All Chapters of Ring of Power: The Billionaire's Secret: Chapter 71
- Chapter 80
100 chapters
71 - We Have A Problem
"Now we stop reacting," Jake said. The Hearts pulsed warm on his skin. Responding to his emotion. "We take the fight to him. Force him into a real confrontation. End this before he can use what he stole.""We don't even know where he is," Harrison said. "He moves constantly. Never stays in one location long enough to track."Elena's voice cut through. Quiet but clear. "I do. I know one location he'll definitely be. Because he's holding my mother there. And if we hit it, he'll come. He'll have to."Everyone turned. Looked at her.She was still pale. Still shaky from the café. But her expression was determined. Resolved."It's risky," she continued. "Could be another trap. Probably is a trap. But it's also our best chance. Hit his leverage point. The place he's keeping my mother. Force him to respond. Bring the fight to him instead of waiting for his next move."Sora considered. Silent. Thinking. Weighing options. "It's aggressive. Dangerous. Could go very wrong very fast.""Or it could
72 - How Do You Know That Name?
Jake's blood runs cold. The name hits him like someone punched him in the chest. "Rousseau? As in the Rousseau family?"His voice came out wrong. Too tight. Too sharp. The Hearts under his skin reacted to the spike of adrenaline flooding his system.Sora's face hardened into something carved from stone. Both of them knew that name. Had been warned about it. The old European money that stretched back centuries. The family that had been trying to destroy Marcus Vale and Titan for decades. The rivals his father had told him about in hushed, careful conversations."The investigator is certain," Sora said. Her voice was quiet but Jake heard every word like it was shouted. "Elena Kozlova was recruited at age eighteen. Trained for three years at Rousseau Security Consulting. Became one of their top operatives. Then she disappeared two years ago. Resurfaced working for Victor Kozlov six months ago."Jake ran a hand through his hair. Tried to process. Failed. "Why didn't this show up in your e
73 - Can't Be Trusted
"Doesn't matter how I know." Sora stepped closer. "Talk. Now. Everything."Elena's hands shook. She set down the weapon with movements that looked careful. Controlled. Like she was afraid of dropping it. She sat heavily on a nearby crate. Wouldn't meet their eyes. Stared at the ground instead."I worked for them," she said quietly. "Years ago. Before Victor. Before any of this started.""Which Rousseau?" Jake asked. His mind was racing. Trying to connect dots. Trying to see the full picture. "Who specifically hired you? Who trained you?""A woman. Marguerite Rousseau." Elena was shaking now. Full body tremors she couldn't hide. "She runs their security operations. Recruits and trains operatives for the family. Private contractors. Mercenaries. People who do the work they can't be officially connected to."Jake and Sora exchanged looks. Marguerite Rousseau. A name they didn't know. But the family name they knew all too well. Had been warned about. Had been fighting against for months w
74 - Confrontation Delayed
{Hello Jake. Or should I call you Mr. Morrison? We've been watching you. Watching everything. Elena's doing wonderfully, don't you think? Such a talented actress. See you very soon. -M}M. Marguerite. The woman behind everything. And she'd been watching them this entire time. Watching. Waiting. Planning.Jake showed the message to Sora. Her jaw clenched. Muscles tightening under her skin.Elijah wandered over. Read the mood. "Okay, what happened now? You both look like someone just told you the world's ending.""Close enough," Jake muttered. Showed him the phone.Elijah read it. His usual grin faded. "Who's M? And why are they being all formal with you? That's creepy. Like they know something we don't.""They know a lot we don't," Jake said."And who's Marguerite?" Elijah looked between them. "Because that's a fancy name for someone sending creepy stalker texts.""She knows," Sora said quietly. Ignoring Elijah's questions. "Marguerite knows exactly where we are. What we're planning. W
75 - A Fair Warning
"He says he knows who's been poisoning him. He says he figured it out right before he collapsed." Sora's voice dropped. Got quieter. More urgent. Like she didn't want anyone else to hear. "And Jake. He says we're walking into a trap tonight. That the Rousseaus have been planning this for months. That everything that's happened has been leading to this moment. And he says if we go through with the assault on that facility, everyone dies."Jake felt the words hit him like physical blows. Marcus knew. Had figured it out. And now he was awake and warning them. Telling them to stop. To abort. To run.But they were already committed. Elena's mother was supposedly at that facility. Their people were gearing up. The plan was in motion. Stopping now meant abandoning someone who might be innocent. Might be a prisoner. Might die if they didn't act.Or it meant avoiding a trap that would kill them all."We need to go," Sora said. "Now. Hear what he knows. Get the full picture before we make any d
76 - Dangerous Convenience
Jake sat across from her. Kept his voice level. Controlled. "Our sources say the facility is a trap. Victor and Marguerite working together. Both of them there. Both waiting for us." Elena's eyes widened. Genuine shock spreading across her face. "What? No! That can't be right! I gave you Victor's location! His holding facility! I didn't know Marguerite was involved!" "Convenient," Sora said from the doorway. "Or planned." "It's not planned! I swear!" Elena stood up. Desperate. "Jake, please! If Marguerite's there, she'll kill me on sight! For deserting! For breaking my contract with the family! Why would I send you there if it meant my death?" "Maybe because she promised you amnesty," Sora said coldly. "If you delivered us. If you brought Jake and all his Hearts straight to her. Delivered the one thing she's been hunting for decades." "No! That's not what this is! I'm not working for her!" Elena's voice cracked. "I'm trying to save my mother! That's all I care about! Getting
77 - Betrayal Revealed?
'Eh?!' Jake's mind reeled. 'Why does that name... The board member who's been there for fifteen years? He's the traitor?'"Sora, is your un—""Not now." Her voice was steel. Cold. Final. She pocketed the phone. "We talk about this later. In the vehicle. After we've dealt with Elena."Jake wanted to argue. Wanted to ask questions. But he saw her face. Saw the way her jaw was set. The way her eyes had gone flat and empty.This wasn't the time. Not with Elena waiting. Not with a mission to plan. Not with everyone watching."Okay," he said quietly. "Later.""Later," she confirmed. Then stood. Turned. Walked toward Elena's holding room like nothing had happened. Like her world hadn't just shattered.But Jake saw the way her hands were shaking. Saw the tension in her shoulders. Saw the cracks in the mask she was trying to hold together.And he knew that when "later" came, when they were finally alone in that vehicle, the mask would fall.And Sora Chen would break.***The armored vehicle ru
78 - Finally At The Target
"I don't care." The ice in her voice could have frozen the sun. "He could have come to Marcus. Could have asked for help. Could have trusted the company he served for fifteen years to protect his precious family. We have resources. Connections. We could have hidden them. Protected them. Kept them safe."She looked back at Jake. "But he didn't. Instead, he chose them over everyone at Titan. Over Marcus who trusted him. Over me. His own niece. He endangered me to save his wife and kids. Made his choice clear."Jake understood then. Saw it in her eyes. The betrayal wasn't just professional. It was personal. Family choosing family. Richard picking his immediate family over his niece. Deciding Sora was acceptable collateral damage as long as his wife and kids stayed safe."After we deal with Victor and Marguerite," Sora said quietly. Voice like a knife edge. "After this war ends. After we've survived tonight. I'm going to make sure Richard Chen pays for everything he's done. Not just legal
79 - We're Screwed
"Because they're both in there. Victor and Marguerite. Together. In one place." Jake looked at the team. At thirty people who trusted him enough to follow him into hell. "This might be our only chance to end this. To stop them before they destroy everything. Before they kill the chairman. Before they take what belongs to Titan and do whatever they're planning. So yes. It's a trap. But it's also an opportunity."He paused. Let that sink in. "Anyone who wants to leave, go now. No judgment. No consequences. Just go. But everyone who stays? We go in together. We fight together. We survive together. Or we don't. But either way, we end this tonight."Nobody moved. Nobody left.Thirty people standing in formation. Ready to die for a cause. For people they believed in. For a paycheck that was really good but probably not worth this.Sora stepped forward. "Teams Alpha and Bravo take point. Charlie and Delta cover flanks. Echo team stays on vehicles for extraction. Maintain radio silence unless
80 - Don't Show It!
Jake had seen the descriptions. Had heard the warnings. But seeing her in person was different.She was beautiful. Dangerously so. The kind of beauty that made people stupid. Made them forget she was a killer. Made them underestimate her until it was too late.Elegant. Curves in all the right places. Dark tactical clothing that somehow looked designer. Like she'd walked off a runway and into a war zone. Long dark hair pulled back. Sharp features. Eyes that promised death wrapped in sophistication.French. Definitely French. Even standing silent, she radiated that European elegance. That old money confidence. That sense of being better than everyone else."Welcome, Jake Morrison!" Victor's voice boomed through the warehouse. Echoing off metal and concrete. "We've been waiting for you! Please, come in! Make yourself comfortable! Oh wait. You already did!"He laughed. The soldiers didn't. Professional. Focused. Fingers on triggers.Jake said nothing. Just scanned. Counting soldiers. Iden