The word bodies struck Ethan harder than the ropes had.His eyebrows rose as he stared at Lorne, searching the brigadier general’s face for any sign that he had misunderstood. Lorne remained tense, while the officer beside him looked toward the doorway as though he wanted to leave the room immediately.“How many bodies?” Ethan asked. His voice was quiet, but every soldier near him heard the anger beneath it. “And where exactly did your men find them?”The officer cleared his throat before answering. “Upstairs, sir. They found a large room behind the western corridor. The door had been locked from the outside.”“That doesn’t answer my first question,” Ethan said. He took one careful step away from the chair, testing the strength in his legs. “How many bodies?”“We don’t have a final count yet,” the officer replied. His eyes briefly moved toward Lorne. “The team reported more than thirty.”The room fell silent for a heartbeat.Another officer spoke carefully. “Sir, we stopped counting o

The Tribunal convoy carried Ethan away from the compound, but it could not carry him away from what he had seen.He sat in the rear of an armored vehicle with Brigadier General Lorne beside him. Two military trucks moved ahead, while three more followed behind. Blue warning lights flashed across the quiet streets as armed soldiers guarded every side of the convoy.Lorne watched Ethan for several moments before speaking. “I have ordered a permanent security unit to remain at Xavier Estate tonight. Until we know how Selene entered your vehicle and controlled that compound, you should not be left alone.”“That will not be necessary,” Ethan replied. His eyes remained on the dark city outside the window. “Increase the guards at the gates, but keep your soldiers outside the main house.”Lorne frowned. “Sir, with respect, your own driver betrayed you. We cannot assume everyone inside your estate is loyal.”“I am not assuming anything,” Ethan said. “I simply do not want Selene to know how muc

Ethan’s first instinct was to shout for the guards.His hand moved toward the communication panel beside the door, and his mouth opened to call Steward Leonard and brigadier general Lorne. Dozens of armed Tribunal soldiers were still outside the mansion. One command from him would bring them rushing into the room, and Selene would be surrounded before she could reach the door.Yet Ethan stopped himself.His fingers remained several inches from the panel as he studied the woman sitting on his bed. Selene appeared far too comfortable for someone who had entered the most protected part of Xavier Estate without permission despite all she had done earlier. She showed no fear, carried no visible weapon, and made no attempt to escape.Ethan slowly lowered his hand. He narrowed his eyes as he continued watching her. “You walked into the most heavily guarded estate in the country,” he said. “Every gate is monitored. Every corridor has cameras. Yet you are sitting here as though none of that

"I know the real reason why he came to Xavier Global Tower tonight.” Selene said.“He came to sign a licensing agreement,” Ethan said. “Quantum Nexus was granting Xavier Technologies exclusive access to its next-generation encryption architecture.”“That is what the documents said.”Ethan frowned. The confidence in Selene's voice unsettled him more than the accusation itself. She was not speaking as someone making a guess. She sounded like someone who had already seen the truth and was waiting for him to catch up. That certainty made it harder to dismiss her words as another attempt at manipulation.“That is what the entire negotiation was about,” Ethan insisted. “My legal and technical teams reviewed the agreement for weeks.”Selene gave him a cold look. “Your teams reviewed the contract. They did not review the men who arrived to sign it.”Ethan’s mind began working faster. Mira had said Leon seemed afraid that something had gone wrong. She had also said he never asked whether Etha

Selene’s eyes remained fixed on him. “A controlled collision near the service tunnel. Your vehicle despite the security detail that was going to be attached to it would have been forced against the security barrier. The men sent to assist you would have been wearing Xavier emergency uniforms.”Ethan felt his stomach tighten, but he showed no surprise. “And then?”“You would have been moved into another vehicle under the excuse that the first one was unsafe,” Selene replied. “Before your real security team understood what had happened, you would have been dead.”“That is a detailed story,” Ethan said. “However details are not proof.”Selene slowly shook her head. “Your official driver was already working for me. Did you never ask yourself how easily I replaced the normal procedure around you?”“He betrayed me,” Ethan replied. “That has nothing to do with Leon.”“It proves your protection was already compromised,” Selene said. “If I could place a loyal man behind the wheel of the vehicl