Jayden looked at her, then at Mr. Chen, who was now visibly unsettled. The confident man from just moments ago was now a question wrapped in silk.He turned toward Chen.“Mr. Chen, may I see your phone?”Mr Chen blinked. “My phone?”Jayden nodded. “Yes." Luminar—his synaptic echo—suggested he checked Mr Chen's mobile logs. "If there has been any backdoor activity or unseen transaction alerts, it might show up there before anywhere else.”Chen hesitated for half a second—then reached into his inner jacket and pulled out a sleek black device. His phone. It was the kind that was not sold in stores. It was custom, encrypted, and no doubt built with proprietary security software.“I trust you,” he said, handing it over.Jayden took the device gently, the weight of it was solid in his hand. He pressed the side, and the screen came alive with a silent flicker. The display was dark, sleek, and designed for efficiency, not flash. He immediately bypassed the main screen, his fingers moving

Jayden turned to Stella, his gaze was heavy with the weight of his suspicion. "I think I know what we are dealing with here.""What is that?" Stella asked, her voice was hushed."There's a huge chance Vincent Arceneaux hexed him," Jayden stated, his voice was low but firm. He gestured subtly towards David Chen, who was still lost in the struggle to recall his elusive memory. "He made him transfer that astronomical amount."Stella's brows furrowed, with a deep frown settling on her face. "Hexed him? Why would Vincent Arceneaux do such a thing? What would be his motive?""Come on, Stella, have you forgotten?" Jayden countered, with a hint of weariness in his voice. "This is Westwood. Every family does whatever they can to make money, especially with their superpowers. The Arceneaux family just like any other power family with their notorious history of using less-than-ethical means to expand their influence, would jump at such an opportunity. Most powerful families in Westwood are kn

The cool air of the high-rise suite seemed to hum with a new energy as Jayden waited. He had just gone through something heavy, a dark cloud hanging over him with the news of Vincent Arceneaux’s cruel trick. But now, Uncle Christopher’s voice held a different kind of spark, hinting at something good.“Well,” Uncle Christopher said, clearing his throat, “speaking of business. I’ve got some news for you.”Jayden sat up straighter in the armchair. His mind was still reeling from the talk about David Chen, latched onto the possibility of something positive. “From Neovalle?” he asked, his voice was sharper with anticipation.“Yeah,” Uncle Christopher confirmed, and Jayden could almost hear the smile in his uncle’s voice.“What is it?” Jayden asked quickly, leaning forward, the glass of water was forgotten in his hand.“It’s about Helios Enterprise, your company,” Uncle Christopher began, and Jayden’s heart gave a little hopeful thump. “Things are absolutely booming in Neovalle, Jayden.

"You wouldn't believe it. He..." Carl's voice was sharp, cutting through the crackle of the phone line. "He's claiming my ship. My ship, Jayden! The Sea Serpent! He says half the goods on it are his. Thirty million dollars worth of Bowen merchandise, gone, just like that!"Jayden’s jaw dropped. Thirty million dollars. The number alone was staggering, a punch to the gut. His mind reeled, trying to grasp the sheer audacity of it. If this was true, that meant Vincent Arceneaux wasn’t just a thief; he was a brazen pirate in a business suit. "Damn, that's much," Jayden finally managed to say, his voice was barely a whisper. "Did they have any of their goods in there?"There was a tense pause on Carl’s end, thick with unspoken frustration. "Yes. But only because they must have smuggled it in. I told my men, very clearly, not to allow any non-Bowen goods on the ship. Not a single box. But upon arriving at the southern part of the continent—that's right, after the long journey—not only did

The next few days were a blur of frantic phone calls and tense meetings. Jayden found himself drawn deeper into Carl’s nightmare, just as he had been with Project Revenant. Carl’s legal team, led by a sharp, older lawyer named Ms. Eleanor Vance, worked tirelessly. But the more they dug, the more complicated things seemed. Arceneaux had covered his tracks well, or so it seemed."He's claiming he bought the contract from a third party," Ms. Vance explained to Jayden and Carl during a late-night video call. Her face was tired, but her eyes held a spark of determination. "A shell company, untraceable. He says he had no idea it was originally yours. It's a classic move: plausible deniability.""Plausible deniability?" Carl scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a lie! He knew exactly what he was doing. Turns out, he's been trying to get his hands on that shipping route for months!""We know that, Mr. Bowen," Ms. Vance said calmly. "But proving it in court is another matter. We