The morning of the Vitalis launch event, Adrian stood in a nondescript hotel room three blocks from Sterling Tower, watching the city wake up beneath a gray sky. His hands were steady, but his heart hammered against his ribs like something caged. Everything—months of investigation, sleepless nights, the weight of his mother's murder—had led to this single day.Marcus entered the room carrying a garment bag containing three tailored suits. "The credentials David created are solid," Marcus said, laying the clothes on the bed. "Facial recognition software won't catch them. The security team has been briefed to expect additional pharmaceutical consultants for the event. You'll be registered as part of the independent oversight committee."Adrian nodded, absorbing the information without really hearing it. His mind kept returning to the moment he'd seen the video of Dr. Sterling's face on Helen's USB drive. His mother had recorded her suspicions just weeks before she died. Adrian had watch

Adrian's mind fractured into a thousand pieces, each one screaming different truths. Victoria had been working against him. Or with him. Or both. The line between alliance and betrayal had become so blurred that Adrian could no longer determine where one ended and the other began.Halifax kept the gun steady, his expression betraying nothing. He was a thin man in his sixties, with gray temples and the precise, delicate hands of a surgeon. Adrian had met him twice—both times at medical conferences where Halifax had discussed pharmaceutical research ethics. The irony wasn't lost on Adrian."I don't understand," Adrian said slowly, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. "Victoria contacted me. She wanted to help expose her father.""Of course she did," Halifax replied. "Because that's what Dr. Sterling instructed her to do. You see, Adrian, your investigation has been invaluable. You've forced into the open evidence that we've spent years accumulating ourselves. You've created exact

The federal research facility in Connecticut was a secure installation hidden within a larger university complex, ostensibly a center for advanced medical research. Dr. Sterling had personally funded its establishment twenty-three years ago, which meant the facility's blueprints, security protocols, and staffing arrangements were all known to him and his associates.Agent Wells received the alert at 2:47 AM. A security breach at the facility. Research files missing. Two security guards dead. Three researchers dead. By the time federal response teams arrived, whoever had orchestrated the raid was long gone.Adrian watched from the safe house as Wells coordinated with teams across multiple states, trying to trace the electronic signature of whoever had accessed the facility's systems. David worked beside federal IT specialists, analyzing the methodology of the breach, trying to identify whether Elena Vasquez or someone working for her had orchestrated it."It's sophisticated," David sai

The coffee shop in Midtown Manhattan was deliberately ordinary—the kind of place where millions of similar conversations happened every day, where nobody paid attention to anyone else, where a man and a woman meeting for coffee would draw no scrutiny whatsoever.Adrian sat in a corner booth, nursing a black coffee he didn't drink, watching the door for Sarah Chen. That was her name now—she'd taken her mother's maiden name after their divorce. Adrian remembered very little about her, which made her sudden reappearance in his life disorienting.Sarah walked in exactly three minutes after Adrian arrived. She looked different than she had three years ago—older, somehow, or perhaps simply more serious. She wore a dark coat and carried a leather briefcase. She didn't smile when she saw Adrian."Thank you for coming," Sarah said, sitting across from him. "I wasn't sure you would.""You said you knew something about Elena Vasquez," Adrian replied. "That was enough."Sarah glanced around the c

The cabin in the Catskill Mountains sat isolated on ten acres of forest, accessible only by a single dirt road that wound through dense trees. Adrian parked the rental car two miles away and approached on foot, the antidote case secure against his chest, every breath feeling like it might be his last.The cabin was lit from within, and as Adrian approached, he could see figures moving in the windows. He recognized Thomas. Elena would be there. And presumably Victoria, restrained somewhere in the structure.Adrian knocked on the door.Thomas opened it immediately, as if he'd been waiting. He was armed, Adrian noticed. Casually holding a 9mm handgun at his side."Adrian," Thomas said with genuine warmth. "Welcome. Elena is ready for you."The interior of the cabin was surprisingly luxurious—high ceilings, comfortable furnishings, a fully equipped kitchen. Elena sat at a dining table, reviewing documents. She looked up as Adrian entered, and Adrian saw something in her expression that ma