1“Mr. Nathan, we're here by the Authority of the bank from which you took a loan.”“And since you've been unable to repay your loan, we're ordered to seize your car and properties!”The words landed like a bombshell. Nathan Wood froze, heart, sinking like a stone in deep water.“I’m working on it. Just give me a little more time.”The bank official looked at him with disdain, as if he were a sacrificial offering.“Orders are orders. The bank’s already waited longer than most. We can’t delay any further.”Across the sitting room, his wife, Jessica, snapped with sarcasm and impatience.“See? I told you this would happen!” She stepped into view, arms folded, eyes lit with the cold flame of contempt. “Nothing but debt and excuses. You’re a disgrace, Nathan.”Nathan turned to the official. “The bank should give me some more time, I'll repay.”“You've never kept to your words, ever!”Jessica cut in. “Always excuses upon excuses. You can’t provide, you can’t manage money… You can’t even kee

Nathan stretched awake at the city park where he had spent the freezing night. Passersby moved quickly, as if they were late for Judgment Day.His fingers tightened over his prized possession, the flash drive, and for a moment, he smiled.He stood up, dusted the coldness from his coat and walked into an internet café where he slid the flash drive into a computer, which blinked for a moment, then glowed a brilliant green.“Welcome, Engineer Logan Pierce!” the screen read.Nathan blinked and tapped a button. What happened next stole the breath from his lungs. The flash automatically began populating the screen with estates in Italy, high-rise apartments in Dubai, vintage car collections, private security firms, oil investments, and offshore bank accounts. A storm of numbers, documents, and digital signatures swept in rapidly. Every company, with every dollar running into billions, is rewriting itself with a single new name.“Ownership transferred to Nathaniel Wood.”His phone pinged a n

from desperate rivals, but this one was different. It was personal and precise. At the lounge, Nathan overheard Maurice dishing orders to their Lt. Bruce Owen, their Chief head of security.“Double the security. Every gate, every entrance, every window, and every walkway.” Graymon ordered, his voice cold and unyielding. “I want security surveillance cameras at every blind spot in the estate. You should be armed, alert, and ready, and no one gets in without my say.”Bruce Owen gave a curt nod. “Understood.”“Make sure the staff know their roles. Anyone acting suspiciously gets dealt with immediately. And Nathan?” Maurice lowered his voice. “I don't completely trust him. But he'll stay close; every meal that comes in must be tasted by him alone.”From where he pretended to be arranging a flower vase, Nathan smiled. They were using him as a tool to test for poison.Lt. Bruce Owen, who had already calculated the logistics in his head, began immediately with his team, adding additional ca

That afternoon, a different plan occupied Nathan's mind after agreeingto meet Jessica as Jacob Dome.But he couldn’t risk exposing himself directly. He needed a stand-in, someone who could convincingly play Jacob’s part without raising suspicion or doubts.So he got to work. He quickly posted a job ad under one of his corporate aliases:Well-paid one-time role. Must dress, speak, and carry yourself like a shy, wealthy investor by the name of Jacob Dome. Confidence in silence is preferred. Location: London Square. High discretion required. Appearance: Polished. Communication: Minimal but elegant. Applicants must send a voice note. Payment in two parts.Within minutes, responses poured in like streams of joy.Nathan sat at his desk, listening to voice notes. Some were ridiculous, arrogant, overly slick and cocky, while others lacked presence and capacity.But then, one of the voice notes caught his attention: His voice was enigmatic and smooth like a business con-man; he sounded u

Nathan awoke with a gasp in a strange, fog-drenched afterlife cityscape that was neither ancient nor modern.The sky was a dull grey with no visible sun, and the place had a ghostly urban pulse.Nathan stood dazed in the middle of the street, instinctively checking his chest. No heartbeat. No breath. Yet he was standing, thinking, moving. Alive… in some other way.“New arrival?”That was the voice of a man cleaning his booth, a faded hat sat crookedly on his brown hair.Nathan nodded slowly. “I think so…”The man approached and extended a hand. “Name’s Donald Shaw. You’re in May cross, afterlife. Not heaven, not hell. Just… between.”Nathan shook his hand, trying to ground himself. “This is real?... I mean, am I dead?”“As real as anything else. Everyone here is dead…was dead.” Donald said, glancing at the leather pouch swinging gently from Nathan’s side. “You’ll want to check that.”Nathan looked down, and for the first time, he saw the pouch and reached for it.Inside, dozens of si