Dean woke up earlier than usual, not because of work, not because of anxiety, but because a tiny hand kept tapping gently on his cheek. When he opened his eyes, little Mitchell Wealth sat beside him on the bed, smiling with that innocent charm that always melted his heart. Her curls were messy, her pajamas wrinkled, and yet she looked like the most perfect thing he had ever seen.“Da-da…” she said softly, patting his face again.Dean grinned, scooping her into his arms. “Good morning, princess. Ready for our big day?”She giggled loudly, her little legs kicking excitedly.Today he had promised himself, no work, no calls, no business meetings, nothing about the Mercedes family or Clinton. Just a father and his daughter, spending the kind of day he wished he had growing up.He got her dressed first, tying her small shoes carefully. Mitchell kept lifting her feet, making the task twice as long, but Dean didn’t mind. He was smiling the whole time. After breakfast, he carried her to the ca

The storm did not wait for morning.It began at 2:13 a.m.Philip’s call cut through the silence of the Wealth Mansion like a blade.Dean was still awake in his study when the encrypted line lit up again. He answered on the first ring.“Report.”“Sir Eden,” Philip said, and this time his calm voice had an edge. “They’ve launched.”Dean stood slowly. “Which front?”“All of them.”The screens in his study flickered on automatically. Security systems. Financial dashboards. Live feeds from Eden Royalty headquarters.Red warnings began appearing one after another.“Cyberattack detected.”“Unauthorized access attempt.”“Server overload.”Philip spoke quickly. “A coordinated breach attempt on our central financial servers. Simultaneously, false reports have been sent to three of our foreign partners claiming Eden Royalty is under investigation for fraud.”Dean’s eyes sharpened. “They’re trying to trigger panic withdrawals.”“Yes.”“And the physical side?”There was a brief pause.“Two deliver

The night after Nicolas met Silvestra, Alerion City felt different.Quieter.Like something was holding its breath.Inside Eden Royalty Headquarters, Philip stood in the security control room, watching live feeds from over a hundred cameras. His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp.“Replay that,” he ordered.A technician rewound the footage.On screen, Clarice exited the headquarters building earlier that evening. Two guards walked behind her. Everything looked normal.“Forward,” Philip said.The car door opened. Clarice got in.But for a split second..A man across the street lowered his phone too quickly.Philip narrowed his eyes.“Zoom in.”The image blurred, then sharpened.The man wore a cap. His face is half-hidden.But Philip recognized him.“Freeze it.”The technician obeyed.Philip leaned closer.“That’s one of Nicolas’ men.”A cold silence filled the room.“Sir,” the technician whispered, “does that mean..”“It means,” Philip said quietly, “they’ve started.”At the Wealth

By the third day after Marcus Bennett disappeared, the city no longer whispered.It watched.Every business channel ran the same question: Was Eden Royalty losing control?Inside the main boardroom of Eden Royalty Headquarters, the atmosphere was thick enough to choke on.The long glass table reflected tense faces. Senior executives shifted in their seats. Some avoided eye contact with Dean. Others stared at him, waiting.Dean stood at the head of the table, calm as ever.But the calm felt forced.“Marcus’ disappearance is under police investigation,” he said evenly. “Until facts are confirmed, we will not speculate.”A senior director cleared his throat.“With respect, Sir Eden, investors are panicking.”Another executive leaned forward. “The Eastport merger is on hold. They’re demanding stability before proceeding.”Philip stood near the wall, silent but alert.Dean’s gaze swept across the room.“Are any of you questioning this company’s stability?” he asked quietly.Silence.Then o

The white knight stayed on Dean’s desk.He did not move it.He did not throw it away.He left it exactly where Philip had placed it, near the edge of the polished wood, as if it were a silent guest waiting to be acknowledged.Morning light filtered through the tall windows of the study. Dean had not slept.Philip entered quietly.“You were up all night.”Dean didn’t look away from the chess piece. “So was he.”Philip closed the door behind him. “We swept the entire perimeter again. No breaches. No cameras hacked. No guards compromised.”Dean finally spoke.“He wanted to be seen.”Philip nodded. “Yes.”“Which means he’s confident.”“Or reckless.”Dean shook his head slightly. “Nicolas is never reckless.”A heavy silence settled between them.Philip stepped closer to the desk and looked down at the knight.“In chess, the knight moves differently from the others,” Philip said.Dean’s lips curved faintly. “It jumps over obstacles.”“Yes.”“And it doesn’t move in straight lines.”Philip me