Elias Kane scrubbed the marble floor of Voss Tower, Chicago’s glitziest skyscraper, owned by his wife’s family. His mop sloshed in the bucket, the squeak of its wheels loud in the empty lobby. The bright lights glared off the glass walls, making his faded janitor jumpsuit look shabbier. “Janitor” was stitched in red on his chest, a badge of shame. At 29, Elias’s back ached from hours of cleaning—especially the soda stain Mara’s brother, Trent, had dumped that morning, laughing, “Hop to it, scrub.” Elias’s hands tightened on the mop. Three years ago, he’d drained his bank account to save Mara’s family from ruin. Now, they treated him like trash.The elevator dinged. Carla, Mara’s assistant, strutted out, her heels stabbing the floor. Her blonde ponytail swung, her smirk made it clear she wasn’t here to play nice. She slapped a manila envelope on a glass table. “Elias,” she snapped, “Mara’s cutting you loose. Sign these.” Divorce papers. Elias’s stomach dropped, the mop slipping in his

Elias Kane’s knuckles ached, still red from the punch he’d landed on Trent’s jaw.A car engine growled outside, and Elias heard tires rolling over gravel in the alley.His heart pounded as he walked to the window and peeked through the cracked glass. Down below, Vivian’s black SUV sat under a streetlight. Trent was leaning on the car, his face swollen with bruises. He shouted orders like he was in charge.Four large men stood with him—bigger than the last ones. They cracked their knuckles and stared up at Elias’s building.“He’s up there!” Vivian yelled. “That thief attacked my son! Go drag him out!”Elias’s stomach turned. They weren’t done. They were back—and this time, they wanted revenge.Noise filled the neighborhood outside Elias’s door.Vivian’s voice cut through the silent neighborhood. “He’s a thief! A brute!” she shouted, calling her hired thugs to attack again.Elias stood still with his heart racing. He had only hit Trent to protect his mother’s ring, but now Vivian was m

Elias caught the knife Lena tossed, feeling his scar start to tingle. For the first time, he was beginning to see it—he wasn’t just a janitor. He was his mother’s son, trained without knowing it. The warehouse felt tense and quiet. Lena gave a nod to Marcus, her ally, a broad Syndicate enforcer with a shaved head and skeptical glare. “Let’s see what you’ve got,” Marcus said, cracking his knuckles.Lena led Elias to a small training space made by moving crates aside. “That tattoo holds memories. It can guide you,” she said, tossing him a blindfold. Elias tied it on, his heart thudding. Marcus stepped in fast, throwing a fake punch. Just then, Elias’s scar burned, and a voice in his head, his mom’s: Duck left. He moved, just in time, Marcus’s fist missing. “Lucky,” Marcus grunted, but he looked at Elias differently now.They trained for hours, Lena calling the moves. “Your mom taught you through that tattoo,” she said, watching Elias parry Marcus’s jab. “She planned deals, not fights,

Lena leaned over the laptop in the safehouse, eyes locked on the screen. “Look at this,” she said, pointing. “A $10 billion transfer from Voss to a company called BrightStar. Same week KaneTech lost its biggest software deal.”Elias stared at the screen, his scar tingling. “That can’t be a coincidence.” His mom’s voice echoed in his mind: “They cheated us.”“We need answers,” Elias said.Lena nodded. “BrightStar’s CEO is Alan Voss. He knows what went down. Let’s confront him.”From the corner, Marcus scoffed. “You? Confront a CEO? Good luck, rookie.”Elias didn’t respond. He gripped the Syndicate keycard tighter. His mom, Amelia Kane, had built KaneTech from the ground up. That $1.5 trillion account was hers, and his now.He wasn’t just a janitor anymore.At the bank, Elias stood alone, his heart racing. The teller double-checked the account. “Amelia Kane. One-point-five trillion dollars.”His scar tingled, and his mom’s voice whispered clearly: “The pin is 7-1-9-2.”He typed it in an

Trent was halfway through a lazy story about one of his party nights when Carla burst into the Voss living room, breathless and wide-eyed.“Turn on the TV,” she gasped. “Channel 5. Now.”Everyone looked up. Mara lowered her wine glass. Vivian adjusted her shawl. Dray, annoyed, grabbed the remote and switched the channel.The screen blinked, then cut to a stern-faced news anchor sitting behind a sleek glass desk. The words flashing on the screen behind her made everyone freeze.**BREAKING: BRIGHTSTAR SOFTWARE COMPANY ACQUIRED BY KANETECH HOLDINGS.**“What?” Trent said, sitting up. “That’s a joke, right?”Mara’s eyes locked on the screen. “No,” she whispered.The anchor spoke clearly, her tone urgent. “We’ve just confirmed that KaneTech Holdings, led by heir Elias Kane, has officially acquired BrightStar in a complete private buyout. The deal was signed late last night. Sources say it was quiet, fast, and undisputed.”Carla’s hand went to her mouth. Dray leaned forward.“No one even kne