The executive conference hall felt more dangerous than the battlefield outside.Dale stood near the center of the room, surrounded by his armed men, but for the first time since entering Xavier headquarters, he did not feel fully in control. The hall was too quiet. Too prepared. Too clean.Even the air-conditioning sounded controlled, measured, deliberate. Nothing inside Xavier headquarters felt accidental.It was the kind of place built by people who planned several moves ahead before anyone else realized a game had started.One of his men turned toward the sealed doors. “Boss, the exit locked behind us.”Another checked the side wall. “There are no windows.”A third swallowed. “This place feels wrong.”One of the younger gunmen tightened his grip around his rifle so hard his fingers trembled slightly. He had fought through riots and border conflicts before, but this silence unsettled him more than open warfare ever had.Dale snapped, “Shut up.”The words came out strong, but his own

Dale stood in the middle of the blood-stained conference hall, surrounded by Tribunal soldiers, but his pride still refused to die.“You were actually Ethan Xavier,” he said, his voice shaking with anger. “The whole time you were with us at the Economic Summit.”Ethan looked at him calmly. “Yes.”Dale’s breathing became uneven after hearing the answer directly from Ethan himself. The certainty in Ethan’s voice felt heavier than shouting. There was no pride in it. No attempt to impress anyone. That calm acceptance disturbed Dale more than arrogance ever could have.Dale’s wounded hand trembled. Blood ran down his wrist, but he ignored the pain. “You hid among us like a coward. You wore that stupid wig, that fake moustache, those poor clothes, and watched us like some madman.”“I watched men reveal themselves, that is what I will say,” Ethan said.Ethan’s eyes briefly moved across the dead gunmen scattered around the conference hall. Some of them had entered the building laughing proudl

Dale’s lawyer went silent for too long.Dale’s wounded hand trembled as he pressed the phone harder against his ear. “Answer me. What do you mean it will not be possible anymore?”The lawyer breathed shakily. “Mr Dale, I do not know how to say this.”“Then say it plainly!”“I cannot fight Ethan Xavier or go against him.”Dale froze. “What?”For the first time since the attack began, genuine uncertainty entered Dale’s eyes.The confidence that carried him through Xavier Headquarters suddenly felt unstable.He had expected resistance from Ethan Xavier.He never expected betrayal from his own people.“I cannot stand against him,” the lawyer said. “If I carry out your request, I will anger him. And if I anger him, my family could suffer. I have a wife. I have children too.”Dale’s face twisted with disbelief. “Your family? You are talking about your family when my entire empire is being taken?”“Sir, please understand…”“Understand what?” Dale shouted. “I fed you for ten years. I made you

“Why?” Grande asked looking confused. "Why does Brookhaven come into the picture?"“Verdanis has become too watched,” Hilton said. Hilton’s fingers moved slowly behind his back while he spoke.The calmness in his voice made Grande more uncomfortable than shouting would have.Dr Hilton never sounded emotional when discussing danger.That was what made him frightening.Even now, after losing a major political opportunity, he still sounded like a man rearranging pieces on a chessboard rather than a man suffering defeat.“Ethan’s influence is growing here. Tribunal movement is expanding, I mean they have more advantage in the civil war against the Herold army. The council is cautious. Our public channels are weakened.” Ethan continued.One of the large screens suddenly displayed footage from Verdanis streets.Tribunal patrol vehicles moved through crowded districts while citizens gathered around giant digital billboards carrying Xavier Group recovery announcements.Grande’s eyes darkened

General Darius Herold walked through the long corridor of the Herold Army Headquarters with a smile that did not belong in wartime.The corridor was buried deep beneath reinforced concrete and steel. Red lights glowed along the walls, and armed guards stood at every checkpoint. The air smelled of metal, oil, and cold electricity. Every few steps, the Herold soldiers saluted and stepped aside quickly, but none of them looked comfortable.However even though Darius had noticed it, he did not care.For the first time since Admiral Magnus Draven’s capture, excitement had returned to his face.Two lieutenant generals walked beside him. Four brigadier generals followed behind. Their boots struck the polished floor in a steady rhythm, but their faces told different stories. Darius looked alive. Three of his commanders looked like men being marched toward a mistake they could not stop.“At last,” Darius said, his voice smooth with dark satisfaction, “we will stop reacting to Ethan Xavier.”On