingers flying across the keyboard of her computer as she reviewed account flow simulations. Beside her, Rachel cross-referenced projections on a second screen, her brow furrowed in concentration.

From Kara's updates, the mining was going very well with a minimum of ten Blocks mined everyday. And from Sandy, relayed by Rachel, Trendteller sales were presently in a stable sales growth. Nothing too big, and thankfully, no major dip either.

Now, they were working on stocks and shares, as of recently, multiple business owners had shown high interest in purchasing Steele stocks after the numerous deals Darren had made with big names.

The trio moved with the synchronicity of a well-oiled machine, their focus unbroken until Darren's phone buzzed on the table.

He glanced at the screen. 'Grant Hayes.' His brows perked, and he picked up the phone, voice crisp. "Steele."

"Darren!" Grant's voice exploded through the line, raw with panic. "They froze everything."

Darren's posture shifted, his shoulders squaring as he turned slowly from the board. The room seemed to sharpen around him, the hum of activity fading into the background. "Your assets are frozen?"

"Yes!"

"By who?"

"The board. My dad's old board. They filed some emergency motion, got court approval overnight. All the assets tied to my name as chairman are locked. I can't touch a dime."

Darren's jaw tightened, he remained as unreadable as usual. "Calm down, Grant. Just take a breath okay. Now, what I need you to do is to send me everything. Every email, every document, the injunction itself. I need you to do it now."

Kara and Rachel were already on their feet, sensing the shift in Darren's tone. They met his eyes, and he gave a sharp nod. "Rachel," he said, "get Jonathan Vance and Daisy Chen. Emergency meeting. War room. They should be here in thirty minutes."

Rachel didn't hesitate, her fingers already tapping out messages as she strode toward her station.

Darren then ordered Kara, "Find me Grant's files. Amelia should have them arranged at the central terminal."

Quickly, she scurried to the central terminal, scanning through other files in the secure channels before she found Grant Hayes's.

"Found it!"

Darren stood motionless for a moment, his mind racing. He had expected some kind of response from the law team and board members. But freezing company assets? That was a very big and dangerous move.

...one they wouldn't make without solid backing.

There was someone orchestrating all of this.