I never thought I’d see Vanessa Hale again. Not like this. Not as an equal.The gallery was quiet, the kind of quiet that eats sound. Clean walls, cold light, a sterile stage for a conversation that could change everything. I stood by the window, looking out over the city, the reflection of two lives that had burned each other to ashes. Elena stood behind me — calm, sharp, eyes scanning the room like a tactician waiting for a signal.The door opened exactly on time. Vanessa stepped in, her heels clicking a rhythm that sounded like judgment.“Adrian,” she said flatly. “You picked an interesting place to beg.”“I didn’t ask you here to reminisce.” I turned to face her. “I asked because I need your help.”Her lips twitched — a smile, but one lined with scorn. “That must’ve hurt to say.”I didn’t deny it. “It did.”She crossed her arms, posture like a blade. “You were never good at apologies. So go on. Convince me why I shouldn’t walk out that door.”“Because if you do,” I said evenly, “w

The words hung in the air like a gun cocking. Genesis III.Vanessa’s eyes flicked to me. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”“I shut it down years ago,” I said. “Or thought I did.”Elena turned the screen toward us. “They didn’t just rebuild it, Adrian. They upgraded it. I’m reading new data pathways, global uplink nodes, real-time adaptive AI. It’s the same architecture but smarter, colder.”I clenched my jaw. “Location?”“Underground. Arctic region. Remote enough to hide a civilization.”Vanessa crossed her arms. “Then we go there next.”Elena’s tone was sharp. “You can’t just walk into the Arctic and fight an AI superweapon like it’s a bar brawl.”Vanessa shot her a look. “Watch me.”“Enough!” I snapped. “Both of you. We do this by plan or we die. There’s no margin for ego here.”Vanessa met my gaze. “You’re not used to being challenged, are you?”“Only by people worth listening to.”She gave a small, dangerous smile. “Then you’re welcome.”Elena stepped between us. “Adrian, she’s v

The enemy always attacks from the past, disguised as the future. I stared at the grainy photograph glowing on the command center screen — the face of Marcus Trent’s half-sister, the lawyer leading the final strike against me. Her expression was sharp, predatory, almost smug. I felt the slap of it — the first real hit I’d taken in weeks.“She’s good,” Elena murmured beside me, arms folded tight across her chest, her gaze fixed on the same image.“She’s better than good,” I said. My voice was steady, but I could feel my pulse pounding in my throat. “She’s vindictive, brilliant, and she knows every thread of Trent’s old web. The Nexus is out of moves — no force, no hacks, no infiltration. So now they attack me through the one system Genesis can’t fight back with.”“The legal system,” Elena finished grimly.I nodded. “Exactly. They’re trying to bury me in legitimacy — lawsuits, claims, injunctions. Everything they lost in the shadows, they’ll try to win in daylight. Face-slapping move num

Every empire begins with a single stone. This one began with a promise.The sun hit the window like it was daring me to back out.I didn’t.“It’s finally time to build that home,” I told Elena. My voice sounded different—stripped of every excuse I’d ever made. “No more penthouses. No more borrowed walls. Ours.”She lifted an eyebrow. “You’re serious this time?”“Completely.”Her grin was small, wary. “Then I’ll hold you to it.”We stood inside the temporary site office, walls of half-finished plywood and blueprints everywhere.Elena unrolled a set across the long table, her fingers leaving pale streaks of dust on the paper.“The blueprints are final,” she said, tapping a corner. “No hidden wings. No panic rooms. Just light, glass, wood. Open spaces, real air.”“You still sure about the location?” I asked.She hesitated. “It’s where everything started, Adrian. The old Project Genesis compound. The ghosts might not like us digging there.”“It’s where everything ends,” I said. “The power

Twenty years since Vanessa’s final courtroom move dissolved the last legal shadow of the Nexus.Twenty years since I’d stopped waking up expecting the next war.And today—our anniversary.Elena stood by the window, sunlight catching the gold streaks in her hair as she adjusted her scarf. “You’re pacing again,” she said. “You only do that when you’re nervous—or hiding something.”I forced a grin. “Maybe both.”“Adrian Hale,” she said, turning with that sharp glint in her eyes, “if you bought another island, I swear—”“Not an island.” I reached for her hand. “Something bigger.”She raised an eyebrow. “You already run the biggest ethical tech conglomerate on Earth. What’s bigger than that?”I smirked. “Redemption.”Her laughter softened into curiosity. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”“Nope. You’ll see it.”“Should I be worried?” she teased, walking closer, her perfume faintly sweet. “Because every time you say something like that, a helicopter magically appears.”Right on cue, th