Merged by Default
tamsin
[Setting: Lumphini Park, Bangkok. High noon. The heat is shimmering.]
Tamsin(fl)
[Tamsin is sitting on a bench, back straight, looking at her tablet. Her stock price is plummeting.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) Drop. Go on. Drop another point.
[Notification: T-Core Hardware down 5%.]
Tamsin(fl)
(To herself) I’m waiting, man. I know you’re behind the curtain.
[Her assistant, Somchai, runs up. He’s panting and holding a phone.]
...
Ma’am! The Board is screaming! They say Ulysses Vance—sorry, just Ulysses—has blocked our server access in Phuket!
Tamsin(fl)
Of course he did. It’s a Tuesday. He always gets aggressive on Tuesdays.
...
But the government! They’re calling it "Economic Sabotage." There are rumors of a forced merger to save the currency!
Tamsin(fl)
Internal) A merger. The one word that makes my skin crawl.
Tamsin(fl)
Let them rumor.
...
You’re just going to sit here? On a bench? While he steals your empire?
Tamsin(fl)
I’m not sitting. I’m observing.
Tamsin(fl)
[Tamsin swipes her tablet to a private folder. It’s a grainy photo of a server farm in Phuket. The logo on the door is a stylized 'U'.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) You’re five hundred miles away, hiding in your fortress.
Tamsin(fl)
Internal) You think you can force my hand without even looking me in the eye?
...
The Ministry wants a statement! They want to know if you’ll meet him for negotiations!
Tamsin(fl)
Tell them I don't negotiate with ghosts. If he wants my company, he has to come out of the shadows.
Tamsin(fl)
[Tamsin stands up. She looks at the screen one last time. A new alert: "U-Sovereign stocks rising."]
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) Enjoy the view from the top, Ulysses.
Tamsin(fl)
(Whispering) Because I’m going to make sure the fall is very, very long.
Tamsin(fl)
[Tamsin turns and walks toward her car, leaving Somchai confused at the bench.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) Chapter 1 of your downfall starts today. And you don’t even know I’m coming.
ml
Setting: A high-tech command center in Phuket. Walls of glass overlook the ocean, but the room is filled with blue-light monitors.]
Ulysses(ml)
Still sitting there. Ten minutes. She hasn't moved an inch.
[His lead developer, Kitt, enters the room.]
...
Sir, the T-Core stocks are in freefall. If we push the "Dark-Web" simulation one step further, they’ll be forced to liquidate.
Ulysses(ml)
Eyes fixed on the screen) Not yet. Tamsin doesn't liquidate. she digs in.
...
But sir... if we wait, the government will intervene. They’re already talking about the "Stability Act." They’ll force a merger.
Ulysses(ml)
(A dark smirk appears) That’s the point, Kitt.
...
(Confused) You want to be tied to her? You’ve spent five years calling her hardware "ancient ruins."
Ulysses(ml)
(Internal) I’ve spent five years trying to get her to notice that I’m the only one who can keep up with her
Ulysses(ml)
I want her in a position where she can't use her lawyers to hide from me.
[A monitor pings. It’s a biometric scan of the park bench area.]
Ulysses(ml)
Her heart rate is perfectly steady, sir. 65 beats per minute. She isn't even flustered by the crash.
Ulysses(ml)
(Whispering) That’s my Tamsin. Glacial.
Ulysses(ml)
[Ulysses walks over to a glass table. On it lies a single, crushed flower from a gala three years ago.]
Ulysses(ml)
(Internal) She thinks I hate her tactics. I do. But I hate the distance between us more.
...
Sir? The Ministry of Finance is calling. They want to know if you'll accept the "Arranged Union" terms to save the market.
Ulysses(ml)
Tell them I’ll consider it. On one condition.
Ulysses(ml)
The cohabitation clause. One year. No exits. I want her to see exactly who she’s been fighting.
Ulysses(ml)
(Internal) Run all you want, Tamsin. I’ve already built the cage. And you’re going to love it.
past
[Setting: T-Core Headquarters, Bangkok. A sleek, glass office.]
[Tamsin is staring at a legal document on her desk. It’s an "Ancestry and Asset Audit" sent by Ulysses’ lawyers.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) They’re digging. He’s not just looking for my bank accounts; he’s looking for my origins.
[A flashback memory flashes across the screen: A young Tamsin, ten years old, selling recycled computer parts in a dusty Bangkok market.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Whispering) You won't find anything, Ulysses. I buried that girl a long time ago.
[Somchai enters, looking pale. He’s holding a tablet.]
...
Ma’am, the Ministry is asking for your "Family Pedigree" for the Royal Merger decree. They say it’s a formality for the "stability" of the tech dynasties.
Tamsin(fl)
A "pedigree"? I’m a CEO, Somchai, not a racehorse.
...
I know, but Ulysses’ team already submitted his. Private schools in London, Swiss bank accounts... it looks perfect on paper. They’re making you look like a "risk" because your records before age 18 are... missing.
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) Missing because I was busy surviving while he was learning how to polo.
Tamsin(fl)
Tell them my record starts the day I founded T-Core with a single soldering iron and a dream he couldn't even imagine
[Notification pings on her private screen. An encrypted message from an "Anonymous" sender. It’s just a photo of a specific street stall in the old market.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Heart rate spikes) How... how does he know about the stall?
Tamsin(fl)
[Tamsin grips the edge of her desk.]
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) He’s reading me. He’s been reading my history for years. This isn't just a merger; it’s a hunt
...
Ma’am? Your hand is shaking.
Tamsin(fl)
(Closing the screen) I’m fine. Get the lawyers. If he wants to play the "Royal Class" game, tell him I’m ready
Tamsin(fl)
(Internal) He thinks I’m a beggar who got lucky. I’ll show him that a beggar knows how to fight much dirtier than a prince.
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