Adrian stood at the window of their small apartment, staring out at the city lights. Dawn was still hours away, but sleep wouldn't come. Behind him, Elena breathed softly on the couch, finally resting after everything that had happened. The jade pendant—ten million dollars—sat in its box on the table. The Tang family's gratitude. Marcus's fear. His phone buzzed. Another message from the butler. "Old Master Tang wishes to meet you formally. Name your price, Mr. Kane. Anything." Adrian deleted the message without responding. He caught his reflection in the window. Five years ago, he'd been nobody. A foster child. Grateful for scraps from the Stone family. Naive enough to believe family meant something. Five years in prison had taught him differently. But it had taught him so much more. [ Five Years Ago - Blackwater Prison] The cell door clanged shut behind Adrian Kane. Twenty-three years old. First-time offender. Convicted of theft he didn't commit. Five-year sentenc

Adrian stood outside a gleaming skyscraper in the city's financial district. Seventy stories of steel and glass. The building's name was etched in chrome letters above the entrance: NEXUS TOWER. He'd never been here before. But he owned it. Elena stood beside him, staring up at the massive structure. "This is... yours?" "Master Lin's," Adrian corrected quietly. "Now mine." The encrypted message from last night had included coordinates. This address. And a single instruction: "Claim what's yours." Adrian walked toward the entrance. Elena followed, her hand finding his. The lobby was marble and chrome. Business people in expensive suits moved with purpose. No one gave Adrian and Elena a second glance—they looked completely out of place in their simple clothes. Adrian approached the reception desk. A young woman looked up, her professional smile barely masking her assessment of his worn jacket. "Can I help you?" Her tone suggested she doubted it. Adrian pulled out the black Cen

Elena stared at the coffee cup in her hands. They were back in their small apartment—the contrast jarring after spending the day in Nexus Tower's luxury. Eight billion dollars. A private army. A war against global corruption. And they were still living in this tiny, run-down apartment. "Adrian," she said quietly. "Why are we still here?" Adrian sat across from her, his laptop open on the small table. He was reading through Shadow Holdings files, absorbing years of operations in hours. "Because moving now sends a message," he said without looking up. "Everyone thinks I'm broke. That's an advantage." "An advantage?" "The Stone family. Marcus Tang. They think I got lucky with one big score. They don't know about Shadow Holdings." Adrian finally looked up, his eyes sharp. "The moment we move to a mansion, hire security, start living like billionaires, we tell the world we have resources. Then we become targets." Elena absorbed this. It made sense. But still... "How long do we sta

Derek sat in a dimly lit office across from a private investigator named Marcus Liu. The man was expensive—five thousand dollars just for the consultation—but he was supposedly the best. "You want me to investigate a prison?" Liu asked, looking skeptical. "Specifically about an inmate who was released last week?" "Not just any inmate." Derek slid a photo across the desk. Adrian Kane. "I need to know everything about his time in Blackwater Prison. Who he associated with. Who he learned from. Everything." Liu picked up the photo, studying it. "This is your foster brother. The one you—" He stopped, reading the situation. "I see. And now he's causing problems?" "He shouldn't even exist as a problem," Derek said, his voice tight with frustration. "He went to prison with nothing. He should have come out with less. Instead, he has money. Resources. Power I can't explain." "And you think the answer is in the prison records?" "It has to be. People don't just acquire billions in five year

Marcus Tang sat in his office at Tang Industries headquarters, staring at a file on his desk. The file contained everything his research team had compiled about Adrian Kane over the past three days. It wasn't much. And that itself was terrifying. Adrian Kane. Age 28. Five years in Blackwater Prison for embezzlement he didn't commit. Released two week ago. Married to Elena Bennett. Beyond that? Nothing. No employment history before prison. No significant financial records. No educational background worth noting. Just a foster child taken in by the Stone family and then discarded. But the gaps in the record told a different story. The Centurion Card that required $50 million minimum assets. The medical miracle that saved his grandfather. The calm confidence at the auction. The way he'd looked at Marcus with complete indifference, like Marcus's billions meant nothing. Someone was hiding Adrian Kane's real background. And doing it very, very well. Marcus's phone rang. His grandfat