“You’re in,” their tech expert, Ravi, murmured, his voice low but charged with triumph. His fingers danced across the keyboard, pulling apart Liam’s digital defenses with practiced ease.“What do you see?” Nathan asked, pushing off the desk.“Villa comms are sloppy,” Ravi replied, tilting one screen so Nathan could see. “Encrypted, but not properly layered. I’ve intercepted their shortwave chatter. They’ve got at least a dozen guards rotating, but here’s the gap—” He tapped the screen, enlarging a map of the estate. A section near the eastern wall blinked with a faint red outline. “This perimeter is thin. Cameras overlap poorly. They’ve got blind spots, especially during shift change around 11:40.”Nathan’s eyes sharpened. “That’s our window.”Cassandra leaned forward, studying the map. “And inside?”Ravi hesitated, then nodded. “The phone just pinged inside the main villa structure. Signal bounces suggest a basement, maybe reinforced. If Hayes is alive, that’s where they’re keeping h

Nathan’s pulse thrummed in his ears as he stepped into the dimly lit main hall of the villa his focus was fixed on the figure sprawled across the floor, tied to a chair—his father, Mr. Hayes. Every muscle in Nathan’s body was coiled, ready for confrontation. He had waited months for this moment, the culmination of careful planning, deception, and relentless determination.“Liam,” Nathan said, his voice low and calm but threaded with authority, stepping into the open. The adopted son, leaning casually against a marble pillar, turned sharply, his smirk faltering slightly at the sight of Nathan.“You actually made it inside?” Liam’s tone was incredulous, but there was a hint of tension in his eyes, a crack in the confident façade he usually wore like armor.Nathan’s gaze shifted briefly to the large, black cylinder positioned ominously near the center of the room. The fake bomb. Liam’s ace in the hole—or at least, he thought it was. Nathan’s lips curved into a faint smile. He had seen th

Nathan and Cassandra hand trembled, not from fear of Liam, but from the knowledge that each step forward meant relinquishing a piece of his legacy.Cassandra sat beside him, her eyes fixed on the dark horizon, but her hand never once left his. “You’re not alone,” she whispered, squeezing his fingers.Nathan glanced at her, offering a faint smile that held more sorrow than comfort. “I know. And that’s the only reason I can walk into this.”The driver slowed as they neared the abandoned shipping yard Liam had chosen for the handover. Rusted fences loomed like sentinels around the property, their edges sharp and jagged, as though eager to draw blood. Beyond the gates, the skeletal remains of warehouses stood in silence, shadows stretching long under the floodlights Liam had set up to mark the meeting point.Nathan inhaled deeply, forcing his nerves to steady. “When we step out, stay close. Liam’s men won’t hesitate to use you against me.”Cassandra’s lips curved into something almost def

Nathan stormed into the boardroom, the polished floor reflecting the intensity in his eyes. Every chair was occupied, the faces of the Hayes Telecom board members a mix of curiosity and trepidation. The air was thick with anticipation—something had shifted, he could feel it. Reports of unusual activity had brought him here, and now, he intended to confront the board head-on.“Ladies and gentlemen,” Nathan began, voice controlled but edged with steel, “there has been interference in our board operations. Actions have been taken without my authorization. I demand to know who is influencing decisions behind my back.”A tense silence followed, the kind that presses down like a physical weight. Mr. Hayes sat at the far end of the table, his posture unnervingly casual, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. For a moment, Nathan’s eyes locked on his father, searching for any flicker of support, of loyalty—but found none.“Interference, you say?” Mr. Hayes finally spoke, his tone d

The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Hayes mansion, casting a stark light over the tension that had settled like a heavy fog. Nathan sat at the expansive desk in his private study, papers strewn before him, each document a puzzle piece in the battle to reclaim what was rightfully his. Across from him, a lawyer, meticulous and precise, scanned the files Nathan had brought.“These signatures,” the lawyer said, pointing to one document, “there are subtle inconsistencies. The notarizations, the date stamps—they don’t align with official records. If we pursue this in court, we have grounds to challenge the authenticity of Liam’s 51% claim.”Nathan’s eyes narrowed, a mix of relief and determination burning in them. “Good. Then we proceed. No hesitation. Every loophole, every discrepancy—we exploit them all.”Cassandra, standing nearby, folded her arms, her gaze sharp. “While the legal team prepares, we need support internally. The mansion staff, the executives who still beli