The digital wildfire had already begun. By the time Ryker's people started monitoring social media, there were already hundreds of posts spreading across the city's online landscape like a virus. Employee accounts, anonymous profiles, even local news aggregator sites were buzzing with variations of the same shocking story: Something terrible had happened at Ryker Industries. The richest man in the city had been involved in a violent incident. There were witnesses. There was video footage. There was blood. Ryker sat in his office, surrounded by six of his top people—not his legitimate executives, but his real operators. The ones who handled problems that couldn't be solved through boardrooms or legal paperwork. They stood in a semicircle around his desk, each one holding a tablet or phone, scrolling through the growing catastrophe. "Show me," Ryker said, his voice cold and controlled. Marcus Chen—no relation to the detective, one of Ryker's digital specialists—stepped forward an

Ryker remained at the window long after the assassins had left, watching the city transform from day to night. His reflection stared back at him from the glass—a powerful man who suddenly looked older, more worn than he had that morning.His phone buzzed. Marcus Chen with an update on the social media suppression campaign. Ryker ignored it. Another buzz. Sarah Kim reporting that Stevens had been "handled" and wouldn't be talking to anyone. He ignored that too.Nothing mattered except Blackhood.He pulled out his personal phone—the one only three people had the number to—and opened the message thread with his son. His phone rang. Not the personal one—his business line. He almost didn't answer, but the caller ID showed it was Thomas Wright, his head of security. The man who'd been conspicuously absent from all the meetings today."What?" Ryker answered coldly."Mr. Ryker, I need to speak with you immediately. In person. It's about your son."Ryker's blood went ice-cold. "You have infor