The Tribunal officer did not answer immediately. He looked down at the phone in his hand and checked the report again, as though he hoped the names might somehow change before he said them aloud. Ethan watched him closely, and the hesitation only made his unease worse. “Don’t soften it for me,” Ethan said. “I asked for the names, so give them to me.”The officer lifted his eyes. “The first confirmed victim is Lionel Aurelion, Grand Master,” he said carefully. “His death was confirmed less than an hour ago. The authorities are still controlling access to the scene.”Ethan’s expression tightened immediately. Lionel Aurelion was not an ordinary businessman whose murder could disappear into a police report by morning. He was wealthy, politically connected, and known inside circles most citizens would never enter. He was a member of the Khagan council.Lionel’s position made the killing more serious than Ethan first thought. The Khagan Council contained men whose influence reached into po

Ethan took the phone before the ringing could continue. He kept one eye on Selene as he raised it to his ear, expecting Mira to explain herself first. She did not even give him time to speak properly. The noise behind her was so loud that he could hear people shouting through the phone.“They’ve broken through another security section,” Mira said, breathing hard between her words. “The eastern barrier is gone, and security has pulled back toward the main complex. We’re moving employees away from the exposed areas now, but the crowd keeps coming.”Ethan’s grip tightened around the phone. “Where are you?” he asked, walking a few steps away from Selene’s bed. “And don’t tell me you’re standing somewhere those people can reach you.”“I’m still inside the headquarters,” Mira replied. “Security moved me to one of the inner sections, but that is not the biggest problem. Some employees are trapped because the crowds have surrounded several exits. We cannot move everyone outside safely.”Mira’

Mira did not end the call immediately. “We will hold the headquarters together as long as we can, Master Ethan,” she said, and the noise behind her rose again as people shouted somewhere inside Xavier headquarters. “But there is something else you need to know before you come. A delegation has arrived and they are demanding to speak with you personally.”Ethan frowned. “A delegation? In the middle of a riot?” he asked. His eyes remained on Selene while his fingers tightened around the phone. “Who would come to Xavier headquarters tonight knowing what is happening there?”“Adrian Aurelion and Victor Draven are here,” Mira replied. “Both presidential candidates came with security. Adrian says Lionel’s death concerns him personally, and there are also senior representatives from Titan Crest Logistics. They want answers about Casper and Janet Yulian.”Ethan’s expression hardened. Lionel’s relative, two presidential candidates, and representatives of the Yulian business empire had all gath

Lorne turned toward the doctor. “What is that?”The doctor froze. “What do you mean?”Lorne pointed toward Selene’s neck. “Those blue veins. Were they like that before?”He leaned closer without touching her. “I was standing in this room earlier,” he added. “I don’t remember seeing them.”The doctor’s eyes moved briefly toward the monitor. “Changes can happen quickly when a patient is unstable,” he said, but the answer came too quickly to sound reassuring.The doctor looked at Selene, and his face changed for barely a second. It was a small reaction, but Lorne noticed it immediately. The man swallowed before moving closer, pretending to study the area.“It could be several things,” the doctor said. “Her body has been through considerable stress, and sometimes changes in circulation or physical strain can make veins appear more visible.”Lorne did not know enough medicine to challenge the explanation itself, but he knew how confident men behaved when they believed their own words. The

“Wait, are you suggesting I sneak into my own company?”“I’m suggesting that we get you inside without forcing your soldiers to hurt civilians,” the commander answered carefully. “There is an underground executive passage from the eastern service route. Xavier security can open it for us, and the convoy can reach the private garage without passing through the main crowd.”Ethan did not answer immediately. The idea of entering his own headquarters through a hidden route while people outside demanded his arrest offended something deep inside him. Yet he knew the commander was right about one thing: proving his courage at the front gate was not worth creating dead civilians.“Use the passage,” Ethan finally ordered. “But understand this clearly. We are changing the route because I want those people alive, not because I’m afraid to face them.”The commander understood the distinction immediately. “No one in this convoy will mistake it for fear, Grand Master. But the people outside may tel