The tension inside Adesins Corp thickened like a storm gathering over the ocean. By noon, the pressure had shifted from disturbing whispers to brutal reality. Messages began pouring in from major partners—withdrawal notices, suspension letters, sudden requests to “review agreements” in a tone that already hinted at exits. Some cited the uncertainty hovering over the company, some mentioned reputational risk, but others didn’t bother to hide the real reason: the leak had shaken their confidence, and they didn’t want to go down with Jalen if the public turned completely.In less than three hours, losses mounted into figures the finance team could barely process without their hands trembling.Jalen called an emergency meeting.The boardroom felt hotter than usual, even though the air conditioner was running at full blast. Directors, managers and team leads filled the long polished table, each face carrying its own brand of fear. Some looked like they were already preparing backup plan

Jalen became a different man that morning.He did not announce it. He did not warn anyone. But from the moment he stepped into Adesins Corp, he stopped reacting and started watching. Every greeting, every hesitation, every forced smile suddenly carried weight. He paid attention to who avoided eye contact, who lingered too long in conversations, who asked questions that felt slightly misplaced. The warning Mira had given him echoed constantly in his mind. Someone inside was feeding information to his enemies, and time was no longer on his side.The tension inside the office was thick enough to feel. Even longtime staff who had stood by the company for years now walked on eggshells. Conversations dropped abruptly when Jalen passed by. Laughter felt forced, artificial. Some people tried too hard to appear loyal, while others retreated into silence. Fear had become contagious, and it was eating through the company’s structure quietly.Jalen moved through it all with calm precision. H

The attack came quietly, wrapped in official language and stamped authority.By midmorning, Adesins Corp was drowning in audit notices. Regulatory emails flooded the compliance department, each one more urgent than the last. Requests for records spanning years. Demands for explanations on transactions that had already been cleared long ago. Flags raised on accounts that had never before attracted suspicion. Within hours, the finance team was in panic mode, whispering about account freezes, legal sanctions and reputational collapse.Jalen was summoned from one emergency call to another.He stood in his office, phone pressed to his ear, listening as his Head of Finance explained the severity of the situation. “Sir, if this audit escalates, they could suspend access to our operational accounts temporarily. Even payroll could be affected.”“Temporarily?” Jalen repeated sharply. “Or indefinitely?”There was hesitation on the line. “That depends on how cooperative the regulators decide to

The truth settled heavily on Jalen’s chest, pressing down with a weight he hadn’t anticipated. What he had overheard the night before refused to loosen its grip on his thoughts. The betrayal inside Adesins Corp was not a single crack, it was rot, old and deeply rooted, stretching back to choices made long before he ever took over the company. His father’s shadow loomed larger than ever, not as a source of strength, but as an unfinished story that had poisoned the present.He sat alone in his office long after everyone had left, staring at the darkened city beyond the glass. Every familiar memory now carried doubt. Every old decision replayed itself with new meaning. He had always believed that whatever enemies his father made had been settled or buried. Now he understood how wrong that belief had been.Mira stood quietly across from him, arms folded, watching his silence stretch longer than she liked.“This is why you don’t confront them yet,” she said carefully. “What you’re deal

Chaos erupted the moment Jalen realised the compound was a trap.Floodlights blazed on from every angle, turning night into harsh white glare. Armed men emerged from behind parked vehicles and low concrete structures, their movements fast and coordinated. The silence that had felt wrong moments earlier now made sense. This place had never been empty. It had been waiting.“Down!” Mira shouted.Gunfire cracked through the air before Jalen could react. Bullets slammed into the side of the SUV, shattering glass and forcing him backward. Mira grabbed his arm and dragged him behind the engine block just as another round tore through the space where his head had been seconds earlier.“Stay low,” she ordered, already moving.Jalen’s heart pounded violently as adrenaline surged through him. He had walked into dangerous situations before, but nothing like this. This wasn’t intimidation. This was an execution attempt.Mira moved with frightening precision. She fired back, not wildly, but str