2025-06-12 22:49:23The receptionist froze as she watched the manager nervously apologize to the random guy wearing casuals. She almost felt like she was hallucinating.
“What’s wrong, sir?” she asked in confusion. “Why are you apologizing to this nobody?”
The manager looked up and stared daggers at the receptionist standing behind the counter. “Shut your mouth before I pull out your tongue, you stupid imbecile! Do you even know who he is? Just look at that card on the table! It’s an Obsidian Pass that’s only offered to the most prestigious members of the Emerald Club. How many damn times do I need to explain this to you?” he shouted.
“Could you just show me to my room?” Alex intervened, hardly bothering to get involved in this pointless scuffle.
The manager quickly turned around and started apologizing again.
“I am really sorry, sir. I should have been here to receive you. Please forgive me just this once. I swear I will make it up to you!”
The dumbfounded receptionist slowly lifted the black card lying on the table and lowered her gaze. On closer scrutiny, she saw the code : A001 printed in red, meaning this card was only meant for the club’s most esteemed member, and this person had unrestricted access to all four floors.
Realizing her mistake, the receptionist immediately dropped the card and fell to her knees.
“I…didn’t see it. Please don’t file a complaint. I am sorry!” she pleaded, lowering her head.
But the manager wasn’t ready to hear any excuses. “You’re fired! We don’t need an incompetent idiot sitting here! Get out right now!” he yelled, showing her the door.
As the whimpering receptionist was dragged away by two female bouncers, the manager wiped the sweat from his forehead and changed his tone at once.
“I apologize you had to go through that. Please follow me, and I will take you to your room right away.”
Alex picked up his card and put it in his pocket before following the manager as he led him across the hallway and entered the elevator.
When they arrived on the third floor, Alex checked his phone and saw a text from Dr. Lucy. She said she had a surprise for him and would be reaching in ten minutes.
“I will wait here for now. I am expecting a friend,” he told the manager.
The manager nodded like a loyal butler and led Alex to one of their premium tables overlooking the southern window.
“Please make yourself comfortable. I will get your room ready for you. If you need anything, just press the buzzer.”
Once the manager left, Alex stretched himself out on the mahogany chair and looked at his watch again. It was already eight, and Lucy was still running late.
Just then, Alex heard a couple of familiar voices in the background, and it instantly made him stiffen up and roll his eyes.
“Damn it. Not those fools again,” he sighed.
Felicia’s loud, high-pitched laughter jarred his ear as she laughed at one of Robert’s lame jokes.
“Oh, you’re so funny!” she giggled. “I haven’t had such a good laugh in years!”
“Get used to it, darling. I am not just a handsome face but quite witty as well,” Robert replied with his usual boast.
Felicia was still giggling when her eyes fell on Alex. The smile instantly vanished from her face as she saw him sitting at one of the premium tables all by himself.
She couldn’t believe Alex had the audacity to enter such an expensive restaurant, and she immediately concluded that he must have used the Rashford family name to gain access to this place.
“Just what on earth are you doing here, Alex?” she barked, raising her voice a pitch higher. “Did you tell them that you are my husband? How shameful of you to still keep using my name even though I have already filed for a divorce.”
“I booked this table. You have no right to be here, you mangy cur,” Robert scoffed.
Alex sighed in frustration and muttered in a cold voice, “I am a guest here. This isn’t your table.”
Immediately, Felicia and Robert burst into peals of mocking laughter.
“Does this idiot really think he can just stroll into Neon Heights and pretend he is welcome at the table?” Robert jeered, staring at Alex with a wide grin on his face.
Felicia shook her head and joined in the mockery. “This is really so sad. I think he just wants to enjoy his last night as a member of the Rashford family. After all, he will probably go back to begging on the streets once the divorce is finalized.”
Just as Alex turned around to respond, the elegant and graceful beauty, Dr. Lucy Winchester, arrived. Clutching her silver-rimmed purse, she walked up to Alex’s table.
Seeing that Alex was already busy talking to the two, Dr. Lucy politely asked, “Am I interrupting something? Are they friends of yours?”
“Hardly,” Alex sighed in response and stood up to pull a chair for her.
Felicia’s eyes widened as she saw the beautiful red-headed lady blushing and smiling at Alex. She couldn’t believe that a penniless nobody like him had managed to become friends with such a charming woman.
Not only was Dr. Lucy far younger than Felicia, but also exceedingly beautiful. It was the worst mismatch she could think of, but Dr. Lucy seemed overjoyed to be with him.
“You penniless dog. I can’t believe you trapped another woman so quickly,” Felicia muttered, overwhelmed with jealousy.
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539. Cabinet Crunch
Sergei Zharkov had planned to take his private jet back home that same night, but the recent disclosure from Alex made him change his mind.As his chauffeur was driving him to the airstrip, he gave him a new set of instructions.“Turn the car around. Take me back to the President’s penthouse in Foden Square.”Sergei’s return to the penthouse surprised everyone present there.Douglas Noyer, the President Sebastian’s Chief of Staff, ran out to receive him.“Mr. Zharkov, was there any trouble? Is something wrong?”“Nothing to be concerned about,” Sergei sniped, pushing past him and barging into the penthouse, followed by his guards. “Call an urgent meeting right away. I need to speak to our friends.”“All of them?” Douglas mumbled in confusion.“All 4 of them and our honorable Mr. President as well.”“It’s almost midnight. I am not sure if they can make it here on such a short—”Sergei snapped around and glared at Douglas.“Tell them, I summoned them! And I don’t care what they’re doing!
538. Turning Back the Clock
Sergei wasn’t the type of person to hold negotiations on someone else’s terms, but the information that Alex possessed was of critical importance.Obtaining the nuclear weapons instantly became secondary to Sergei’s plans.“I’ll pay you whatever you ask and grant you complete immunity as a citizen of Valheim. Just tell me where Commander Payne is hiding and who else he has allied with.Alex heaved a frustrated sigh.“I don’t need your money. I am a businessman with a vision. And that is worth more than money can ever buy.”“Then what do you want?” Sergei asked, his voice agitated and hoarse.“I want a piece of the main pie. Once you conquer Alexandria and subjugate its citizens, you’ll have access to all the country's resources. Valheim will become a global superpower when that happens. So, to truly expand my business and grow beyond borders, I need the system on my side.”“You have me on your side,” Sergei muttered.“People change, Mr. Zharkov. I can’t keep relying on you all the tim
537. Full Disclosure
Calvin Merson’s adamant refusal to spill his secrets boiled Sergei’s blood. But he knew using force was futile.He left the room with General Varoose following close behind.“Give me a day with him, and I guarantee he’ll be singing for you,” General Varoose spoke with the ego of a man who’d interrogated hundreds of prisoners of war during his career.But Sergei merely frowned at his words.“Mr. Merson will die before confessing anything. I have seen his eyes. Those were the eyes of a man who is willing to sacrifice anything for his mission.”“So, we’re just going to sit here and do nothing?” General Varoose asked impatiently.Sergei’s phone rang before he could answer.It was a call from the minister of defense.“We flew our drones over Gulliver’s Reef. They didn’t detect any radiation.”“How’s that possible?”“The experts believe the bomb wasn’t equipped with a nuclear warhead.”“What about the satellites? They picked up a mushroom cloud. And the thermal sensors spiked like crazy.”“
536. The Greater Good
General Varoose had led his troops to victory in countless battles and held the line against impossible odds on several occasions, but even to this day, he remembered what the God of War had done to his army.Xander Payne had ripped right through his defensive formation and routed his whole battalion almost single-handedly.He was the one General Varoose feared more than the devil himself, and hearing his name again after so many years brought back all his terrible memories.Staring at the scar over his left eye in the reflection in his mirror, General Varoose frowned and tightened his bushy eyebrows together.“Xander Payne is dead. He was killed in the bioweapon attack three years ago. We even sent in a hit squad to confirm the kill!” he replied after a long spell of deathly silence.“They didn’t manage to recover his body or provide any photographic evidence,” Sergei retorted. “I am afraid, all this time, we believed in a rumor.”“If Xander Payne were still alive, he would have reta
535. The One Who Must Not Be Named
News of the nuclear launch spread globally like wildfire, and by the time dawn broke over the northern hemisphere, every single news channel had the satellite footage of the enormous mushroom cloud on display.The International Peacekeeping Union called an emergency meeting of all 17 major countries, including Valheim and the military Republic of Orichoko.The President of the Council was furious about the unexpected nuclear launch, and his eyes were fixed on the 3 major nuclear powers.“There was a nuclear detonation over Gulliver’s Reef last night. But no one has accepted responsibility for the test,” he barked, staring daggers at the Defense Ministers of each nuclear nation. “You can try to play it smart, but I know it was one of you three. Only 3 countries have nuclear capabilities. It’s either Valheim, Orichoko, or Zorland!”“It wasn’t us. We don’t even have the capability to hit a target that far away,” the minister from Orichoko replied. “Clearly, there is a bigger fish in this
534. Operation Daybreak
As advised by Alex, the missiles were dismantled, and each part was loaded onto a separate truck while the warheads were airlifted via heavy-duty transport choppers.While all parts were bound for the same location, they were moved through different routes.Some were loaded onto private jets while others were shipped onto yachts and fishing trawlers.By scattering the components, they avoided attracting any unwanted attention and were easily able to clear all checkpoints without raising any suspicion.Right at the stroke of midnight, the first choppers landed in Santini, followed by the jets, yachts, and fishing boats, which took longer routes to confuse the coast guard and curious radar operators.Once all the components had landed, Samantha and her team started working double-time to reassemble the nukes.Meanwhile, Captain Williams and his elite commandos patrolled the beaches, keeping an eye out for any snooping boats and aircraft.“What’s the status, Captain?” Alex radioed in.“T
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