Power never vanished quietly.
It retaliated.
Marcus Thorne stood at the glass wall of Titan Management's top-floor boardroom, the city stretched beneath him like conquered territory. His knuckles were bandaged, but the anger beneath the skin was fresh and burning.
Avery Rivers had crossed a line.
Not by singing.Not by crowdfunded money.But by being believed.
"That ends now," Marcus said coldly.
Buying a Legend
Within forty-eight hours, Titan Management announced its response.
A global press conference.Live-streamed across every major platform.
Marcus stood at the podium, calm, confident, smiling like a king reminding peasants who ruled the land.
"Titan Management is proud to announce our next cinematic masterpiece," he said smoothly."The Great Voyage."
The screen behind him lit up.
A massive ship cutting through a storm.Explosions. Fire. Lovers embracing on deck.
The crowd gasped.
Marcus continued.
"We have secured the most famous director in the country. A cast of A-list global superstars. And a production budget exceeding two hundred million dollars."
Reporters scribbled frantically.
One dared to ask, "Is this in response to Avery Rivers' upcoming project?"
Marcus smiled wider.
"I don't care about scripts," he said, dismissive. "I care about scale."
He leaned closer to the microphone.
"When history looks back, it won't remember basement films and internet donations. It will remember screens big enough to swallow the sky."
Laughter rippled through the room.
"Avery Rivers' little project," Marcus finished, "will be a footnote."
The Industry Falls in Line
The reaction was immediate.
Studios pledged support.Cinemas pre-sold screens.Distributors lined up for exclusive rights.
Media headlines exploded:
TITAN STRIKES BACK!$200M BLOCKBUSTER TO CRUSH INDIE CHALLENGERTHE GREAT VOYAGE: THE REAL TITANIC?
Actors began posting cryptic photos from luxury yachts.
One famous star smirked in an interview."Crowdfunding is cute. But movies need professionals."
Seraphina Rose liked the post.
The System Responds
Avery watched the announcement alone in her office.
She didn't flinch.
Didn't swear.
Didn't panic.
The System interface materialized before her eyes, heavier than ever.
[System Notification: Rivalry Quest Activated — The Battle of the Box Office][Opponent: Titan Management — Project: The Great Voyage][Victory Condition: Outperform rival in critical reception and audience impact.][Reward: Master-Level Directing Aura (Legendary)]
Avery exhaled slowly.
"So," she murmured, "they chose spectacle over soul."
Leo burst into the room, eyes blazing.
"They're mocking us publicly," he snapped. "They're saying your movie will vanish before it releases!"
Elias followed, already scrolling through legal reports.
"They're locking premium screens months in advance. Trying to starve us out."
Avery stood.
Her presence alone quieted the room.
"Good," she said.
Both men froze.
"They've done exactly what I wanted."
Leo frowned. "Avery—"
"They've turned this into a war," she continued calmly. "And wars expose weaknesses."
She tapped the Titanic binder.
"They have stars who act. We have people who feel.""They have money. We have ownership.""They have control. We have loyalty."
Elias swallowed. "Marcus is betting that bigger always wins."
Avery's eyes sharpened.
"And I'm betting that audiences are tired of being told what to love."
The System pulsed again.
[Hidden Effect Detected: Public Sympathy Shift.][Warning: Titan's Overconfidence Increasing.]
Avery smiled—small, dangerous.
"Let them build their monument," she said."We'll build a memory."
She turned toward the city lights.
"When The Great Voyage sinks under its own weight…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Titanic will still be floating in people's hearts."
Outside, billboards lit up with Titan's stars.
Inside, a quiet storm was forming.
And for the first time, the empire's counter-attack felt less like a threat—
And more like panic.