My cheek still burned from her slap. My own wife. My hand lingered there, pressed to the sting, as the hall buzzed with whispers.“Is that not him?” one woman murmured.“Yes… the man who killed all his comrades five years ago…” another replied, her voice hushed but sharp enough to pierce me.“He went to jail. What is he doing here?”“Who on earth invited a criminal to such a gathering?”Their words rippled around me like venom, spreading fast, but I didn’t care. I didn’t even look at them. My eyes were on her—Aria. My wife.I reached out, gently but firmly holding her wrist. “We need to talk,” I said, my voice low, pleading, almost desperate.She yanked her hand away as though my touch burned her. Her eyes were cold, her face pale with fury. “Leave me alone, Kael!”My heart twisted. “What is happening to you? Why are you acting like this?”Her lips trembled, her voice cracking, but her words were sharp. “I will do everything in my power to protect my son.”I staggered back as if she h

Seraphina’s voice cracked through the receiver, sharp and confused. “Kael, what do you mean? What are you even talking about right now?”My jaw clenched so tight it ached. “Don’t play dumb with me,” I snapped, my tone low but edged with fire. “You know exactly what I mean. Answer me right now—the vehicle that attacked me, who gave the order? Was it from the President himself?”Silence lingered on the line, but I didn’t let her breathe.“And the document you signed with them,” I pressed, “what was the plan between the President and Delacroix? Was that the goal from the start? To use me as a pawn while you mingled with Delacroix behind my back?”“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Seraphina stammered, her voice rising with defensive urgency. “Kael, I swear—”“Save it,” I cut her off coldly. “I’ll find you. And when I do, it won’t be funny. Be ready to explain why you had to go this far.”Before she could respond, I ended the call.Pain stabbed through my skull, sharp and rele

I returned to Mia that night, her eyes lighting up the moment I stepped in. But there was no joy in my heart to return. My chest was heavy, my mind conflicted.“I’m considering resigning from here,” I said, my voice low but steady.Her head snapped up, shock clear on her face. “What? Kael, what do you mean by that? Why would you… why would you suddenly want to leave the job?”I swallowed, keeping my expression unreadable. “I’m in some kind of situation… something I can’t really explain right now. But one thing I swear to you, Mia, I’ll always have your back. Always.”From my pocket, I pulled out a small, black crest-shaped pendant engraved with a falcon. It was no ordinary trinket—it was an emergency signal linked to me. I placed it gently in her palm, closing her fingers over it.“Whenever you’re in danger,” I told her, my gaze locking with hers, “press this. No matter where I am, I’ll be there. You’re not alone, Mia.”Her lips parted, trembling with questions she didn’t know how to

The knock hit the door like a gunshot—three brutal beats that shattered the quiet. It snapped me out of the hot fog of the shower; steam still clung to my skin and the towel hung uselessly at my waist as I stumbled toward the door.I shouldn’t have expected anyone. Not at this hour. Not after everything. But when I pulled the latch and swung it open, the corridor filled with men—twelve of them, all black suits and hard angles. The air slithered cold against my wet skin.They looked like they’d been carved out of the night. Faces like masks, eyes flat and patient. Some wore scars that cut lines through expression; others had tattoos that hinted at lives I’d rather not imagine. I felt small. Exposed.A scar red as a lightning bolt across one man’s jaw stepped forward. He smiled without humor. “Are you Ryder George?” he asked.My fingers tightened on the towel. I wasn’t Ryder George. Not anymore. Not in any life that mattered. But words wouldn’t change the fact they were inches from me.

Jessica sighed through the line, the sound faint but weighted. “It’s not like they’re completely identical,” she said. “But there are enough similarities to raise concern. Based on the data, I’d say there’s about a seventy-three percent match.”My fingers tightened around the phone. Seventy-three. That wasn’t a stray number or a random overlap. That was deliberate. “That’s too high to be a coincidence,” I said, my voice low.“That’s what I thought too,” Jessica admitted.She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “But there’s no definitive link yet. I can’t say for sure if this is a continuation of the same project or if someone else is trying to replicate it. Either way, the results aren’t positive enough to confirm a direct connection.”“Where are you now?” I asked.“I’m still inside the Milton lab,” Jessica replied. “I just got the results a few minutes ago.”I exhaled slowly, trying to keep the edge out of my tone. “Keep digging. This might be the key to exposing the people pul