His heavy boots crunched loudly on the shards of broken glass.As he walked directly under the single, swinging light bulb, his massive silhouette stretched across the room, casting a long shadow over the groaning men like a heavy shroud. They looked up through blurred, bloody eyes, suddenly freezing in terror as they realized they weren’t alone. The petty anger that had driven them to tear each other apart vanished in an instant, replaced by the primitive fear of a true predator standing over them.Slayde stopped just at the edge of the ruined circular table. He didn't look at the scattered cash or the blood-stained cards. His cold, dark eyes were fixed on Leo, who was clutching his fractured ribs and hyperventilating on the floor.When Slayde reached into his jacket, the men flinched, expecting a weapon.Instead, he pulled out a crumpled digital photograph of Maya’s father. He held it down beneath the swinging bulb, letting the light illuminate the missing man’s face."You all

Slayde didn't pull out a weapon.Instead, he pulled out the heavy, smooth security token Nash had given him for the VIP garage, a special corporate chip used by the city's top executives to bypass security anywhere. He held it directly in front of Brad’s face, letting the bright gold light of the lounge reflect off the polished metal.The mocking laughter died instantly.Brad's eyes locked onto the token, the arrogant color draining from his face in a fraction of a second. His chest tightened as he recognized the distinct, laser-etched insignia of the Nash conglomerate, a symbol carrying enough weight to buy and sell the entire harbor district ten times over.Martin leaned in, his jaw dropping so fast it almost hit the floor. A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck despite the air-conditioned lounge."Is... is that..." Martin stammered, his loud, confident voice cracking like a nervous teenager's."A universal tier-one override," Brad whispered, his eyes widening in pure

Caleb stood completely paralyzed, his eyes darting between his two floundering guards and Slayde's unmoving, towering frame. He was absolutely stunned. Caleb knew the credentials of his elite security team; these were highly paid, top-tier professionals trained to handle violent harbor thugs and unruly patrons. There was no earthly way a random street-level fraud should have been able to dodge them so seamlessly, let alone make them look like complete fools without breaking a sweat.As Brad and Martin frantically scrambled to untangle themselves, their gear clattering loudly against the marble, Caleb’s shock quickly morphed into absolute, raging embarrassment. His face flushed a deep, violent crimson. He felt as though they were making a mockery of him right in his own lobby."Are you completely out of your mind?!" Caleb shrieked, his voice cracking under the weight of his fury as he stomped his designer shoe. "What the hell was that?! Are you two morons intentionally messing with

His grin vanished, his features twisting right back into a mask of pure, insulted rage. "What did you say?! You don't get to choose, you arrogant piece of trash! You either play, or you get turned into Swiss cheese right now!"As Caleb continued to scream, his voice echoing loudly off the polished marble, Slayde didn't look at him. Instead, his dark eyes narrowed slightly as a calculating thought crossed his mind.He was here looking for Maya's father, a debt-ridden street gambler who had somehow ended up in a high-end parlor run by Rolling Shipping Limited. If a loser like that came here, threw away money he didn't have, and couldn't pay up, what happened to him? Where did a syndicate take the people who lost everything?Slayde's gaze shifted back to Caleb. Playing along might just lead him straight to where the debtors were kept.If Slayde just killed his way through the lobby, the upper management would scatter, data would be wiped, and the trail would go cold. But if he play

Behind them, Celine stood perfectly still, her hand resting against the velvet rope as she watched Slayde walk away. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, shallow breath. Her gaze lingered on his towering figure, a complex mixture of shock and intense curiosity washing over her. She had never met a man who could look at her with such complete, icy indifference, let alone one who dared to treat the Rolling family heir like a mild inconvenience.A dangerous thrill ran down her spine. Her dark eyes sparkled as she smoothed out the silk of her emerald dress, wondering exactly what would happen once those red doors closed.Caleb snapped his fingers aggressively at the guards, his voice shaking with venomous anticipation. "Move! Get him inside the VIP room! Lock the doors behind us!"The heavy red doors loomed at the end of the lavish hallway. The guards stepped past Slayde to push them open, and Caleb ushered the group inside. The moment Slayde’s large frame cleared the threshold, the