A dense, suffocating silence hung in the air before a second voice chimed in, cold and clipped."Panicking like cornered rats will not save us," the second figure spoke, his backdrop displaying the sleek, high-rise outline of the Capital’s financial district. "Haven was merely a regional processing hub. The losses at Dock Thirteen and the Imperial Spire are severe, but the core infrastructure of our business remains completely intact.""Intact?!" a third voice hissed, slamming a fist onto a glass desk. "The Grand Imperial Spire was razed to the ground! The five regional directors are dead, Cristian Bale is dead, and worst of all, the complete physical ledger is missing! If the military high command or the royal family links those transactions back to our Capital accounts—""They won't," interrupted a fourth participant, his deep, resonant tone carrying an unmistakable military cadence. "The Capital’s central intelligence has already initiated a complete blackout on all media outlets r

"Alistair..." she whispered, her hands trembling so violently against the receiver that the phone nearly slipped from her grip. "It's... it's me."There was a brief pause on the line, accompanied by the faint, muffled cadence of falling rain in the background where Alistair stood."I know, Sara," Alistair replied softly. His tone wasn't cold or vengeful; it was something far worse—indifferent, like a sovereign looking back at a distant memory. "Why are you calling?""I... I wanted to see you," Sara choked out, tears running freely down her face, soaking the collar of her hospital gown. "Just for a few minutes. Please, Alistair... Can you come to the hospital?"Silence hung heavy between them for three agonizing seconds."Is there an emergency with your health?" Alistair asked smoothly."No, it's not that, it's—" Sara swallowed hard, the weight of the contract her mother had just taken burning like white-hot iron in her mind. She couldn't bring herself to say it over the phone.She cou

“Oh please, enough.” Isabella said, cutting Marianne over the phone. “Our agreement was that in return for helping me secure Alistair Reid's freedom, I would return to the palace. You didn't secure Alistair's release so why should I stick to my side of the bargain?”“What nonsense are you talking about? I just asked you if Alistair Reid was free and you said yes, yet you dare say I didn't stick to my end of the bargain?” Marianne questioned.“Alistair is free but it's definitely not because of you.” Isabella said. “And don't even think about lying, I checked. The person responsible for Alistair's freedom is the Southern Heavenly General of Arcadia. In fact, according to what I found out, not only was your attempt to help Alistair rejected, it nearly caused an issue between Northland and Arcadia.”Silence stretched across the line, heavy and suffocating, before Marianne let out a low, cold laugh that lacked any warmth."The Southern Heavenly General..." Marianne purred, her tone shifti

Elizabeth’s disgust deepened into pure, unadulterated venom.The sheer arrogance radiating from the young man sitting before her was nauseating.He sat on her family’s velvet sofa with the casual posture of a man who believed the world owed him its total submission, offering her a life of servitude masked as a grand privilege."So," Elizabeth said, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp, dangerous quiet as she crossed her legs. "You broke into my home, attacked my bodyguards, and now you're graciously offering to turn me into a human cauldron for your own advancement?"Long Tian let out a smooth, patronizing laugh, waving his hand as if dismissing the tantrums of a child."Cauldron is such an ugly, mortal word, Miss Bolton," Long Tian replied, his smirk widening as his eyes swept over her with possessive confidence. "In the Heavenly King Martial Sect, millions of women would throw themselves at my feet for a fraction of the opportunity I am handing you today. I am a core disciple of a

Alistair looked down at Long Tian as if he were an annoying insect buzzing around his ear."The Heavenly King Martial Sect," Alistair mused softly, his voice devoid of any surprise or concern. "A so-called righteous path sect, yet they breed bottom-feeders who hide behind their master's name to force themselves on mortals."Alistair took a slow step forward, the soles of his polished shoes coming to a stop inches from Long Tian’s face."You talk of razing cities and flexing the authority of your sect, yet you lay in a pool of your own blood, defeated by a single protective talisman created for a mortal," Alistair said with cool disdain. "You are weak, Long Tian. Weak in strength, and even weaker in mind.""Curse you... Curse you to hell!" Long Tian screeched, trying to gather his remaining spiritual energy to detonate his own core in a desperate, final attack.Alistair didn't even blink.He raised his hand slightly and flicked his fingers downward.CRACK!A sharp, microscopic wave of