The alarms had not yet begun to ring, but the entire building felt tense, as if the walls were holding their breath. The screens continued displaying Hale and Marcus Thorne’s broadcast on a loop, poisoning every hallway with their smug confidence.John Raymond stepped into the main operations floor, and the entire security team snapped to attention. The tension in the air shifted instantly. They did not need a speech. His presence was enough.Morgan walked beside him with controlled fury. Celine typed furiously into the central console. Rita followed a step behind, shifting between the staff and the command centre with an energy that pulled the room together.“Status,” John said.Celine pointed at the large wall display. “Hale’s loyalists have reached the third checkpoint. They are pushing through without IDs. Some are Circle members. Some are hired muscle. They are forcing staff to open restricted doors.”Morgan cracked his knuckles. “Then we shut those doors.”Celine nodded. “Alread

The Tower returned to a heavy quiet after the chaos in the tunnel. Not peace. Not safety. Just the kind of silence that follows after a predator has paused to choose its next angle of attack.John stood at the centre of the operations floor, watching the monitors as the building systems stabilized. The loyalists trapped in the lobby paced in circles, shouting through the barriers, pounding against the steel partitions, waiting for Hale to give them further instructions. Their frustration grew by the second.Morgan leaned back in his chair, wiping sweat from his forehead. “That was one of the ugliest scenes we have had in this building.”Celine replied without looking up from her screens. “Ugly, but controlled. We prevented a takeover without breaking the law. That is rare.”Morgan gave her a quick glance. “It would not have been rare if I had gone down there.”John answered calmly, “Which is why you did not.”Morgan grinned. “I know.”Celine suddenly straightened. “Rita and Elias are

The elevator carried them upward with a heavy hum, each passing floor tightening the silence inside the cabin. The Council Chamber sat at the top of the Tower, a place built for balance and judgment. But today it would not hold a balance; it would have conflict.John stood at the centre of the elevator, eyes cold, posture straight, breathing steady. He was walking into a room where every man and woman held a vote capable of ending his rule. Yet he did not flinch. Morgan watched him, almost impressed by how calm he appeared.Rita stayed close on his right, her expression alert and fierce. She had survived humiliation and public destruction. Now she faced the very people who once watched her crumble. This time, she did not plan to bow.Elias remained on John’s left, silent and sharp like a blade hidden in plain sight. No emotion. No tension. Just readiness.Celine checked her tablet as the elevator climbed. “Hale’s message has reached every Elder. It contains a full call to strip your a

The wind tore across the rooftop as John stepped out of the helicopter, coat lifting behind him, his team forming a silent formation around him. The city lights glowed beneath them like molten fire, the skyline stretching endlessly in every direction. It felt like the world was holding its breath.Hale stood at the far end of the rooftop, poised, confident, framed by the glaring white floodlights. His suit was immaculate, his posture perfect, his expression calm in a way that made even the cold night feel colder.John stopped halfway across the rooftop. Hale did not move.Rita’s breath hitched at the tension. Morgan cracked his neck like he was ready to snap somebody in half. Celine held her tablet close, eyes razor sharp. Elias stood at John’s left, body still, gaze fixed on Hale like a predator waiting for a command.Finally, Hale smiled.A slow, practiced smile.“Heir Raymond,” he called out, voice steady, echoing across the glass and steel. “You are far from your Tower.”John answ

The Tower’s Situation Room glowed with soft blue lights, humming with encrypted feeds from all Crest branches. Screens displayed collapsing support for Hale, renewed recognition for John, and a flurry of incoming communication requests.Morgan paced like a restless storm. “He walked out too calmly. I do not trust that mood.”Celine ran her fingers across her tablet. “His access has been frozen, credentials revoked, security tags invalidated… but he still managed to leave the building. That is unsettling.”Elias stood beside John, his stance rigid and alert. “Hale moves like a man with insurance. Dangerous insurance.”Rita entered the room with a stack of physical files. “These are from the restricted archive. The request you made earlier. The sections referencing early Crest councils.”John turned toward her. “Anything unusual?”Rita set the files down. “Everything is unusual. Half of these pages are redacted. Entire sections are missing. And the names… some have been intentionally er