The highway blurred beneath them—streaks of neon and shadow flashing across the windshield as Ethan pushed the SUV harder, faster, past what most cars could handle.But this wasn’t most cars.This was a Ghost-modified engine.Built for pursuit.Built for war.Lila gripped the door handle as the city thinned into industrial outskirts. Each passing second tightened the atmosphere inside the SUV until breathing felt like work.Riker checked the map glowing on his wrist.“Sir, the dead-signal pulse reactivated. Stronger this time.”Ethan’s fingers tightened around the wheel.“He wants us locked onto him. He’s guiding us.”Lila swallowed.“That’s bad, right?”Riker snorted.“Ma’am… that’s catastrophic.”But Ethan’s eyes stayed on the road—calm, calculating.“He’s overconfident,” he murmured.“He wants me angry. Predictable. Rushing.”Lila turned to him.“Are you?”He didn’t look away from the road.“No. I’m focused.”But she saw it.The edge beneath the control.The storm held behind his r

The moment Ethan stepped toward the glass chamber, the temperature around him seemed to drop. Fog curled around his boots as if warning him back—but Ethan didn’t need warnings.He needed precision.“Positions,” he murmured into the comm.Riker moved silently behind the generator.Lila crouched beside the east support column, hands trembling around the insulated pliers Ethan had given her.Ethan felt her fear, even from meters away.He spoke softly, just for her:“Lila… breathe.”There was a tiny inhale—shaky, but there.Good.Because if she slipped by even half a second… Adrian would be vaporized.And Ward would win.THE WALK INSIDEThe glass door slid open with a hiss the moment Ethan touched it.Ward had expected him.Welcomed him.Inside, the lights were blinding—white, sterile, surgical.Adrian Cole hung from the restraints, his breath a soft, painful rattle.Ethan stepped closer.“Adrian,” he said quietly.Adrian’s head lifted weakly. One eye swollen. A cheek split open. Blood on

The morning begins with an unusual silence.Ethan stands on the balcony of his penthouse, overlooking the city that now bows to his name. For the first time in years, he feels a strange peace—brief, fragile, dangerous.It doesn’t last.A sharp, urgent knock echoes through the penthouse.Before Ethan can speak, Shadow opens the door.A trembling guard steps in.“Sir… you need to come downstairs immediately.”Ethan’s brows narrow. “What happened?”The guard swallows hard.“It’s… her family, sir.”Ethan freezes.The Dawsons.Shadow’s expression darkens instantly. “They wouldn’t dare.”“They dared,” the guard says. “And… they brought the press.”Ethan walks calmly—too calmly—toward the elevator.Shadow follows, already bracing himself for bloodshed.Outside the Cole TowerA noisy crowd forms.Reporters. Paparazzi. Onlookers.And at the center—Lila Dawson’s family.Her father, Richard Dawson.Her mother, Vivian Dawson.Her jealous cousin, Amelia.And worst of all—Lila’s older brother, Ma

Lila sits alone in Ethan’s private suite—massive, silent, suffocating with luxury she never imagined. Two operatives guard the door outside, their presence making the air feel heavier.Her mind spins.The Dawsons ruined.Black cars bowing to Ethan.Her husband transforming into someone she barely recognizes.And now—he sends guards to “escort” her here.She wraps her arms around herself.“What the hell is going on…?”The door unlocks.Ethan steps in.Not the quiet, submissive man she married.Not the “useless son-in-law.”A commander.A storm dressed in a black coat.His presence fills the room like gravity.Lila rises slowly.“Ethan… why am I here?”He doesn’t speak.He studies her—cold, sharp, calculating.Then he walks to her, stops inches away.“Lila,” he says quietly, “I need the truth.”Her breath catches.“The truth about what?”He pulls a small device from his pocket and projects the hologram—the infant with the matching face.Lila’s knees nearly buckle.“I don’t… I don’t unde

The silence after Lila’s confession isn’t just silence.It’s a weapon.Sharp.Cold.Bleeding through the air like poison.Ethan doesn’t move.Not even when Shadow shifts subtly, ready to strike if Lila so much as twitches wrong.Lila is shaking.Not from fear of death.From fear of Ethan’s eyes.Those eyes that had always been controlled, steady, calculated—now hollow.Like something inside him had just died.“Ethan,” she whispers, “please say something.”He finally speaks.Quiet. Flat.“Shadow.”Shadow steps forward instantly.“Yes, sir.”“Scan her.”“Already on it.”Shadow lifts a small black device. It beeps twice, flashes red, then emits a soft, chilling hum.Lila flinches.“What is that?”Ethan answers without emotion.“A neural threat detector.”Shadow studies the reading, and his face darkens.“Sir… it’s active.”Ethan’s voice drops an octave.“What’s active?”Shadow swallows.“The implant.”Lila gasps. “No—no—I haven’t—I didn’t—”Shadow steps back, weapon drawn.“Sir, her neu