Chapter Two-Hundred and Seventy-OneThe Grandier Palace was packed that evening. Martha sat at the center VIP table with four of her oldest high-society friends. She looked happier than ever. She had finally gotten the power she had always dreamed about, and she was enjoying every second of it.“Put the entire vintage menu on this table.” Martha dropped her new black card onto the waiter’s silver tray. “The Andrews own Western Port now. We don’t care about the price.”Her friends gasped. Their eyes filled with envy. Martha smiled proudly. She loved that look.Before the waiter could take the card, a hand suddenly snatched it from the tray.“The card is fake.” The sharp voice made the table go silent. “And this table is closed.”Martha’s smile disappeared. Julian Thorne stood beside the table in a designer suit, wearing a cruel smirk. Behind him stood a middle-aged man in a dark green uniform. Officer Vance. The head of the District Tax Enforcement Office.Martha’s face immediately dar

Chapter Two-Hundred and Seventy-ThreeThe silver mag-lev shuttle left the landing strip, moving seamlessly through the thick mist that clung to the outer ring of the island. Through the large glass windows, the Global Sovereign Sector slowly came into view. Tall buildings filled the distance, and huge bridges connected one part of the sprawling city to another. Far below, the main harbor stretched along the jagged coast. Large ships filled the busy docks, while automated cranes moved containers from one place to another beneath the glowing blue lights that shone across the water.Martha sat quietly in her seat, her fingers still wrapped tightly around her mink coat. For once, she had nothing to say. Her mind kept returning to the image of Butler Jean kneeling before Adrian, and the princess who had stepped away from him in fear. None of it made sense to her.“Adrian,” Andrew finally broke the silence, his eyes looking out of the window toward the towering skyline. “This place is diffe

Chapter Two-Hundred and Sixty-SixThe rain kept falling outside. Inside the damp stone room, the smell of old harbor fuel had become even stronger. But the supervisors did not care. They were still laughing.Tracey stepped back while watching the video on her phone, her chest puffing out with malice. “This is an absolute masterpiece,” she giggled. Her fingers moved across the screen, tapping the screen to send the video straight to the Capital family group chat. “The main family is going to love this.” She pointed her phone back at Lina. “Look at the camera, Lina. Give everyone a nice smile from your new office.”Lina did not look up. She kept scrubbing the dirty floor, her hands raw and burning from the harsh chemicals. The soap water had started turning pink because of the cuts on her fingers, but she did not dare stop. Behind her, one of the dock enforcers stepped forward.Thump.His leather club hit his palm. Lina knew exactly what he meant. Keep working.Director Sharon sat behin

Chapter Two-Hundred and Seventy-Eight Director Sharon did not move. Her hand was still above the desk, holding the fountain pen. She stared at the dark oil marks Adrian had left across the marble floor. The supervisors who had been sitting carelessly with their boots on the desks were now standing straight. They looked from the huge ships outside to the man standing in the doorway. “Adrian…” Lina’s voice shook. Her fingers released the wooden scrub brush. Tracey quickly stepped backward, her heels splashing through the dirty, bloody soap water. She pointed at Adrian with a shaking finger. “Adrian! You broke the front gate!” she screamed. “Guards! Break his legs! He is a vandal! He sabotaged a Global Core port facility!” The four dock enforcers tightened their grip on their leather clubs. They moved toward Adrian, but Adrian did not even look at them. His hands remained inside his shorts pockets. He looked completely relaxed. Then he took another slow step forward. Slap. His wet

Chapter Two-Hundred and EightyThe heavy iron handle of the door clicked back into place, and the wet air of the northern dock rushed past Adrian as he stepped outside into the rain. Lina, Andrew, and Martha followed behind him in a daze, their wet shoes clicking against the iron pier. Behind them inside the lodge, the absolute silence remained unbroken. Nobody dared to chase them, and the four dock enforcers stayed glued to the floor walls."Adrian..." Martha finally found her voice, her tone shaking violently as she clutched her cut fingers. "That was... that was the Vanguard Syndicate. You just wiped out seventy million dollars in front of their faces. If Patriarch Donald finds out about his license—""He already knows, Auntie," Adrian said, his voice flat, calm, and completely unbothered as his rubber flip-flops made a loud slap-slap sound against the wet steel grates.He didn't look back at the shipping terminal. He slung his duffel bag higher over his shoulder, his eyes scanning