Chapter Ninety-oneThe morning after the Zimmerman bankruptcy, the Tomson Heights penthouse was quiet until the private elevator chimed with the frantic energy of a trapped bird. Martha burst into the living room, her faux-fur wrap torn at the shoulder and her mascara running down her face in dark, jagged streaks."Lina! Adrian! Help me! They’re going to kill me!" she shrieked, collapsing onto the designer sofa and clutching a throw pillow to her chest.Lina rushed over, dropping her tablet. "Mom? What happened? Your phone has been off all night!""It was Gladys!" Martha sobbed, her voice cracking. "She invited me to a 'Private Investment Suite' at the Emerald Casino. She said it was for High-Net-Worth Matriarchs only. We were playing Mahjong... but the stakes changed. They started betting in huge Credits'!"Adrian walked out of the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a cup of black coffee. He didn't look surprised. “Huge Credits? Auntie, those are only traded by the top tier of

Chapter Ninety-threeThe noodle shop was a humble stall with a flickering neon sign that read Old Man Chen’s. The steam from the boiling vats of bone broth curled into the night air, a sharp contrast to the sterile, pressurized luxury of the Sovereign Tower.Lina sat on a cracked plastic stool, slurping her noodles with a newfound appetite. The Sovereign Serum hadn't just saved her; it had supercharged her. Her eyes were bright, and this made a smile tug on Adrian lips."Adrian," she said, wiping her lips with a cheap paper napkin. "That vitamin supplement that I had is making my body feel like it's buzzing. If the Trust has medicine like that, why aren't they selling it for billions?""Because it’s experimental, Lina," Adrian lied, his eyes scanning the dark alleyway. "The cost of producing one dose is more than the annual budget of a small city. The Trust only uses it for High-Value Assets they can't afford to lose.""And I'm a high-value asset?" she teased, reaching for his hand."

Chapter Ninety-fiveThe morning following the miraculous grocery delivery was supposed to be peaceful. Adrian was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and nursing a cup of instant coffee, while watching a stray pigeon land on the balcony of the penthouse. This was his favorite time of day before the Sovereign Estate’s global markets opened and before Martha woke up to find something to complain about.But the peace lasted exactly six minutes, before there was a thump then a clang.A sound like a dying engine erupted from the laundry room, followed by a frantic shriek that could have woken the dead."Adrian, Adrian. You, useless boy, get in here!"Adrian sighed, setting his coffee down. He walked toward the utility wing, finding Martha standing in a puddle of soapy water that was rapidly spreading across the Italian porcelain tiles. She was clutching a damp, sequined evening gown to her chest, her face a mask of panicked fury."Look at this!" she wailed, pointing at the ultra-h

Chapter Ninety-seven"Mom! Are you there?" her son’s voice was frantic, cracking with fear. "Did you try to use that Gold Pass I gave you at a store today? The Sovereign Security Team just showed up at my office with a warrant! They’re accusing me of distributing counterfeit credentials! I’m being suspended, Mom! They said the lead auditor flagged my name and tracked the card’s serial number back to a scammer in one of their districts! I'm ruined!"Mrs. Gable’s Gold Pass slipped from her numb fingers and fell directly into her hot tea cup. Within seconds, the gold foil began to peel off in the heat, floating on the surface of the tea like dead skin, revealing a plain, white piece of recycled plastic underneath.Everyone suddenly stopped mumbling and became silent.The silence in the penthouse was deafening. Gladys hid a smirk behind her silk napkin, while the other ladies suddenly found the floor patterns very interesting. Martha, realizing the power dynamic had shifted, immediately s

Chapter Ninety-nine"Family? What family? Your family couldn't afford a copper button, let alone a bronze basin!" Martha barked, tossing the bowl onto the floor with a heavy clang. "It’s taking up space where my new automated foot-massager is supposed to go. It’s ugly, it’s smelly, and it’s polluting the peaceful atmosphere of this penthouse. Take it to the scrap yard. Immediately!""Mom, leave him alone," Lina said, walking in with a coffee. "It’s just a bowl.""It’s not just a bowl, Lina! It’s a symptom of his poverty!" Martha pointed a manicured finger at Adrian’s chest. "Go. Take it to the pawn shop in the Old District. If you can get fifty dollars for the scrap metal, you can keep ten for a bus ticket. Just get this piece of trash out of my sight before I throw it off the balcony!"Adrian picked up the basin. He didn't need a microscope to know what it was. Beneath the rust were the Dragon Hair etchings—lines so fine they could only be carved by a Master Smith using a Sovereign-g