All Chapters of The Heir Behind Bars: Chapter 261
- Chapter 267
267 chapters
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-One
Nathan returned to the command center, the hum of the servers now familiar, almost comforting. He had been absent from direct oversight for nearly a week, observing only, resisting the urge to intervene even when minor errors popped up in the workflow. Cassandra walked beside him, her presence a stabilizing force, as if she could absorb the tension from the room and leave him unburdened.“They’ve held together well,” she said quietly, glancing at the monitors. “Better than expected.”Nathan didn’t answer immediately. He let his gaze travel across the room, noting how each team member had adapted. They were no longer waiting for him. They were taking ownership, debating strategy, solving problems independently, and holding each other accountable. The growth was visible in the flow of decisions, the clarity of communication, and the courage in their voices.“I know,” he said finally. “But it’s not just about maintaining stability. It’s about understanding it.”Cassandra raised an eyebro
Last Updated : 2025-12-24
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Two
The morning began with a quiet intensity. Nathan arrived at the command center earlier than usual, walking past the rows of humming servers and screens that tracked every corner of Hayes Telecom’s operations. The previous week had revealed lessons he hadn’t anticipated—lessons about trust, about autonomy, about how much people could achieve when they weren’t waiting for him to dictate every move. Yet even with that knowledge, a lingering tension hovered. He could feel it in the air, in the careful way teams moved, in the subdued chatter of analysts who knew something significant was on the horizon.Cassandra met him at the entrance. “You’re up early,” she said, her tone gentle but probing.“I needed to see it for myself,” Nathan replied. “I want to know they’re ready for whatever comes next.”They walked side by side to the observation room, where multiple screens displayed global network activity, market responses, and internal communications. Nathan scanned the monitors, noticing pa
Last Updated : 2025-12-24
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Three
Nathan did not sleep.He remained in the upper operations wing long after most of the building had gone quiet, seated alone at the long glass table that overlooked the core systems floor. The screens were dimmed to their lowest settings, soft enough not to glare, bright enough to remind him that the machine never truly rested. Neither did the people who depended on it. Neither did the man who kept trying to tear it apart from the shadows.He replayed the day in his mind, not as a sequence of events but as a pattern. The consortium’s proposal. The way it had spread through industry circles with careful wording and strategic ambiguity. The timing was too precise, the messaging too aligned with old fault lines Liam used to exploit. This was not an attack meant to destroy. It was meant to divide. To make people question leadership without ever naming the target.Cassandra joined him quietly, setting a tablet down on the table before taking the seat opposite him. She had changed out of her
Last Updated : 2025-12-25
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Four
The day began with an unusual clarity. Nathan arrived at the command center before anyone else, walking through the long corridors that hummed with quiet energy. Every screen, every terminal, every blinking light reflected not just data but the rhythm of an organization that had begun to move independently. He paused at the edge of the operations floor, watching as analysts checked metrics, technicians adjusted servers, and managers discussed priorities with a confidence he hadn’t expected when he first considered stepping back.Cassandra joined him silently, placing a hand on the railing beside him. “They’re steady,” she observed. “More than we anticipated.”Nathan nodded slowly. “But steady doesn’t mean invincible.” He let his eyes sweep across the room, noting small details—the slight hesitation in a junior analyst’s movements, the careful calculation of a mid-level manager’s words, the subtle ways teams coordinated without waiting for his approval. These nuances were vital. They s
Last Updated : 2025-12-26
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Five
Nathan woke to the quiet buzz of the command center, the subtle rhythm of servers marking the start of another day that promised both opportunity and challenge. He moved deliberately, not out of habit but with purpose, passing through corridors lined with technology and people whose movements had become predictable only through careful observation. His mind was already several steps ahead, analyzing patterns, anticipating scenarios, and preparing contingencies for threats that were no longer purely technical. Liam’s shadow loomed, not in the form of malware or infiltrated code, but as a subtle manipulation of perception and influence.Cassandra met him near the central console, her expression a mix of alertness and determination. “You’re up early again,” she said, handing him a tablet with overnight reports.Nathan took it without a word, scanning quickly. The consortium’s influence attempts had evolved. Instead of overt proposals or disguised attacks, the initiative now used indirect
Last Updated : 2025-12-26
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Six
The morning began quietly, but Nathan sensed the tension before he even entered the command center. Something had shifted overnight. Not in the systems themselves—they were stable, humming predictably—but in the undercurrents of communication. Small anomalies, subtle patterns, tiny discrepancies in messaging and internal memos. It was the kind of signal only someone who had spent years observing human behavior as closely as he had could notice.Cassandra met him at the edge of the operations floor, tablet in hand, eyes scanning reports. “Something’s off,” she said, not as a question but as a statement. “Several departments are reporting minor inconsistencies in project submissions. Nothing catastrophic, but… unusual.”Nathan frowned. “Unusual how?”“Timelines are shifting, approvals are being routed differently, and internal feedback loops are misaligned. It’s subtle, but coordinated.”Nathan’s jaw tightened. “He’s back in the shadows. Not attacking directly—he’s testing the perimeter
Last Updated : 2025-12-26
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven
Nathan’s morning began with the soft hum of systems already online. The command center was alive with activity, analysts and engineers moving with purpose, their screens flickering with streams of data that most would never understand. Nathan walked through the rows of stations slowly, observing—not to supervise, but to absorb. He wanted to feel the pulse of his organization, to know where confidence thrived and where doubt could creep. Every glance, every interaction was a signal.Cassandra joined him quietly, carrying a tablet that glowed faintly in her hand. She had been reviewing overnight communications, tracking anomalies and patterns that could indicate Liam’s next attempt to influence or infiltrate. “I’ve mapped the interactions from the consortium subsidiaries,” she said. “There’s a subtle increase in coordination, almost imperceptible, but it’s there. He’s testing their response to authority without being overt.”Nathan glanced at the tablet, scanning the data. “He’s probing
Last Updated : 2025-12-26