The sound of Vionna’s sobbing plea on the other end of the line was the sharpest, coldest shock Anthony had ever felt. It instantly burned away the residual calm from his VEXO confrontation. The sting of Raymond’s slap, the weariness of the sleepless night-it all vanished, replaced by a singular, focused wave of pure, concentrated fury. Liora. Kidnapped. The audacity of Jackson, Noah, and their cronies to escalate their childish rivalry to criminal coercion was a line Anthony could not, and would not, allow them to cross.He did not waste a second on disbelief or panic. He was no longer the broken, bullied student; he was Lord Jodah, and the Empire moved at his command. He lifted his phone, his thumb tapping the direct, secured line to his Chief of Security.“Ronan,” Anthony’s voice was low, cutting through the vast, echoing marble lobby of VEXO. The two nervous guards who had witnessed his quiet but brutal takeover of the company security apparatus shrank back against the glass walls

The Black Spectre purred to a stop outside the shabby student apartment building, its matte finish seeming to absorb the weak, struggling light of the early morning. It looked entirely out of place—a machine of silent, devastating power parked next to rusty, decades-old compact cars. Inside, the quiet was profound, broken only by the steady rhythm of Liora’s breathing.Liora hadn’t woken fully since leaving the Vintex Grand. She was physically safe, nestled into Fenrick’s side in the spacious back seat, but the emotional and psychological exhaustion of the kidnapping had claimed her completely. Fenrick looked at Anthony, who was switching off the holographic display on the dash—a display that, just hours ago, had confirmed the implosion of three major financial dynasties.“She needs to be inside,” Anthony murmured, his voice flat, drained of the terrifying authority he’d wielded moments before. He was just Anthony again, tired and concerned.They got Liora into the apartment, gently s

The desperation Anthony had planned for settled quickly and deeply around his adversaries. It wasn't just the students who were shattered; the fathers, once titans of industry, were now reduced to frantic, broken men facing the very real prospect of lifetime incarceration, their immense power meaningless against the silent, coordinated efficiency of the Jodah Empire.In a sterile holding room deep within the regulatory detention center, Michael Derrick, once the majority owner of Global Commerce Bank, paced the floor, his expensive suit rumpled and sweat-soaked. Across the table, Elias Noah, founder of Noah Tech, stared blankly at the wall, while Vincent Darren, the auto mogul, nervously chewed his fingernails—a habit he’d beaten twenty years ago.Their high-powered, terrified lawyers sat opposite them, looking less like legal experts and more like mourners.“He is a ghost,” Michael Derrick hissed, running a trembling hand over his thinning hair. “We have spent eighteen hours trying t

The air in the All-Star University stadium crackled with unnatural energy. The commencement ceremony was traditionally a day of joyous celebration, but today, it felt like a gladiatorial arena. The stands were packed, and a nervous tension hung over the crowd, fueled by the overnight collapse of three major corporate houses. Everyone knew this was more than a graduation; it was the final, public scene of the most shocking financial drama in the city's history.On the massive, meticulously decorated stage, rows of faculty and administrators sat stiffly, their eyes darting to the two most scrutinized figures: Jimmy Patrick and Oscar Patrick. Jimmy looked pale and sickly in his graduation robes, clutching the scroll containing his mandated speech, his eyes constantly scanning the front rows. Oscar, gaunt but impeccably dressed, sat beside the university president, his facade of composure barely holding.In the first row of the audience, right where Anthony had instructed them to be, sat

The VEXO Tower penthouse was not a home; it was a fortress carved from glass and steel. As Anthony, Fenrick, Liora, and Vionna stepped into the penthouse suite, the floor to ceiling windows offered a stunning, vertigo-inducing view of the city, a city that now knew Anthony's true face.The silence in the aftermath of the stage spectacle was heavy, broken only by the hum of the HVAC system. Anthony was leaning against the vast executive desk, no longer masked, his suit slightly askew, running his fingers through his hair.Vionna broke the tension, her voice quiet but sharp, holding a calculated measure of betrayal. “I don’t know if I should shake your hand or call the police, Anthony. You manipulated the entire city’s perception of justice just to make a grand entrance. You could have done this privately.”Anthony pushed off the desk, walking toward her. “Private revenge is temporary, Vionna. Public justice is irreversible. These men, and their fathers, thrive on perception and social