James lay on his bed, arms folded behind his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if the answers to his thoughts were right there staring at him in the face. Across from him, Andrew sat hunched over his desk, aimlessly scrolling through his phone, the dull blue glow casting shadows on his tired face.Neither of them had gone to class that morning, as they were almost sure of what they would be facing the moment they stepped their feet into that class.“He didn’t even bother to call us,” James said quietly, not lifting his head.Andrew didn’t reply at first. He just kept scrolling… until his thumb stopped suddenly. His expression shifted.“James,” he muttered.“What?”Andrew turned the phone toward him. “He’s in Dubai.”James sat up.The headline was bold, merciless:“Jackson Hart, Billionaire Heir, Jets to Dubai to Take Over the Whitelists—Hart Empire Shakeup in Progress.”There was even a photo—Jackson walking confidently onto the gleaming steps of his private jet, flanked by two older

The doors to the grand executive boardroom of the Whitelists swung open with an audible hush. A chilled wave of air conditioning met Jackson’s face as he stepped in, flanked by Mr. Copper. The silence in the room was thick—almost suffocating—but Jackson walked in with a poise that unsettled more than a few of the men and women seated around the long obsidian-glass table.One by one, the executives stood—not in respect, but in protocol. Some offered tight-lipped nods; others watched him with folded arms and cold eyes. And as Jackson beheld their gazes, he could almost tell that this wasn’t a welcome but a trial.At the head of the table sat Mr. Mark Peniel, his back leaning slightly, watching Jackson like a lion surveying a challenger.He had set in motion everything that was needed for this meeting to turn out against Jackson and was just waiting for the other board members to step in in full swing and put Jackson and Mr. Copper where they truly belonged.Mr. Copper was the first to s

“She’s here,” Mr. Copper said as he entered into Jackson’s suite that morning, who stood before the full-length mirror, fastening the last button of his crisp white shirt. Today wasn’t just another day of executive meetings or headlines—today was the DNA test. The moment the world would decide whether he belonged in the empire his father left behind or not.“The doctor I told you about—she’s waiting for us downstairs.” Mr. Copper added.Jackson nodded, his hands trembling slightly as he slipped into his jacket. “Right. Let’s not keep her waiting.”Throughout the night, he had found it difficult to sleep as his mind kept racing, pondering on how his life had changed after he made himself known to the entire world. All his life he had wanted to be rich, to be respected, and to be treated like someone deserving of honor, but now that he had attained that, he couldn’t tell if it made any difference now.The elevator doors opened into the pristine marble lobby of the luxury hotel, where t

Hailey had just gotten off the phone with her younger brother back home—he needed funds for school supplies, and their mother had taken ill again. She had promised she’d send something first thing in the morning.So, she typed in her password, confident.Her eyes nearly fell out off their sockets when the bank app popped up something she couldn’t quite understand.Access Denied. Your account has been restricted from banking services pending review.Hailey blinked. Once, then twice, and then just to be sure she wasn’t dreaming, she refreshed the page.But the same message popped up again, like the app itself was throwing mockery at her.Her vision blurred as a swirl of confusion and dread crept up her spine.“No, no, no…” she muttered, trying again—then again, with growing urgency.Still the same response. It must be because of the money that was paid into her account the previous day. The amount must have raised suspicion from the banking management and they probably restricted the a

The driver of the black SUV pulled up right in front of the Whitelists lab, and without wasting time, Jackson stepped out his face calm even if his mind was a myriad of different troubling thoughts. Mr. Copper followed closely behind, adjusting the cuffs of his suit as always, while Dr. Celestine Sullivan stepped out last, her long white coat fluttering slightly in the breeze. Waiting at the entrance was Mr. Peniel alongside with the Whitelists’ head geneticist—Doctor Harrison, a long-standing member of the inner scientific circle whom he had instructed about the plan to ensure that Jackson’s DNA doesn’t match with that Philip Hart.But Mr. Peniel's face darkened the moment he spotted Celestine. He wasn’t expecting a third party, and the moment he spotted Celestine in her lab coat, he knew Mr. Copper was at it again.The disagreement between Mr. Copper and Mr. Peniel had been on for years—even long before the death of Philip Hart. When Philip was extending a hand of trust to Peniel,