The chief security guard, Amad, smirked, resting his hand lazily on the butt of his concealed sidearm. "What are you reaching for? A handful of loose change? Don't make my men pull their weapons in front of the guests." Gabriel withdrew his hand and held a single card. It wasn't plastic, and it didn't have the usual foil of street banks. It was black titanium, with no numbers, names, or logos on it. Only one small silver mark was etched in the centre. Amad scoffed, snatched the black card from Gabriel's hand, and stared at it with mocking eyes. "What is this trash? Some fake VIP club pass you bought off the internet?” "Swipe it, or step aside,” Gabriel said smoothly, Amad’s face darkened in anger. "You think you're funny, boy? Fine. I'll swipe your little toy, and when the machine flags it as junk, my men are going to drag you by your legs and dump you into the harbour canal." Amad marched toward the pillar beside the doors, where a verification machine hummed under a small

Gabriel walked with steady steps, his face calm and perfectly composed, as he held the case of the serum. Heavy, rushing footsteps echoed behind him, and two more men stepped out of a hidden side alcove up ahead.Gabriel stopped.The guards stepped out of the shadows. Dave, who couldn't sit still and wait for his men to return, came out from behind them with an ugly look on his face."Did you really think you were going to walk out of here with the serum, pal?" Dave sneered. "This underground network belongs to the elite of this city! You're nothing. A nameless nobody in a cheap coat who got lucky with a stolen credit line!"Gabriel didn't answer. He just looked at Dave with cold eyes."My family owns half the mining contracts in the northern territory!" Dave barked, his voice rising with pride. "We have judges in our pocket, police captains on our payroll, and three state senators eating out of my father's hand! Do you know what that means, you arrogant piece of trash? It means I ca

Twenty armed men stormed forward. At the front of the unit was Warlord Kestrel, whose cold eyes burned with arrogance as he surveyed the scattered, tied-up guards lining the passage. When Lyra Harrison saw him, she stumbled, and immediately she pointed a trembling finger at Gabriel. "That's him!" Lyra shrieked, her voice echoing frantically "Kill him, Kestrel! Put a hundred rounds through his chest right now! He destroyed my auction, he broke my men, and he took my stock!" Kestrel didn't answer right away. He raised his hand, signalling his twenty fighters to spread into a firing line. He unsheathed a combat knife. "Nobody touches Madam Lyra's business in the northern district," Kestrel growled. "Whoever you are, stranger, you just bought a one-way ticket to a mass grave." Gabriel's expression was plain. He stood in the middle holding the serum case in his left hand. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes meeting Kestrel's gaze. The moment Kestrel saw the stranger's face clearly,

That morning, Cargo cranes groaned as they lifted shipping containers from arriving vessels, and workers moved with renewed energy across the newly paved yards. With the recent fifteen-million-dollar maritime partnership signed with Bluecrown Maritime, the company’s future looked brighter than it had in a decade. Yet inside the main administrative office at Pier 4, Arthur Fletcher sat behind his desk, staring down at a formal government document stamped with a dark red rejection seal. Across the desk, Julian stood with his sleeves rolled up, his knuckles white as he slammed his fist onto the edge of the wood. "They rejected the expanded harbour license again?" Julian demanded, his voice filled with frustration. "We met every safety regulation, Father! We paid all the port clearance fees, and Bluecrown already submitted their corporate sponsorship documents!" Arthur let out a long sigh, taking off his reading glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. "It isn't about regulations, J

Thirty minutes later, Inside the administrative building of Fletcher Logistics, Arthur Fletcher and Julian were sitting at the desk, staring at the rejection notice in silent frustration. And think of how to convince Naomi or tell her about what was happening.The phone on the desk suddenly rang, making Arthur jump slightly.Arthur picked up the receiver. “Fletcher Logistics, Arthur speaking.”“Arthur!” a loud, excited voice boomed through the speaker; it was the senior port manager from the central shipping registry. “Have you checked the official harbour network portal? Your expanded license just went live. It has a master clearance status approved directly by the new Commissioner, Owen Antonio!”Arthur’s hand shook so much that he almost dropped the phone. “W-What? Approved? New committee? What happened to Jasper Fox?”“I’m sorry, I can’t say. But you should check your computer and immediately get back to us when you have completed the signing.”Arthur swallowed softly; his eyes m