He let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to drain the last of his energy. He sat up slowly, and walked over to the window. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass, staring out at the sky. The horizon was a hazy blue, but he didn't even pay any attention to the streets, the towering buildings, or the ant-like cars crawling below. His world was currently limited to the four walls of the penthouse and the two women waiting on the other side of his door."I can't keep doing this," he said, his breath fogging the glass. "I’ve been hiding in here trying to solve an equation that doesn't have a fixed answer. I’m acting like a coward, and they deserve better than a coward."He straightened his back, his eyes finally regaining a spark of his old, decisive self, "I guess I’ll have to talk to them about this," he muttered, turning away from the window. "I can't just assume stuff based on the information I have, which is lacking. I need to know what they are actually willing to face. Not t

He took a deep breath. There was a boat waiting for him at a private dock two hours away. The mission was finally reaching its endgame. He stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway and walked casually.He felt a strange sense of clarity as he moved. For the first time in months, there was no internal debate, no worrying about jealousy or social standings. There was only the target, the objective, and the silent promise he had made to himself. Pavlov Vance had taken enough from the world."You invited a guest, Pavlov," Adrian thought as he reached the black SUV Mark had stashed for him. "I'm just making sure I'm the only one who shows up to the party."Inside a parking lot.Adrian climbed into the driver's seat, the interior of the car smelling of fresh upholstery and gun oil. He started the engine, the low hum feeling like a heartbeat. He didn't look back at the penthouse looming in the distance. He didn't think about the two women who were currently probably talking about their futu

Adrian raised his eyebrows, the cold light of the submarine’s bridge reflecting off his visor. He didn't look like a man cornered by a billionaire’s grand vision; he looked like a man listening to a boring lecture."You really did manage to keep an eye on me, huh?" he said, his voice dropping into a casual, almost conversational tone. It was the kind of voice you used with a neighbor you didn’t particularly like but felt obligated to acknowledge. "Anyway."Pavlov frowned. He was used to terror, used to rage, or even used to the cold silence of a professional killer. He was not used to being treated as someone ordinary. To a man who viewed himself as the architect of a new world, being treated as "someone normal" was a sharper insult than any bullet. He opened his mouth to retort, to remind Adrian of the sheer scale of the power he wielded from this underwater tomb, but Adrian was already moving.Adrian reached into his tactical pocket. To Pavlov’s eyes, it was a simple, fluid motion;