Nobody spoke after Vincent finished.Blood crept slowly across the marble beneath him while Scorpion kept one hand pressed against his wounded shoulder, holding him down hard enough to stop him from trying anything stupid.“You think Liam Andrew built this empire,” Vincent said between breaths. “But somebody else built the thing underneath it.”The Cartel Court stayed quiet after that.Even the guards near the entrances looked unsettled now. A few minutes earlier, everybody in the room still seemed certain they understood who the enemy was. That certainty was starting to crack.Ezra stepped forward first:“Who?” he asked.Vincent let out a tired laugh, then winced immediately afterward.“You’re still looking at the wrong level.”Scorpion pressed harder against the wound. Vincent sucked in air sharply through his teeth.“Then explain it properly,” Scorpion said.Vincent didn’t answer right away. He stared down at the floor for a few seconds like he was deciding how much talking was sti

The hidden corridor ended inside another underground operations bunker nearly forty minutes later. The difference between this room and the Cartel Court was obvious immediately. The polished confidence of the council members was gone.Some men still had dust on their shoulders from the collapse underground. One coordinator was arguing into a satellite phone while another kept switching nervously between convoy reports and financial alerts.Scorpion walked toward the operations table.“Give me the situation report, what’s happening?”An analyst answered quickly:“Romania distribution slowed again after footage from the attack leaked online. Liberia’s becoming unstable near the medical depots. We also lost contact with two escort teams near the Algerian corridor.”Ezra frowned, “Lost contact, in what way?”“No response from either convoy for almost an hour.”Ezra muttered under his breath, “Which usually means somebody’s already dead.”Desmond removed the torn jacket from his shoulders

Lucy waited until the office door closed behind Selene before speaking."So that's Selene."Desmond glanced up from the reports spread across his desk and immediately returned his attention to them."You've already said that""I know, but she's different from what I expected", she commented.That statement made him look up again. Lucy wasn't smiling the way she normally did whenever she wanted to tease him. Instead, she seemed genuinely thoughtful."What exactly were you expecting?" he asked."I honestly don't know. I've heard people mention her enough times around this laboratory that I probably created an image in my head without realizing it. After everything I've heard, I expected someone louder, someone more noticeable", her tone seemed natural.A faint smile appeared on Desmond's face, "You're describing a problem, not a person"Lucy ignored the remark, then she continued: "The strange part is that she doesn't seem interested in being noticed at all. Most people who spend time

By the time Selene returned to the laboratory, most of the day's activities were coming to an end. Researchers moved between departments carrying reports while technicians completed final inventory checks before leaving for the evening.Desmond was still inside his office reviewing paperwork. He glanced up when she entered."You look exhausted", he commented as he checked her pale face.Selene placed the completed delivery file on his desk and dropped into the chair opposite him."I'm starting to think that's my permanent appearance now"A small smile appeared on his face as he opened the report.“How was today's delivery?""The deliveries were fine", she answered briefly.Desmond nodded and continued scanning the paperwork. For a while, Selene simply watched him, without saying anything. But eventually, she leaned back in her chair before speaking."I think I finally understand something"That statement made Desmond look up to give her full concentration."Should I be concerned?", he

Josh was bewildered by the expression on his wife's face. He grabbed her wrist, then pressed it against his chest."Is this a threat?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"Her refusal to answer only seemed to irritate him further. He shoved her hand away, then he looked at her with a cold, unreadable, and dangerous expression."You are too small to threaten me."Annabelle couldn't stop the slight smile that appeared on her face. It wasn't because she found the situation funny, it was because she had finally seen a crack.Just for a moment, Josh looked worried."You keep saying that," she said quietly. "Yet here we are."Josh's eyes narrowed, "What exactly do you think you know?""I know enough", she replied confidently."Then say it."Annabelle shook her head, "No"He was shocked, “ Is this really the Anabelle I married?”, he thought. For the first time that night, Josh seemed unsure of what to say.Annabelle stepped back and crossed her arms, "That's the