Melissa paced the length of the room, her voice sharp. “I think it’s time we get Clara involved.”Ethan’s head snapped up immediately. “Don’t say such things here.” His tone dropped. “She will destroy our plans.”“She’s been suspicious for long,” Melissa shot back. “And if we delay, she’ll grow too powerful. It’s better we end her now.”“We are not doing that,” Ethan warned. “I think she is the one behind Daniel’s strength. If she’s removed, things may get worse.”Melissa scoffed. “Behind his strength? Ethan, you’re losing it. That witch is crawling into everything, acting innocent while plotting circles around us.”“Melissa, don’t get her involved,” Ethan repeated, firmer. “Her presence alone can be chaotic. She manipulates things we can’t see. She’s cunning.”“I can’t watch her keep growing with him,” Melissa hissed. “She breathes in the same direction as Daniel. She watches him like she owns some hidden key. If we don’t stop her now, everything will bounce back disastrous on

Daniel Carter had learned to measure threats not by noise, but by silence.And the silence that followed the last pulse was thick—too thick, too calculated, too deliberate. It coiled around the command center like a predator waiting in the dark. Clara watched the rising signal match percentage stabilize at twenty-three percent, her heartbeat syncing involuntarily with the pulsing icon on the main holographic display.Daniel leaned forward, fingers buried into the console edge. “Trace the harmonics,” he said quietly.Clara swallowed, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hand. “Already running a layered frequency sweep. If the origin is masked behind a proxy—”“It is masked,” Daniel cut in. “Everything about this attack is masked. It’s designed by someone who understands how we think, how we respond, what we will and won’t overlook.”He exhaled slowly.“We’re not dealing with a strategist,” he said. “We’re dealing with someone who takes this personally.”The system emitted a so

Melissa’s boots clicked sharply against the pavement as she stepped out of the sedan, her eyes narrowing at Daniel’s silhouette blocking the path to her family estate. The night wind whipped her hair around her face, but she didn’t flinch. Daniel didn’t move either. He stood with his hands by his sides, shoulders trembling with barely contained fury.A slow smile spread across Melissa’s lips.“I guess,” she said mockingly, “this is all about Clara’s little… incident?”Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Incident? You almost killed her.”Melissa tilted her head, examining him the way a scientist might examine a fragile specimen. “Almost isn’t the same as succeed. Be grateful for that.”Daniel took a step forward, rage simmering beneath his calm exterior. “You crossed a line.”Melissa laughed, soft and cruel. “I cross lines for breakfast.”“Clara trusted you,” Daniel said. “I trusted you.”“Your first mistake,” she replied. “Never trust a Turner.”“And your mother?” Daniel said sharply. “Should

Daniel’s office was dim, the glow from the terminal painting his face in pale blue. Clara leaned over the desk, scrolling through lines of code, her fingers flying across the keyboard with a precision born of urgency.“Daniel,” she said, pausing, “Paul’s running simulations. He’s testing SolarGrid’s algorithms in global markets, energy networks, even military satellites.”Daniel didn’t look up. “Let him test. Every move he makes is predictable. I’ve already seeded the failsafe.”" What he do not know is that I will trace him and destroy him." Clara frowned. “Predictable? Daniel… he’s improvising. He’s already corrupted two-thirds of your protocols.”Daniel smirked faintly. “Good. Let him think he’s in control. The more he believes he can manipulate the system, the deeper he falls into the trap I’ve designed.”She leaned closer, whispering, “And you’re sure this new code will counter him?”“Absolutely. But it has to be secret. Not a whisper outside this room.” He tapped a key. “Every

The expert tried everything possible to unlock it.Every tool in his arsenal, every override script, every brute-force decoder, every encryption breaker he had ever used on government-level firewalls — none of it worked. His fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, sweat beading on his forehead as the screen kept flashing the same mocking message:ACCESS DENIED — ROOT CHAIN SEALEDUNAUTHORIZED USER DETECTEDRECURSIVE LOCK ACTIVATEDAt last, the expert pushed back from the desk, defeated. His hands trembled slightly — not from fear, but from pure disbelief.He turned slowly to Paul, who had been pacing behind him like a caged predator.“Mr. Paul…” he began quietly.Paul snapped, “Don’t give me excuses — unlock the damned thing!”The expert inhaled, steadying himself. “Sir… I have done my possible best. But this system— it isn’t ordinary.”“What do you mean?” Paul demanded.The expert pointed at the screen. “This programmer is highly equipped. Whoever built this code… understands not