The pulse of the Heart Engine thrummed in Aiden’s chest, syncing with his own heartbeat. Steam hissed from vents, gears ground like the jaws of some ancient predator, and the chamber seemed alive aware. Every movement he made resonated through the massive machine.Leona clung to him, eyes wide. “Aiden something’s coming.”He didn’t respond immediately. His gaze was drawn to the shadows along the far edge of the core shapes that shouldn’t have been there. Shapes that had been waiting.Then, with a deliberate slowness that made the chamber colder, a figure stepped from the darkness. Cloaked, masked, silent but unmistakable. The presence radiated authority, danger, and history.“You” Aiden’s voice was low, tense. “How how are you here?”The figure’s footsteps echoed on the metal catwalk, each one precise, controlled, deliberate. The mask reflected the glow of the Heart Engine’s core. “I’ve always been here,” the figure said softly. “Watching. Waiting. Judging.”Leona whispered, “Aiden wh

Marcus Hilton leaned back in his leather chair, fingers drumming the polished surface of his office desk. The skyline of the city stretched beyond the floor to ceiling windows, but he barely noticed it. Every thought revolved around one thing Angela.She had been gone for days now, disappearing into the chaos of the Hilton succession crisis. Rumors swirled through the corporate underworld: the Breaker Unit, rival heirs, even whispers of rogue security forces sent to “test” Marcus’ claim to the empire.And yet, despite it all, he knew one truth Angela was always one step ahead.The door swung open, and a familiar presence entered. Angela Hilton. Sharp, unyielding, commanding attention even without trying. Her eyes, however, betrayed exhaustion, worry and something else. Determination.“Marcus,” she said, voice steady despite the tension. “We don’t have time. The board is in chaos, and the Breaker Unit isn’t just after Aiden and Leona anymore. They’ve shifted focus.”Marcus rose, closin

Marcus Hilton gritted his teeth as the massive service doors to the Heart Engine hissed open. The room beyond pulsed with raw energy the machine thrumming like a living beast, gears twisting and grinding, steam spitting in violent arcs.Angela followed closely, her eyes scanning the chaos. “Marcus this is worse than I imagined. The heat, the pressure one wrong step and it’s over.”Marcus’ jaw tightened. “Then we don’t step wrong. We move fast, precise, and coordinated. Every second counts Aiden and Leona are down there, and the Breaker Unit isn’t going to wait.”The two of them descended a catwalk that hung over the central chamber. Sparks showered from broken conduits, and rotating gears clanked beneath their feet. Every movement echoed like thunder in the vast engine hall.Angela whispered, tension thick in her voice: “I can see them Aiden and Leona near the core. But the shadow figure is still with them, Marcus. And he’s relentless.”Marcus nodded grimly. “Then we split the threat.

The Heart Engine’s chamber lay in a tense silence, the faint hum of its pulse vibrating through every metal beam. Sparks still smoldered in the corners, steam hissed softly from the vents, and the aftermath of the battle left twisted platforms and shattered machinery scattered across the floor.Marcus Hilton wiped a smear of soot from his brow, scanning the scene. “It’s too quiet,” he muttered. His instincts screamed that the shadow figure’s disappearance was not the end just a pause in a much larger plan.Angela’s eyes darted to Aiden and Leona, standing side by side at the core. “He’s gone for now,” she said, her voice measured, though her hands remained tense. “But the threat isn’t over. That envelope it isn’t just proof. It’s a key. And someone else knows it exists.”Aiden held the envelope tightly, breathing steadily despite the chaos around him. “Who?” he asked. “Who else is involved?”Angela’s gaze shifted to Marcus. “There’s a reason your family has always protected this secre

Marcus Hilton’s pulse thudded in his ears like a warning drum. The Hilton estate’s control room was bathed in red emergency lights, screens flickering with live feeds from the Heart Engine, security cams, and drone surveillance.Angela paced back and forth, fists clenched, mind calculating every possible scenario. “Marcus I’ve traced residual energy spikes from the Heart Engine. Whoever the hidden heir is they’re close. Too close.”Marcus didn’t respond immediately. His eyes were fixed on a specific feed the industrial outskirts of the city, an abandoned warehouse complex shrouded in shadow. Sparks of motion detection flared intermittently on the monitors.“They’re moving,” he said finally, voice low, sharp. “And I don’t think they’re alone.”Angela stopped pacing, eyes narrowing. “Then we intercept. We can’t let the shadow figure engage them first. We need control, Marcus. If we hesitate”Marcus’ jaw clenched. “No hesitation. We move now. Suit up no mistakes.”Far below in the Heart