Mr. Shen stood in his driveway, watching with hollow eyes as the cleaners worked with professional efficiency. They spoke in low voices, moved with practiced precision, and asked no questions. Within an hour, every trace of what had happened was gone."Get in the car," the lead cleaner instructed. "Boss wants to see you."Mr. Shen climbed into the back seat of a black sedan, his mind numb with shock. His wife was gone. His carefully constructed life was falling apart. And now he was being taken to Isaac like a summoned servant.The drive to the woods took nearly an hour. They traveled down progressively smaller roads until civilization disappeared entirely, replaced by dense forest and darkness. Finally, they pulled up to the remote cabin where Isaac had been hiding.Isaac emerged from the building, his expression thunderous. Behind him, two of his men were escorting someone—Mr. Shen couldn't see who in the dim light, but the person was clearly in bad shape, barely able to walk.Isaac

Santiago pulled out his tablet as the convoy drove away from Paulo's estate, checking the tracking data for Mr. Shen's vehicle."That's odd," he muttered."What?" Michael asked."The call to Paulo came from Mr. Shen, right? But his car hasn't moved. It's still parked at his house."Michael frowned. "Either he's making calls from home, or he switched vehicles.""Or Isaac picked him up.""Check if there's any activity at his house. Any movement at all."Santiago pulled up additional surveillance data. "Nothing. The house has been dark and quiet since we left.""Then he's with Isaac. The car was just a decoy." Michael cursed under his breath. "Smart. He knew we might be tracking him."In the vehicle behind them, Paulo's wife Maria sat rigidly, her arm around her son Diego. The teenager's face was flushed with anger and fear."Where are you taking us?" Maria demanded. "You said we could go back home!"One of Santiago's men spoke calmly. "You'll be safe, ma'am. Just remain calm and—"Sudde

Santiago pulled out his tablet as the convoy drove away from Paulo's estate, checking the tracking data for Mr. Shen's vehicle."That's odd," he muttered."What?" Michael asked."Mr. Shen's car hasn't moved. It's still parked at his house."Michael frowned. "Either he's making calls from home, or he switched vehicles.""Which means the tracker is useless if he's not in that car.""We still have Paulo. And we know where the meeting is." Michael pulled up the file on Marcus Chen. "This is who we go for next. If we can get to him before the meeting—""Michael, stop." Santiago's voice was firm. "You're becoming ruthless. This isn't you.""This is exactly me. This is what I need to be to win.""No. This is what Isaac is. You're letting your dark side take over, and once you cross certain lines, you can't uncross them."Michael stared at the file, at Marcus Chen's photo, at the address where his daughter lived with her husband. Another family. Another set of innocent people who'd be terrifi

Isaac yanked the phone from his ear, his jaw clenched so tight it could crack teeth. The veins on his forehead bulged as he slammed his fist against the armrest, making Mr. Shen flinch beside him."That bastard," Isaac snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "Micheal just arrested one of our people. She was taken in for questioning, and now I can't reach anyone else."Mr. Shen's face paled. "What? How did he—""I don't know and I don't care!" Isaac cut him off sharply. His fingers drummed against his knee, a dangerous rhythm that spoke of barely contained rage. "We need to act fast. If Micheal's onto our network, we're losing our eyes inside that company."Mr. Shen swallowed hard. "Then what do we do?"A cruel smile twisted Isaac's lips. He pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. "We send him a message he can't ignore. Have we confirmed the meeting point with the board members?""Yes, everything's set.""Good." Isaac stood abruptly and strode down the dimly lit hallw

Micheal ended the call with a smile spreading across his face, the kind of smile that came from knowing victory was within reach. He leaned back in his wheelchair, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction."Thank you for your collaboration," he said warmly into the phone. "I promise you, this will be mutually beneficial. We'll make history together."After hanging up, he turned to Santiago who had been watching him curiously from the driver's seat. "Take me home. To Sarah.""Good news?" Santiago asked as he started the engine."The best kind." Micheal's smile didn't fade.They were halfway to the safe house when his phone buzzed. Micheal glanced at the screen and suddenly burst out laughing—a deep, genuine laugh that made Santiago glance over in surprise."What's so funny?"Micheal turned his phone around, showing Isaac's message with the attached photos. "Our dear cousin thinks threatening me with hostages will make me resign."Santiago's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "That's not