Jack suddenly burst into laughter—harsh, mocking laughter that echoed through the chess room despite his bruised throat and obvious fear. "You KNOW?" he said between laughs. "You KNOW about everything? About Mack Richardson? About my plans? About Skyclub's operations?"He pushed himself up from his knees, one hand still massaging his throat, his expression shifting from fear to something like contempt. "You're bluffing! You don't know ANYTHING! You're just fishing for information! Trying to trick me into confirming things you only suspect!""Am I?" Darius asked calmly."Yes!" Jack declared, his confidence returning now that he thought he'd identified Darius's strategy. "If you really knew everything, you wouldn't need to threaten me! Wouldn't need me to talk! You'd just act on whatever intelligence you supposedly have!"He straightened his expensive suit, trying to recover some dignity. "So go ahead. Tell me what you 'know.' Prove you're not just making empty threats. Say it out loud.

Jack lay on the floor, his broken calf twisted at an unnatural angle, sweat pouring down his face from the agony. But when Darius demanded information again—demanded names, locations, details about Skyclub's leadership—Jack's response was silence.Not fearful silence.Not broken silence.But defiant, resentful silence.His eyes burned with hatred as he stared up at Darius, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth might crack. Every breath was labored, every movement sent fresh waves of pain through his shattered leg, but Jack refused to speak."I asked you a question," Darius said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Who sent you? Who in Skyclub authorized the attack on the military base?"Jack's lips remained pressed together. He didn't shake his head. Didn't deny anything. Just stared with those hate-filled eyes and said absolutely nothing."Jack," Darius warned. "You're in no position to resist. Your leg is broken. Your men are defeated. Your weapon is destroyed. Cooperating is your only opti

The wheelchair disappeared deeper into the tunnels, carrying Jack and his remaining loyalists toward whatever came next.By the time Darius and Aria reached Villa Number 001, it was past midnight. The security system recognized them immediately, gates opening smoothly to admit them.Darius carried Aria through the front entrance, where Alessia and Bill were still awake—they'd been waiting up, worried when Darius and Aria hadn't returned at the expected time."WHAT HAPPENED?!" Alessia gasped, seeing Aria's unconscious form and the various cuts and bruises visible on both of them."There was an incident," Darius said, moving toward the medical room the villa maintained for exactly these situations. "Explosions at the club we were investigating. Aria inhaled too much smoke. She needs oxygen and monitoring until her system clears.""I'll call our doctor," Bill said immediately, pulling out his phone."Already contacted him on the way here," Darius replied. "He should arrive within twenty

He moved back to his desk, picking up a document. "In fact, that brings me to another topic. Your sister Jessica is returning to Duskfort. She'll arrive in three days."Josh's expression shifted to surprise. "Jessica? She's coming back? I thought she was staying in California for at least another year.""Plans changed," Raymond replied. "She's completed her business degree and decided to return home to help expand our operations on the West Coast connections. She'll be staying at the estate while she establishes her presence here.""That's... unexpected," Josh said carefully. His relationship with his older sister had always been complicated

Raymond's expression remained neutral, but internally he was calculating. An alliance with the Portmans would strengthen his position significantly. And if this Darius Kane was as dangerous as Victor claimed..."There's one more thing you should know," Victor added. "Kane destroyed one of your clubs last night. Skyline Elite. The explosions and fire? That was him. He and his associate infiltrated the location, fought their way through security, and burned it to the ground."Raymond's eyes went cold. "You're certain of this?""Absolutely certain," Victor confirmed. "We have sources who witnessed the confrontation. Kane was investigating the club's connections to certain... operations. When he didn't like what he found, he eliminated the entire location."So Josh WAS right, Raymond thought. That woman in the footage was connected to Kane. And Kane himself was there, destroying my property, interfering with my business."I'll need time to consider your proposal," Raymond said finally. "T