Michael turned around slowly, his arms crossed over his chest, his turquoise-and-gold eyes perfectly calm. "What is it, Damon?""I was tracking the financial logs from Sector 9," Damon said, tapping his scanner to project a holographic map of the subterranean district. "I found out how Ashley was paying Vector's syndicate after we froze all of his personal and corporate accounts three days ago."Rebecca’s brow furrowed in confusion. "How? My father didn't have a single credit left in his name. Every vault was locked!""Ashley didn't pay them," Damon said, dropping a massive plot twist that made Rebecca’s jaw drop. "Dustin paid them.""What?!" Rebecca gasped, stepping forward. "Dustin?! No... that's impossible! Dustin was in Turkey managing legitimate trade deals!""It's not impossible, Rebecca," Damon explained rapidly, pulling up a series of encrypted wire transfers originating from offshore accounts in Istanbul. "Dustin wasn't just managing trade deals. When your father’s accounts w

In Tower 01, Damon Cole stepped up to a live microphone connected straight to the broadcast."Attention global viewers," Damon Cole’s smooth, confident voice echoed live over the video feed, overriding the studio audio. "This is Private Investigator Damon Cole, badge number 4092. What you are watching is unedited, verified evidence certified by the Federal Audit Bureau. The young man sitting in that studio, Dustin Vance, is currently under the influence of an illegal, mind-controlling dark relic forced upon him by his own father, Ashley Vance."Across the world, the public outrage instantly flipped! The online comments exploded with horror, disgust, and rage directed entirely at Ashley Vance and the West Scorpion Syndicate!On the live broadcast, Dustin watched the video playing beside his face on the studio monitor.The last remaining thread of his human sanity cracked. He looked at the screen, seeing his father’s cruel, laughing face in the recording, listening to his father refer t

"The documents, the video, the blackmails—they were just bait," Dustin said, his smile disappearing into a cold, menacing stare. "You were way too safe inside that impenetrable fortress of a Tower. Michael had you wrapped in three layers of armored security. I couldn't touch you in there.""You... you lied to me," Rebecca whispered, panic instantly flooding back into her chest."I needed you to walk out of that building on your own two feet," Dustin said calmly. "And you fell for it hook, line, and sinker."Rebecca turned around to sprint back toward the heavy exit doors, but before she could take three steps, two large men in black tactical gear stepped out from behind the steel shipping containers, blocking her path."Get away from me!" Rebecca shrieked, reaching into her purse for her emergency alarm beacon.Before her fingers could touch the device, Dustin rushed forward, grabbed her wrist, and slammed her against the brick wall. She gasped in pain as the purse dropped from her ha

The next morning, the grand glass doors of Tower 01 slid open, the environment was tense and full of Chaos.Michael and Serena walked into the main lobby of the Sovereign Alliance, but the usual orderly, professional atmosphere was completely gone. The main floor was in total chaos. Staff members were huddled in panicked groups, whispering frantically, while security officers paced back and forth holding encrypted tablets."Where is Mrs. Rebecca?" a senior manager stammered as Michael walked past. "Has anyone seen Mrs. Rebecca?!""She hasn't checked into her office!" another worker shouted. "Her private lines are completely dead!"Michael ignored the frantic crowd, striding directly toward the main executive desk. Sitting right in the center of the glass counter was a cheap, unbranded burner phone.It was already buzzing violently across the polished surface.BZZZZZZT! BZZZZZZT! BZZZZZZT!The surrounding staff backed away in fear, staring at the glowing, unidentified device. Serena st

The underground hallway leading to the deep cells was damp, dark, and heavy with the smell of old iron and stale sweat. Four heavily armed syndicate guards stood outside Rebecca’s cell door, holding heavy tactical rifles. The alarm sirens from the north gate were echoing faintly through the concrete ceiling, making them visibly jumpy. "Why are we stuck down here guarding a girl while the rest of the boys get to fight at the main gate?" one guard grumbled, adjusting his tactical helmet. "Shut up and keep your eyes open," the lead guard snapped, gripping his weapon tightly. "Vector said if anyone comes down this hallway, we shoot first and ask questions—" Before he could finish his sentence, the steel door at the end of the corridor was blasted off its hinges! BOOM! The massive iron door flew through the air like a discarded toy, slamming directly into two guards and pinning them against the wall with a sickening crunch! Through the lingering dust and smoke, Michael stepped into t