“She doesn’t have time for your games.”Javier’s words echoed through the corridor as he pushed the heavy doors open, his strides long and deliberate. Every step radiated lethal focus, his usually calm demeanor replaced with something far more dangerous—resolve laced with fury.Behind him, the room remained frozen. Marcellus, for once, had no snide remark. Hudson watched his son with narrowed eyes, already regretting letting this spiral beyond control. Eleanor exchanged a look with Dante—one of knowing fear. They had seen this side of Javier once before, years ago… when someone had tried to cross a line. That man was still paying the price.“Where the hell is Valeria?” Javier muttered to himself as he entered the elevator. His jaw clenched tight.Eleanor appeared beside him just as the doors closed. “We’ll find her. But you need to prepare for what comes next.”He turned his head slowly. “Do you think I’m not prepared?”“No,” she said softly. “I think you’re too quiet. And when you’re

“Who was supposed to be dead?” Valeria’s voice cut through the heavy silence, sharp and demanding.Javier’s jaw tightened. His hands clenched the envelope until the edges crumpled. The papers inside detailed accounts, secure transactions, operations—things no one outside the old network should’ve known. And at the top, a single name burned through his mind like acid.“Cassian Vorta,” Javier whispered at last. “The Ghost.”Valeria’s brows drew together. “I’ve never heard that name before.”“You wouldn’t have,” Lyra replied, her expression unreadable. “Most people who did… didn’t live long enough to speak it again.”Javier stepped away from the desk, pacing slowly. “He was one of the original architects of the Black Echo. The intelligence syndicate before it fractured. Cassian was the mind behind the corruption files. The puppet master.”“I thought you dismantled all of them,” Valeria said, turning to Javier.“I did.” His voice was grave. “Or I thought I did. Cassian was killed during t

“Do you see now, Javier?” Cassian’s voice echoed again, robotic through hidden speakers. “You were never free. Every step you took was mine to control. And now… so is he.”Javier stood frozen. His pulse thundered in his ears. Valeria was silent beside him, her face pale in the flickering red light. The child’s image haunted the darkness like a ghost—his features undeniably familiar. Sharp jawline. Cold eyes. And that look—detached, calculated.Javier’s look.“No,” Javier muttered, fists clenching at his sides. “This… this isn’t possible.”Darien’s voice crackled again over comms, broken by interference. “He’s telling the truth, Javier. I didn’t want to believe it either… but the data matches. Cassian spliced your DNA with an enhanced synthetic embryo he’s been working on for years. He accelerated the aging process. That child’s not older than ten, but mentally, he’s twenty-five.”“Why?” Valeria demanded, her voice sharp. “Why go to such extremes?”“To replace me,” Javier said darkly.

“Why are they watching us like that?” Valeria asked quietly, her eyes scanning the high walls of the Everhart estate where guards, dignitaries, and high-born guests milled about. Some whispered behind their fans. Others simply stared — not with admiration, but uncertainty. Fear.“They’re not watching us,” Javier replied calmly as he adjusted the cuff of his obsidian-black suit. “They’re watching me.”Valeria turned to face him. “Because they’re afraid of you?”Javier didn’t smile. “They should be.”The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden hue over the grand garden of the Everhart estate. The final preparations for the wedding were in motion — silk drapes fluttering in the breeze, golden lanterns floating mid-air with alchemical ease, and servants running back and forth carrying rare wines and spell-imbued roses that bloomed upon touch.It was to be the wedding of the century. The uniting of two great legacies: Valeria Solano — the reigning president of the most powerful economic

Valeria’s breath hitched. Her hand tightened around Javier’s arm instinctively. “Replace me?”The cousin didn’t blink. “You heard me, dear cousin. The council is growing impatient. Marcellus and Hudson failed, yes—but they were never the true plan. They were merely a distraction. The real play comes now. You see, Solano isn’t meant to be ruled by a woman. Especially not one who dares marry an Everhart.”Javier’s gaze sharpened like a blade being unsheathed. “You came to take her throne.”“To restore order,” the man corrected smugly. “The bloodline should be preserved properly. You… marrying her? That’s tainting our legacy with forbidden power. With alchemy. The elders will never allow it.”“You speak as though I need their approval,” Valeria said, voice laced with fury.“No, cousin,” he replied smoothly. “You speak as though they still see you as President. But they’ve already signed the decree. Your time is over.”Javier moved—not fast, not loud. But with a calm, deliberate step that