At that moment—that terrible instant when the secretary's words about the disabled CCTV cameras had fully registered, when the boss understood that even the most basic investigative avenue for determining what had happened at the bus station had been deliberately closed off before his people could secure the evidence—his fury transcended the cold, controlled anger he had been displaying and erupted into something far more visceral and violent. His face contorted with rage that could no longer be contained through verbal expression or pacing or gripping furniture, rage that demanded physical outlet and immediate target for the frustration and humiliation he was experiencing at having his carefully laid plans collapse so completely and spectacularly.The boss's eyes fixed on the secretary standing before him—the woman who had delivered nothing but catastrophic news, who had come to his residence with reports of failure after failure without offering any solutions or productive paths fo

He gestured toward the bleeding secretary on the floor with expression of disgust and continuing fury that suggested his emotional state hadn't fully resolved despite the interruption. "But look at what she brought me. She literally came here empty-handed. Couldn't give me any information that I actually wanted or needed. No CCTV footage because it was all destroyed before we could secure it. Nothing about what actually transpired at that bus station beyond vague inferences that our men must be dead because the target is still alive. Nothing concrete. Nothing actionable. Just failure after failure reported with professional courtesy as if that somehow makes it acceptable."The boss's jaw tightened again as he articulated his grievances, his voice rising slightly as anger threatened to resurge. "Now, I'm not going to just accept that. I can't simply nod and pretend that this kind of performance is adequate or that bringing me nothing but reports of catastrophic failure without any so

At that moment, even after hearing what his secretary had said, the boss remained completely still.His body had stiffened, his shoulders drawn tight, and his face had settled into an expression of deep irritation. Nothing about the night made sense anymore. Every answer seemed to create another question. Every plan he had made had collapsed in a different direction, leaving him surrounded by failures, uncertainties, and fragments of information that refused to fit together.The failed assassination attempt.The missing operatives.The destroyed surveillance footage.The old chairman’s miraculous recovery.And now Mia.The name had meant almost nothing to him a few moments earlier. She had been no more than a beautiful face from an old celebration, a young woman connected to a family that had once been useful to his organization. A minor piece on a board crowded with far more important players.Yet his secretary was standing before him with an expression that suggested Mia was not a mi

At that moment, after hearing the secretary’s firm confirmation, the boss became completely silent.For several long seconds, he did not move.Then, almost as if his body had suddenly lost its strength under the weight of the revelation, he slowly returned to his seat. The expensive leather chair creaked quietly beneath him as he settled into it, but his eyes were no longer focused on the secretary standing before him.Instead, he stared ahead.Directly opposite him was a large monitor screen mounted against the dark wall of his private office. The screen had gone black after the surveillance system had been shut down, leaving behind nothing but a dim reflection of the room—and his own face.He looked at himself.He saw a man still in his prime. A man with wealth, power, connections, and ambition. Yet he also saw the smallest signs of time beginning to leave their mark: the faint lines near his eyes, the tiredness hidden beneath his controlled expression, the subtle reminder that no am

The secretary gave a small, confident nod.“I would never fail you,” he said. “And I have never failed you before. So just consider this matter done. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”There was no hesitation in his voice.Unlike the others who worked under Marcus—men who trembled whenever his temper rose, men who spoke only when spoken to and disappeared the moment trouble appeared—this secretary had learned how to remain calm in the presence of danger. He had stood beside Marcus through too many difficult situations to be easily shaken. He understood his employer’s moods, understood when to challenge him, when to redirect him, and when to simply accept an order and make it happen.The giant bouquet of roses would be arranged.The hospital entrance would be transformed.And Mia would receive a message so grand, so public, and so impossible to ignore that everyone around her would be talking about it.The secretary gave a formal bow, bending forward at a perfect ninety-degree