The morning after the blackout felt different.Everyone knew Preston and Victoria had been sidelined, and everyone knew that the quiet, supposedly useless Elias had been the one to do it.Sera and Elias were back in the corner office. The contract with Trident Global was spread across the massive desk.Elias had spent half the night reading, the information about Trident's corporate history and legal precedents simply appearing in his mind, like opening a file he didn't know he possessed.He still hadn’t told Sera about the jamming device, deciding that one mystery at a time was enough.“Okay, so if we push back on their delivery schedule clause, they’ll know we’ve seen the trap,” Sera muttered, rubbing her temples. She was sipping coffee, trying to match Elias’s intense focus.Elias leaned back, running a hand over the short stubble on his chin. “Exactly. We can’t just reject the impossible clause. We have to make them afraid to enforce it.”He tapped a pen against the paper. “Here’s

Elias didn’t hesitate.He tossed the burner phone onto Sera’s desk and strode out of the office, Sera scrambling to catch up.“Elias, wait! What does that mean? What’s in my car?” she demanded, trying hard to catch up with him.But, considering his long legs, he was already halfway down the hall.“It means the man I need to talk to is trying to set the terms of our meeting. Alistair is at the Black Tie & Diamond Charity Gala tonight. It’s the most exclusive event of the season, and someone just sent me a way in.”They reached the parking garage.Sera led him to her pristine black German sedan. Elias went straight to the glove compartment.The interior light flickered on, revealing an envelope lying on top of the registration papers.It was made of thick, creamy stock—the paper so heavy it felt almost like fabric.The name Elias Vance was engraved on the front in an ornate, silver script.Tucked inside the fold was a small, nearly invisible metallic strip—a high-security access chip.S

When he walked back into Sera’s office, the silence hit harder than her glare.She didn’t need to speak for him to know she was furious. The tension in her jaw, the way her arms folded tight across her chest, the sharp tap of her heel against the marble floor—it was all the warning he needed. Still, he stood his ground.“You disappeared,” she said coldly. “One minute you’re here, the next you’re gone. No call, no message, nothing. You think I wouldn’t notice?”“I know,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”She scoffed, a sharp, bitter sound. “That’s it? You’re sorry?”He looked at her—really looked at her. The exhaustion beneath her eyes, the weight she carried trying to keep the company afloat. She didn’t deserve this mess, but she was knee-deep in it because of him.“I had to handle something urgent,” he said, his tone measured. “It wasn’t personal.”“Everything’s personal when you work beside someone every day,” she snapped. “You left in the middle of a crisis, Elias. Do you even understa

He’d seen Sera face board meetings filled with vultures and reporters hungry for a headline, but this time was different. This wasn’t about defending a quarterly report—it was war in front of cameras, investors, and the entire logistics industry. One wrong move and Shaw Realty would fall straight into Zenith’s hands.She stood by the window of the conference room, staring at the skyline, her reflection sharp in the glass. Her hands were trembling, though she tried to hide it.“I don’t know if I can do this, Elias,” she said quietly. “He’s not just another businessman. He’s Markon Vance. He destroys reputations for sport.”“You can do it,” he replied firmly. “He’s predictable. Arrogant men like him always are. You won’t fight him with facts—you’ll fight him with control.”Her eyes flicked toward him, uncertain. “Control?”He nodded. “You need to make him react. Make him show the world who he really is. That’s how you win.”She let out a shaky laugh. “You sound like you’ve done this bef

The silence in the living room was heavier than any words Elias could have offered. The air itself seemed to resist movement, thick with unspoken tension and disbelief. Preston stood with his arms crossed, his jaw tight, while Victoria’s eyes darted between them, a mix of confusion and disappointment clouding her face.Elias had been caught. There was no denying that. The flash drive in his possession, the strange files, the secrecy—everything pointed toward guilt. But even now, he said nothing. He simply stood there, calm on the surface, though the muscle ticking in his jaw betrayed the strain beneath.“Are you going to say something?” Preston asked finally, his tone low but hard. “You owe us an explanation, Elias. You’ve been living under our roof, close to our daughter, and yet you’ve been hiding something from all of us.”Victoria’s voice trembled as she added, “We trusted you, Elias. We welcomed you into our family.”Elias didn’t respond. His gaze dropped to the floor. The truth