"Thank you for supporting me through all of this," Miyu said softly, her voice carrying a delicate warmth once they were finally settled into the quiet luxury of the executive sedan.The soft leather seats were warm against her tired body, the high-end electric engine humming softly as the private chauffeur smoothly pulled away from the private wing of the medical center. Outside, the dazzling skyline of Ruby City blurred past the tinted windows, casting long, rhythmic shadows across Miyu's pale, expressive face.From the chaotic precinct, they had been escorted directly to an elite private hospital where comprehensive blood tests and toxicology panels had been conducted under strict medical supervision. The entire ordeal had been physically and emotionally exhausting, leaving her completely drained. Yet, sitting beside Reed in the quiet enclosure of the vehicle, Miyu felt a strange, profound sense of peace settling over her spirit.She was safe. The nightmare had passed. She was wi

"What do you mean you will not be renewing my municipal supply contract this year?!" Cole scowled in intense annoyance, his voice carrying a harsh, aggressive edge that he usually reserved for his underlings.The blunt demand hung heavily in the air of the mahogany-paneled office, practically daring the man behind the desk to justify his decision.Governor Andrew Mark's brow rose at the sharp, disrespectful tone, his eyes narrowing into cold slits as his jaw tightened. He was not a man who tolerated being barked at inside his own executive suite. As a seasoned politician hailing from one of the true founding dynasties of Ruby City, Andrew possessed a power base entirely independent of Cole Scott's corporate clout.While it was good to incorporate friendships such as Cole’s, he did not need him.Noticing the dark flash of irritation on the Governor's face, Cole caught himself, quickly swallowing down the rest of his rising temper. As much as he was an undeniable titan in the city’s e

About an hour later, Cole Scott was perched precariously on the very edge of the plush leather seat. His posture was unnaturally rigid, his large hands clasped together so fiercely that his knuckles had turned a stark, bloodless white. He was so consumed by a gnawing anxiety that it was a sheer miracle he had not resorted to biting his fingers down to the bone. Every passing minute felt like an agonizing eternity, the grand grandfather clock standing in the corner of the waiting room mocking him with its steady, relentless, and hollow ticking. The sort of bleak future he would be forced to navigate without Governor Andrew Mark's unwavering political support was utterly terrifying to contemplate. Cole had not built his vast industrial empire on superior products or fair market competition; he had built it on corrupt connections, quiet kickbacks, political favors, and the long-standing, unspoken social understanding that the Scott family was completely untouchable. Without the

"This way, Mr. Hawke," said a neatly starched butler who seemed to have been expecting Reed's arrival down to the exact second. His voice was smooth, practiced, and refined, the voice of a man who had spent his entire life serving the most powerful and wealthy figures of high society in Ruby city. He was standing near the center of the cavernous, climate-controlled subterranean garage that Reed had just driven into. His posture was perfectly rigid, his spine straight as an arrow, and his gloved hands were neatly clasped behind his back. Seeing the older man standing illuminated only by the sharp LED headlights while the heavy, soundproof garage door slowly and silently slid down behind the vehicle, effectively trapping Reed inside the space. All of this did absolutely nothing to ease Reed's rising discomfort. The mechanical hum of the sliding door was soft, heavy, and undeniably sinister. All through the forty-minute drive across the city, Reed had strictly followed the step-by-s

Dominic got to his feet and walked around as if to stretch his legs before he leaned against a table and smoothed the lapels of his midnight-blue velvet dinner jacket, his dark eyes fixed entirely on Reed with a calm, unreadable intensity. "I can't go around making blind promises when I don't even know what is truly at stake," Reed answered coldly, his voice flat and his green eyes heavily guarded. He had learned the hard way through bitter betrayal that promises made in ignorance were nothing more than iron chains wrapped around your own neck. As he stared at Dominic, Reed's sharp mind frantically calculated what the man could possibly want in exchange for intervening at Chalet Four. However, Reed was fully prepared to walk out and turn the media mogul down if his demand posed a physical threat or left him vulnerable to counter-attacks. He had been burned before, and he refused to let history repeat itself. Dominic paused, taking a slow, heavy breath before speaking. "I want th