Chapter 1: The Return of the GhostThe boardroom reeked of desperation masked by expensive cologne and tailored suits.Men who once ruled the city with iron fists and forged smiles now sat across from one another, their eyes shifting nervously toward the empty seat at the head of the table. Their voices were hushed, their power rattled. They didn’t know who had summoned them—only that he now controlled the future of their legacy.Voss International, the once-untouchable titan of industry, had been bleeding for years. What remained of its shattered empire was barely afloat. Their stocks were in freefall, their subsidiaries being devoured one by one. And now, out of nowhere, a mysterious investor had acquired 51% of their voting shares—through shell companies, offshore accounts, and a network so intricate even their best analysts couldn’t untangle it.They waited.Then the door opened.A man walked in. Not rushed. Not uncertain. Every step he took was measured, deliberate, controlled.T

Chapter 3: Dinner with the DevilElara Quinn stared at the message again.Let’s talk. One liar to another.8 PM. Argento Private Lounge.Come alone.No threats. No demands. Just six words wrapped in velvet and poison.She knew it was a trap. But the problem was… she couldn’t tell for whom.She arrived early.Not because she was nervous — she told herself that — but because being late felt like giving him control.The Argento Lounge was hidden behind an unmarked black door in the heart of the financial district. No menu. No reservations. Entry by invitation only. It was where the city’s most dangerous people drank like gentlemen and made enemies with a smile.Inside, the lights were low and golden, casting long shadows across leather booths and mirrored walls. The scent of cedarwood and aged whiskey drifted through the air.A waiter approached her in silence and led her to the farthest booth — one surrounded by sheer curtains that obscured it like a confessional.Damian Cross was alrea

Chapter 5: The Wolf at Her DoorThe blood wasn’t hers.But it might be soon.Elara stared at the crushed recording device in the box. The blood on it was dry, flaked. Not symbolic. Real. Human.The note sat next to it, stained with crimson fingerprints.You were mine the moment you lied.—VShe didn’t sleep.Didn’t blink.Didn’t breathe until morning light forced its way through the window.And even then, all she did was change clothes, grab her passport, and head for the door.But it was already too late.The hallway outside her apartment was empty.Too empty.She paused.Then instinct took over.She turned around—just in time to see a tall man in black surge forward, a gloved hand reaching for her mouth.She ducked, twisted, slammed her knee into his side. He grunted, but another figure was already charging from the stairwell.She ran.Down two floors. Across the emergency fire exit. Through the laundry chute.She hit the ground hard in the basement.Alarms triggered.A knife sliced

Chapter 7: Ghost ProtocolDowntown City — 2:15 AM — Kane Industries HeadquartersMost lights were off. Security was skeleton crew. But the 47th floor of Kane Industries—the executive data center—was still pulsing.Damian stood across the street on the rooftop of a parking tower, dressed in black, visor on, earpiece buzzing.“Systems override in three… two… one.”The building’s lights flickered.Elara, seated beside a laptop inside a black van nearby, smiled.“Elevators unlocked. Internal surveillance looped for five minutes. You’re go.”“Good,” Damian said, stepping onto the ledge. “Then I’ll make this quick.”He jumped.Fifty feet.Landed with the ease of someone who’d done it a hundred times.Inside — Kane IndustriesDamian moved through the halls like a shadow.He knew every blind spot, every sensor glitch.He had designed half the systems when Kane Industries bought his former tech firm years ago. Back when he wore his real face.Now, he was stealing secrets from the very company

Chapter 9: The Black ProtocolLocation: Hidden Laboratory – Northern Range, 5:15 AMDamian stood before a sealed steel door buried inside the mountain rock, its rusted frame hidden by vines and decades of snow drift.“Are you sure this is it?” Elara asked, her breath visible in the cold.He nodded. “This is where it started.”The old symbol was still carved above the door.PROJECT BLACK PROTOCOL – ALPHA SITEElara studied it. “You were made here.”“No,” he muttered. “I was broken here.”Inside the LabThe hallways were abandoned, but the air felt thick—like something never left.Cracked monitors lined the walls. Dried blood crusted the floor. Test cages still bolted shut.Damian walked ahead, flashlight beam catching glimpses of broken restraints and old syringes.“They kept us underground,” he said. “No windows. No names. Just numbers.”“What was your number?”He paused.“313.”“And the Twins?”He hesitated. “714 and 715.”“What happened to 1 through 312?”He didn’t answer.Deep Cham