“What happened?” she asked quietly. “Why did they release you?”“They found problems inside Caleb’s office,” Ethan answered. “That was enough to change the direction of their inspection.”Leah looked towards the staircase. “Where is Caleb?”“The administrator has already told you what you need to believe.”Her eyes widened slightly. “He has been arrested.”Ethan did not confirm it. “Do not discuss Caleb or Owen Hale with anyone. Continue your work as though nothing happened today.”Leah lowered her voice. “You are speaking as though the danger has not ended.”“Caleb was not working alone.”The answer made her face tense. She wanted to ask more questions, but Ethan had already turned towards the records shelves.Far away from the regional facility, Malcolm Rane sat inside his office at VerdaLife’s national procurement division.His office occupied the highest floor of the central building. Large windows overlooked the business district, while several screens displayed procurement repor

The following morning, the most powerful man in Verdanis entered VerdaLife’s national procurement division wearing the badge of a temporary worker.The central office looked nothing like the regional facility Ethan had left behind. Its polished floors reflected the bright ceiling lights, while glass walls separated expensive offices from the open working areas. Well-dressed employees moved between departments carrying tablets and sealed files.Advanced security cameras watched every corridor. Employees entered through electronic gates that checked their faces, badges and fingerprints.Everything appeared clean, organised and respectable.Ethan knew appearances could be carefully manufactured. Caleb’s regional office had hidden false records inside a steel cabinet. The national division might hide much greater crimes behind polished glass and expensive furniture.A security officer examined Ethan’s transfer letter before checking his temporary badge. “You were transferred from the Sout

Ethan remained at his desk until the working day ended.He did not attempt to send the copied records while he was still inside VerdaLife. The company’s security system watched every signal leaving the building, and one unusual transmission could expose his hidden identity.Ethan closed the seven supplier files and returned them to the locked drawer beside his desk. The payment to Research Site Twelve was still scheduled to leave before midnight.When the employees began leaving, Ethan joined them. He passed through the security gate, collected his bag and allowed an officer to examine his temporary badge.The officer returned it without suspicion. “Report at the same time tomorrow. Director Rane has not changed your assignment.”“I understand,” Ethan replied.He walked away from the building and joined the other workers heading towards the employee transport area. Once he passed beyond VerdaLife’s protected network, his ordinary phone connected to an outside signal.The hidden progra

Far outside Avalora, another warning appeared inside Research Site Twelve.The hidden laboratory stood behind high walls without any VerdaLife name or symbol. Security officers guarded its entrance, and workers inside the facility used identification numbers instead of their real names.Large machines operated behind locked steel doors. Some rooms required several security codes before anyone could enter.The laboratory director examined the failed payment on his computer. The monthly money had not arrived.Without it, the laboratory could not purchase new materials. Security salaries would also be delayed, and part of the hidden research would have to stop.Site Twelve was not an ordinary VerdaLife laboratory. It was one of the secret branches supporting the biological project created by Hilton Verda and Aurelio Grande.The project had already consumed hundreds of millions of dollars. Its purpose was as simple as it was wicked. Hilton intended to develop a dangerous sickness, control

“He has his reasons.”“And we may all suffer because of those reasons.”Darius’s fingers tightened against the table. “Say what you truly came here to say.”Elias looked around at the senior relatives.“Our first action should not be choosing Hilton Verda’s replacement,” he said. “We should request a private audience with Ethan Xavier.”Several people reacted immediately.One woman shook her head. “The Supreme Leader may believe the entire family supported the attack.”“That is exactly why we must speak to him,” Elias replied.Another relative leaned forward. “Do you expect us to apologise to him?”“I expect us to discover what he knows.”Elias picked up the frozen-account report. “According to what I heard a temporary worker examined seven companies hidden for years. Before midnight, the government freezes every account without affecting a single legitimate supplier.”He dropped the report back onto the table. “Does that look like an ordinary audit?”Nobody answered.Elias continued,