Without another word, the room exploded into motion as everyone scrambled to follow his orders. Sean stayed behind, locked in, eyes glued to the screen like a man disarming a bomb.And in a way, he was.Soon, they all gathered around him, watching as he worked. Even Dante stepped closer, trying to understand what Sean was doing—but he couldn’t. None of it made sense. The steps, the style—it was all unfamiliar.“How is this going to work?!” Dante demanded, turning to the other experts. “These steps are rigid and completely break protocol. At this rate, he’s going to make things worse!”“Such bullshit,” another expert muttered. “He’s probably just putting on a show to impress the Strouds.”Dante scowled and shook his head. “He’s going to crash the system entirely.”Sean’s fingers flew across the keys, eyes locked on the scrolling code.Lines of text flickered rapidly. Files surfaced and vanished. A complex network map spread across the monitor, red lines pulsing through it like veins.S

Even though Nate felt good seeing her, Rosalind didn’t feel the same. A frown creased her face. She had overheard enough to know they were scheming something, and since Nate was part of it, she suspected he might have been the one to convince them.“Rosalind, you’re here!” Julian shouted, trying to turn his head to look at her, but recoiling in pain. “Look at me, Rosalind! I can barely move my neck!”Rosalind glanced at her brother and brushed past Nate to get closer. Nate caught a whiff of her perfume as she did, and his eyes brightened even more.“Are you feeling any better?” she asked Julian. “Does it hurt a lot?”“It does!” Julian cried. “It hurts so much! I can barely move, and the doctor said I won’t be able to walk for a few days! What do you expect me to do?! When are you going to bring Sean here? He’s the one who did this to me.”Seeing her brother like that, Rosalind frowned. His entire body was bandaged, and the doctor had confirmed he wouldn’t be able to walk for a while.

Sean glanced down at his pants the moment the woman’s words rang out. His clothes weren’t from any regular boutique that just anyone could stroll into—they were custom-made by a designer.More like exclusively made.“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Sean said calmly, “but it’s true that I’m here to join the Stroud family. They’re expecting me.”The woman scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. “And I’m supposed to believe that? You look like you wandered in here by accident.”Sean raised a brow. He couldn’t understand why she was going on like that when all he’d done was tell her he was there to meet someone.Besides, how could someone accidentally wander into a place like this and randomly claim to be part of a high-profile group?It made him wonder whether she was sober or just naturally rude.The maître d’ clicked her tongue. “You know what? I don’t have time to argue with delusional delivery boys.”Sean stayed silent, watching as she reached behind the desk, pulled out

Sean didn’t think.He turned from the window, bolted out of the restroom, and raced down the hall.No one stopped him—no one even looked up. The conversations in the lunchroom continued as if nothing had happened.However, the man he’d asked for directions earlier glanced at him, his expression still dark.Sean burst through the exit stairwell, taking the steps two at a time, barely registering the pounding of his boots against the concrete. He needed to get to the parking lot fast.Outside, the van’s engine roared to life. Sean shoved through the heavy glass doors and sprinted across the pavement, just in time to see the vehicle peel away from the curb, tires screeching as it turned hard onto the main road.“Damn it,” he hissed, watching it disappear down the street.But he didn’t stop. He scanned the lot and spotted a black motorcycle parked a few feet away, a helmet dangling from the handlebars.Without hesitation, he vaulted over a low barrier, ripped the keys from the ignition, a

Abrill looked at Sean like he’d grown two heads.She understood that they had been after her—and that she had the right to know who they were and why they had come for her. But still, she was shaken. After all, this was the first time she had actually been kidnapped.In the past, there had been threats, sure. But none of them had ever succeeded, and none had felt quite like this.“Question them?” she repeated, her voice uncertain. “You mean... like, interrogate?”Sean glanced at her, his eyes drifting to her hand. Though she’d looked calm just moments ago, her hands were trembling, betraying the fear she was trying hard to hide.He nodded, choosing not to comment on it. “Yes. You're the one they tried to take. Your questions might hit differently.”Abrill’s lips parted slightly in surprise. She couldn’t tell if it was the lingering fear or the fact that Sean had said it so casually—like interrogating seven bound men in an alley was just another chore.“I don’t think I’m cut out for th