Elias slowly raised his head, and for a moment, he couldn’t see anything clearly. The blinding white light from the jet’s landing lamps flashed straight into his eyes, illuminating the whole alley. Then one of the jets lowered itself closer and touched down with a heavy thud. After that, the engines slowly died down, then the side door opened. Moments later, a young lady stepped out dramatically, then paused at the edge of the ramp, staring through the whole arena. She wore a military uniform that fitted her prefectly, with a pair of dark shades. Her hair was pulled back neatly. She glanced through the arena again, then starres walking down the ramp. Behind her, soldiers poured out in groups with their Weapons raised. They spread out quickly, forming a loose circle with every gun pointed toward Elias and the henchman. Meanwhile, Elias still couldn’t make out who it was as the light from other roaring nearby jets was still shining right in his eyes. Vanessa stiffened beside Elias.

Elias didn’t get the chance to say anything else. Just as the tension between Ivy and Vanessa reached its peak, his phone vibrated in his pocket. His expression shifted instantly as he reached for his phone and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Jim, his trusted private investigator. He was a friend from college and a very qualified hacker. He had tasked him to hack into the forum of the organization and find out the anonymous person who had placed the bounty on his head. The message was short. Found a connection. Name: Caleb Vorn. Elias’s jaw tightened instantly. Vanessa noticed the shift immediately. “What is it?” she asked, stepping closer. “What happened?” Elias didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed on the screen, rereading the message. Then he locked the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. “Excuse me,” he said quietly. Ivy frowned. Vanessa opened her mouth to ask again, but Elias was already walking off, putting distance between them. They both watch h

The laughter hadn’t even fully died down when the doors to the banquet hall opened again. Then the sound of heels clicking against the floor grabbed all the attention, making all heads turn one after another toward the direction of the door. Then a woman walked in majestically. It was Vanessa. Whispers exploded everywhere. “Wait… is that not Vanessa Alphonsus?” “The Alphonsus family? That Vanessa?” “No way…” She stopped a few steps inside the hall, her eyes sweeping the crowd before settling on Elias. Then she smiled dangerously. “So,” she said clearly, her voice slicing through the tension, “is this what passes for success now? Grown men recycling the same old jokes just to feel on top for five minutes?” The words landed hard. A few people shifted uncomfortably, while aomeone cleared their throat nervously. Marcus and Collins who had been leading the mockery stiffened. Vanessa took another step forward. “Because from where I’m standing,” she continued, “it looks like two ins

Caleb’s reaction was instant and explosive. His face darkened and his jaw tightened like someone had just insulted his entire bloodline. “What nonsense is this?” he snapped, his voice loud enough to draw every eye in the room. “Have you lost your damn mind?” Everyone in the room stiffened. Truth was, Caleb genuinely have no idea a bounty existed. However, Jim’s investigation had traced the bounty trail to his identity because someone in his family had done it. A high-ranking military figure had cloned his identity perfectly with the same credentials, the same signature patterns and same digital shadow, making it look like Caleb had done it but it wasn’t him. Yet Caleb didn’t care about clearing his name. Not even a little. What mattered to him at that point was the humiliation of being questioned like this in public by his ex-fiancée’s nobody boyfriend. To him, Elias was someone who shouldn't be allowed to breathe the same air as him, let alone stand in front of him and accuse hi

One would have thought Elias will falter amidst the brewing chaos, but he didn't as much as give a glance. Not when the helicopters settled into position. Not when the armored vehicles filled the whole arena. Despite the chaos, his hand stayed steady and his eyes remain fixed on Caleb. The only one who truly reacted was Vanessa. She looked from the windows back to Elias, fear overwhelming her completely. “Elias,” she said urgently in a low voice, “this has gone far enough. Look outside. This won’t end well. Please, let’s stop here and leave.” But Elias didn't flinch. He simply looked at Vanessa. “I’m not leaving,” he said coldly. On hearing that, Caleb let out a short, satisfied laugh. “Be my guest,” he said smugly. “You heard him. He wants to stay.” he said cocky. At that point, the rotors from the choppers shifted and the downdraft pressed down harder. Then a voice boomed in a megaphone, from one of the choppers, cutting through the night. “All individuals are to drop their wea