Touch Her and DieThe moment Damien Vale’s gaze settled on Samantha, the atmosphere inside the warehouse changed so violently that even the armed men surrounding the compound unconsciously stiffened because, although Brian had remained calm throughout the entire operation despite the gunfire, bloodshed, and confrontation, the instant Damien referred to Samantha as a weakness, something terrifying surfaced beneath Brian’s composure.Cold fury.Pure killing intent.Samantha herself felt it immediately because standing beside Brian now felt entirely different from before. The pressure radiating from him became suffocating enough that even Ross quietly stepped half a pace backward instinctively.Damien noticed the reaction.And smiled faintly.“There it is.”Brian’s eyes darkened completely.“You talk too much.”Damien remained perfectly calm.“No.”Then his pale eyes shifted briefly toward Samantha again.“I simply understand people better than you do.”Before anyone else could reactBri

ALIVEThe underground intelligence room became completely silent after the photograph appeared on the monitor because unlike every previous discovery tonight, this shattered something fundamental inside Brian completely. For several long seconds, he simply stood there staring at the image without moving while the others around him remained frozen beneath the crushing realization settling across the room.His mother was alive.Not missing.Not dead.Alive.Samantha slowly covered her mouth instinctively while staring at the screen because even she struggled to process the revelation properly. The woman inside the photograph looked slightly older than the earlier file image from years ago, but there was no doubt whatsoever.The resemblance to Brian was unmistakable.Ross quietly stepped closer toward the monitor.“When was this taken?”Laura quickly checked the file metadata with tense fingers.“Three months ago.”The room immediately became heavier again afterward.Alfred’s aged face v

The Woman Outside the GatesThe underground intelligence room became completely silent after the guard’s message echoed through the communication device because unlike the earlier discoveries surrounding Damien Vale, Silver Crescent Holdings, and the surviving files connected to Brian’s mother, this felt immediate and personal in a way none of the others had. The atmosphere throughout the room tightened almost instantly while Ross slowly lowered the device from his ear and turned toward Brian carefully, studying the subtle change that appeared across his expression after hearing the old woman’s words.The young master inherited his mother’s eyes.Nobody spoke for several long seconds afterward because deep down every person present understood that this could not simply be a coincidence. Too many hidden pieces were suddenly surfacing at once tonight, and after everything they had already uncovered, the appearance of a mysterious woman at the estate gates carried dangerous implications

Blackwater InstituteThe atmosphere surrounding the Maxwell estate gates became incomparably heavier after Evelyn revealed the truth about Blackwater Medical Institute, because despite the calm way she spoke the words, everyone present immediately understood the terrifying implication behind them. A place officially closed years ago that now secretly functioned as a prison connected directly to the Eclipse Project and the Black Serpent Syndicate could not possibly be ordinary.Brian remained standing silently beneath the estate lights while staring at the address written on the folded paper in his hand because although his expression stayed controlled outwardly, the dangerous pressure surrounding him had intensified noticeably again.His mother was there.Alive.And according to Evelyn, she might not survive the night if they moved too slowly.Ross immediately turned toward Laura.“I want every available file on Blackwater Institute right now.”Laura nodded quickly while already conta

BENEATH BLACKWATERSThe convoy moved through the northern outskirts of San Clemente beneath the darkness of early morning while cold fog drifted heavily across the isolated forest roads leading toward Blackwater Institute. Unlike the earlier operations throughout the harbor district, nobody inside the vehicles spoke much during the journey because the deeper they traveled into the mountains surrounding the abandoned facility, the heavier the atmosphere became.Everything about Blackwater felt wrong long before they even arrived.The roads leading toward the area gradually became emptier while old warning signs and rusted barricades appeared more frequently through the trees. Several sections of forest looked unnaturally dead beneath the moonlight, almost as though something poisonous had spread through the land years ago and never fully disappeared.Inside the lead vehicle, Laura continued monitoring security feeds through multiple encrypted devices while Ross reviewed final tactical