The ocean water tasted like salt and blood. Ronan coughed hard. His body shook as he crawled onto the sand. The waves crashed behind him, angry and loud, trying to pull him back. But Ronan dug his fingers into the wet earth. He pulled himself forward, inch by inch.His expensive shirt was now just rags. His skin was blue from the cold. He had cuts on his face and a deep bruise on his side where the boat had hit him. Everyone thought he was dead at the bottom of the sea."Not yet," Ronan whispered. His voice was like broken glass.He stood up. His legs felt heavy, like they were made of stone. He walked away from the beach and toward the city lights in the distance. He walked for hours. He did not feel the pain. He only felt the fire of hate burning in his chest.Ronan reached the city. He stayed in the shadows. He found a dark alley between two tall buildings. It smelled like old trash and rain. In the corner, there was a public internet terminal. It was dirty and the screen was crac

The Grand Hall was usually loud. It was full of music, laughter, and the sound of crystal glasses touching. But now, it was silent.The silence was heavy. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. Every eye was fixed on the double doors.A man stood there. He wore a sharp black suit. It did not have a single wrinkle. His shoes shined under the bright lights. He stood tall, with his shoulders back and his chin up.The crowd began to whisper. The sound was like the buzzing of bees."Is that him?" a woman in a red dress asked."No," a man replied. "That cannot be Ronan. Ronan is… messy. Ronan looks at the floor. That man looks like a tiger.""It is the useless husband," another whispered. "But he looks different."On the stage, Elena froze. She was the CEO. She was always calm. She was always in control. But now, her hand shook. She held her wine glass too tight. She stared at the man at the door.Ronan.He was supposed to be gone. He was supposed to be broken. But he walked

The air in the luxury penthouse was cold, but the people inside were sweating. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like frozen rain. Below them, twenty of the city’s richest investors held glasses of expensive champagne. They wore Italian suits and fake smiles.Ronan stood near the window. He looked calm. He wore a simple black suit that made him look like a shadow in the bright room. Next to him, Elena stood tall. She wore a dress the color of blood. She looked like a queen, but her eyes were darting around the room. She was nervous."Ladies and gentlemen," Elena said, raising her glass. Her voice was smooth like silk. "Forget the drama. Today, we launch the new system. Today, we double your wealth."The investors clapped. They liked money.Then, Ronan touched his phone. He did not look at it. He just tapped the screen once.On the giant wall monitor, the green line stopped. It froze.A loud beep echoed through the room. It sounded like a hospital heart monitor when a patient

The lights in the penthouse office died instantly. A heavy click echoed through the room, followed by the low hum of the backup generator.Suddenly, red emergency lights flashed on. They bathed the luxury suite in a bloody, pulsing glow. The shadows in the corners grew long and twisted.Jax jumped back. His confident smile vanished. "What did you do, Ronan?" he shouted. His voice cracked a little.Ronan stood by the window. He did not move. He did not blink. The red light washed over his face, but he looked like a statue made of ice. He looked down at the street below."Listen," Ronan said softly.From far away, the sound grew louder. Wail. Wail. Wail.Sirens. Many of them.Jax let out a nervous laugh. He adjusted his expensive tie, trying to look brave. "You hear that? That is for you, little brother. I told you. You lost. They are coming to take you away for fraud."Ronan turned slowly. He put his hands in his pockets. He looked relaxed. "Are they?"Elena was sitting at the heavy oa

The neon sign outside the window buzzed like an angry fly. Bzzzt. Click. Bzzzt.Elena hated that sound. She hated the smell of the room, which was like old wet towels and stale smoke. She hated the peeling yellow wallpaper. Most of all, she hated that this was her life now.Three days ago, she was the queen of the city. She had a penthouse, a limousine, and millions of dollars. Now, she was in room 204 of the Sunset Motel."Elena, please sit down," Jax said. He sat on the edge of the lumpy bed. His expensive suit was wrinkled. He looked ten years older than he did last week. "We are out on bail. We are lucky to be here."Elena did not sit. She paced back and forth on the stained carpet. Her hair was messy. Her eyes were wide and red. She looked like a trapped animal."Lucky?" she snapped. She pointed a shaking finger at the door. "They took my company, Jax! They froze my accounts. The news calls me a fraud. I have nothing.""We have our freedom," Jax whispered. "Let’s just run. We can