“Sir, I think you’re lost. This floor is for private access only.”The receptionist’s tone was curt, her eyes scanning Javier from head to toe with poorly disguised judgment. His coat was a little damp from the walk through the drizzling rain, his shoes worn but clean, and his demeanor, as always, unassuming. The sleek marble lobby of Winston Holdings gleamed beneath the soft gold lights, yet none of that gloss ever touched Javier.“I have an appointment,” he replied simply, adjusting the strap of his briefcase on his shoulder.“Do you now?” she replied with a tight-lipped smile. “And who exactly are you meeting with?”“Mr. Delacroix.”She blinked, clearly not expecting that name. “You… Mr. Winston Delacroix?”Javier nodded.The woman hesitated. “Sir, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Mr. Delacroix doesn’t meet with just anyone.”Behind him, two sharply dressed young men stepped off the elevator, snickering as they passed.“Hey,” one of them muttered to the other, loudly enough

“Sir, are you sure you want to enter through the front?”Javier Everhart glanced at the lobby doors of the luxurious Langford International Hotel, where the annual Westbridge Business Forum was being held. Wearing a simple grey jacket, dark jeans, and scuffed shoes, he looked more like a lost tourist than the billionaire mind behind half the mergers whispered about in hushed corporate circles.He offered the hotel valet a soft smile. “I’ll manage.”As Javier stepped into the glittering lobby, no one turned. No red carpet. No cameras. No whispered acknowledgments. Just another man beneath the towering crystal chandeliers.Inside the ballroom, rows of businessmen in sharp suits raised champagne glasses and exchanged firm handshakes. Name tags with prestigious titles adorned their chest pockets. Javier’s, by choice, had only his first name: Javier E.As he moved between tables, two men near the buffet threw a glance at him.“That guy again?” one of them scoffed, sipping wine. “Did housek

Emilia’s hands didn’t tremble. The gun was steady in her grasp, her expression calm—eerily so.“Step back,” she ordered, voice flat. “You always think ten moves ahead, Javier. But you forgot something.”Javier didn’t move. His gaze flicked to the side, checking for angles, cover, and light.“Enlighten me,” he said, quiet and even.“You think control is power. That being untouchable means you’ve won. But I learned something watching you all these years,” Emilia continued, walking slowly toward him, each step calculated. “Real power… isn’t about staying calm. It’s about knowing when to destroy everything.”“I see,&

The rain had stopped by the time Javier stepped out of the jet.The sky above was an overcast grey, stretching endlessly across the abandoned industrial district where the coordinates had led him. Steel structures rusted with age loomed like ghosts from a forgotten war, silent witnesses to whatever would happen tonight.He walked alone.No guards. No entourage. No weapons visible.Just him in a dark coat, hands in his pockets, expression calm.A black van waited near the broken loading dock.As he approached, four armed men emerged, forming a loose circle around him. One stepped forward—bigger than the others, scar on his cheek, gun lowered but ready.“You came alone,” the man said, sounding surprised.“I always do,” Javier replied softly.The man narrowed his eyes, unsure if it was confidence or arrogance.“This way,” he muttered, jerking his chin toward the building.They walked in silence. Inside, the warehouse was cavernous and empty, save for a single chair in the center of the r

The ballroom fell into a suffocating silence.No light. No movement. Only the low hum of confused breathing and the soft clinking of someone dropping a wine glass.Javier stood still, feeling Valeria’s grip tighten around his arm. Her breath was shallow. Terrified. But he remained unmoved, calm as ever.“Show yourself,” Javier said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut cleanly through the dark. Steady. Level.The unseen figure laughed. “You really thought you could humiliate Kessler and just walk out of here?”There was a scuffle near the back. Someone pushed a chair. A woman yelped.“Don’t move!” the voice barked. “Unless you want someone to get hurt.”A faint green glow flickered from one of the emergency exit signs, casting dim shadows along the walls. Javier used it to track the general direction of the voice, opposite the buffet, likely near the tech booth.He scanned the room silently. No panic yet, but it was simmering. One scream, one wrong step, and it would erupt.“Valeria,”