Alfred’s face darkened like thunder. “A man who used to make Calderon look like nothing before our very eyes. He was exiled from this city years ago, after what he did to my brother’s company. He shouldn’t even be alive. Could it be Miguel Antonio? If it is, we are doomed for sure.” The fire in the hearthstone crackled louder now, as if reacting to the storm of revelations in the room. Chloe's fingers trembled where they laced with Easton's, and Eunice clutched the edge of the armchair as if it were the last solid thing in her world. Alfred’s face was stern, “Miguel Antonio,” he muttered again. The name fell like a curse into the silence. “You told me he vanished,” Eunice said hoarsely. “That he was dealt with.” “I believed he was.” Alfred rubbed a hand over his face. “He was forced out after the collapse of Marrow Holdings. He should have been too deep in legal trouble to ever recover.” Miranda’s eyes flickered. “Well, he’s back. And if I’m correct, he’s the real puppe

The rain had finally stopped the very next morning, but a heavy fog covered the city as Alfred sat in his study reviewing encrypted bank movements. Chloe coordinated with a legal team, while Jason prepared a statement with Easton’s help. Then came a call. “Sir,” the analyst reported. “Miranda’s gone dark. Last seen near the outskirts of town, her hotel room was trashed. Blood… but there was no body.” Chloe gasped. “They found her.” Easton’s face darkened. “Then this just became personal.” Although they didn't know her prior to that day, the help she had rendered them made it impossible to just forget her. Jason clenched his fists. “We need to finish this. Tonight.” Later that evening, Alfred stood before a glass wall overlooking the city, his family behind him. “Calderon wants war. Miguel Antonio wants chaos. But what they don’t know is that this family has been forged in storms before.” Chloe then uttered; “And we’ve always come through stronger.” Jason retor

George's phone began buzzing. He glanced at the screen it was his mom. "Sorry, I gotta take this." He said, standing and stepping aside. He answered quickly. "Hello?" "Where are you, George? Come home right now. And why haven't you even contacted your driver to pick you up?" Agnes asked, her tone sharp with concern. "Mom, I'm studying… with a friend." That word "friend" made Agnes go quiet for a moment. Her heart softened, a friend?She hadn't expected to hear that so soon. She had prayed for it, for someone to pull George out of his shell, even a little, therefore a friend meant hope. She exhaled slowly, "Fine. But come home soon, alright?" She said, trying to sound stern but failing to hide the relief in her voice. He hadn't spoken about friends not since they left... "I love you." George said simply before ending the call. He walked back over and took his seat beside Ashley. "Was that your mom?" she asked. "Yeah." he nodded. "So… back to the review?" Ashley

**Moments later** The gates at the Stewart estate where Chloe was currently staying, the gates burst open as Easton’s car screeched into the driveway. He ran inside, like a mad man, someone afraid to lose something he holds dear, he walked in shouting her name. “Chloe?!” “Chloe?!” Chloe emerged from the side corridor, startled at the tone her husband called her, in their 8 years of marriage, never had he raised his voice that way; “Hon, are you okay? What is going on, did...?” He rushed forward and wrapped her in his arms. “We have to move, now!” “What are you talking about?” she asked, heart racing. “There’s a hit out on you,” he said breathlessly. “A man named Crowe, he was hired by Miguel. We have to leave.” Jason came in right behind them. “Car’s ready. But we can’t go the usual route. Brian’s got a backdoor path through the city cameras. We can move unseen.” Chloe tried to stay composed, but the tremble in her hand betrayed her. “What about Dad, mum, Kare

A tense silence hung in the monitor room. Chloe gripped the back of a chair, her knuckles white. Jason stared at the screen, as if willing it to turn back on. Easton’s eyes narrowed, it was very sharp, scanning and calculating. Brian’s voice crackled over the intercom, breathless. “He hacked our live security feeds. That video? It wasn’t recorded, it was real-time. Meaning he’s been watching us.” Chloe stepped forward. “How long?” “I don’t know,” Brian admitted. “But long enough to know our names, our routines and our weaknesses.” Easton grabbed his comms. “Double security. Every inch of this estate gets eyes and boots. Lock it down. I want eyes on Junior right now!” Suddenly, a new voice blared through the speaker system, not from the comms, but from the estate’s internal audio. “Looking for your son?” It was Vale’s voice, it was quite calm, mocking even. Chloe’s blood went cold, her thoughts immediately went to her son, that she bolted for the stairs. They stormed dow