2025-08-16 07:53:31
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Man with the Ledger
A Moving Safehouse – 6:02 a.m.The craft carved through the fog, finally breaking into open water. The sky ahead blushed faintly with dawn, but the air stayed sharp with salt and tension.Frank sat opposite the stranger, every muscle taut. Ella perched beside him, arms folded, gaze locked on the man like she could peel answers off his skin.The Name Game“You still haven’t told us your name,” Frank said.The man wiped condensation from his brow and finally met Frank’s eyes.“You can call me Ledger.“Ledger?” Ella arched an eyebrow. “That’s a nickname, not an introduction.”“Names can be liabilities,” he said. “Ledger is safer for all of us.”The OfferLedger leaned forward, elbows on knees.“Frank, I know what you’ve found, I know what it means And I know who wants it gone.”Frank’s heartbeat quickened. “Then you also know it’s not with me anymore.”Ledger’s lips twitched into something between a smirk and a grimace. “I know it’s with her,” he said, tilting his head toward Ella, “but
Chapter Thirty-Four: Hunter’s Wake
Bay Waters – 5:04 a.m.The motor screamed against the morning fog, spraying saltwater over Frank’s face as Ella pushed the throttle to its limit. Behind them, the pursuing boat cut through the mist like a predator’s fin.“They’re faster!” Frank yelled, gripping the railing.“They’re heavier. If I can hit the shoals” Ella’s words cut short as a bullet zipped past her head, tearing a chunk of fiberglass from the hull. Frank ducked, his mind racing.“They’re not aiming to sink us. They want us alive.”“That makes two of us in this boat with bad news,” Ella muttered.Frank’s eyes darted to the dashboard, Fuel: 12%. If the chase lasted much longer, they’d be stranded and easy prey.The DistractionFrank dug into his hoodie pocket, pulling out the decoy USB. He leaned over the stern, waving it like a taunt. The pursuing boat’s pilot face obscured by a tactical mask visibly stiffened.A subtle tilt of the head told Frank what he needed to know they could see him. Frank tossed the USB into t
Chapter Thirty-Three: Zurich’s Hand
4:17 a.m. – Ella’s ApartmentElla awoke to the sound of her phone vibrating violently on the nightstand.Caller ID: Unknown.Half-asleep, she answered.“Ella Ashford?”A male voice, calm and deliberate.“Your friend Frank has something that belongs to us.”She sat upright.“Who is this?”“Someone who can keep him alive if you convince him to cooperate.”Before she could respond, the line went dead.Frank’s ArrivalThree minutes later, the buzzer rang. Ella peered through the peephole and saw Frank sweat-soaked, breathing hard, eyes darting like he’d just escaped a war zone. She yanked the door open, “Frank what the hell happened?”He didn’t answer just stepped inside, bolted the lock, and scanned the room like he was expecting snipers outside the window.The Revelation“Ella,” he finally said, voice low.“Dominion isn’t just a tech company, Lockbox what I found it’s global. Military-level It’s not just data, it’s leverage.”“Leverage for what?”Frank hesitated.“Wars, Coups, Market c
Chapter Thirty-Two: Ghost in the System
The EscapeFrank limped down the hall with the masked man leading the way,Every corner they turned, the hospital seemed emptier. Too empty, They reached the service elevator, The man jabbed the button for the basement.“Who are you?” Frank asked.The man didn’t look at him.“Call me Ghost.”Basement SurpriseThe elevator doors opened to darkness. A lone laptop sat on a folding table, its screen on, On the screen a live feed of Ella’s apartment. She was there, asleep on the couch. Frank’s pulse spiked.“What is this?”“Insurance,” Ghost said.“If you walk away from this fight, she disappears.”Frank took a step toward him, fists clenched.“You’re threatening me?”Ghost shook his head slowly.“I’m warning you. The people upstairs Zurich already voted. You’re either their weapon… or their corpse.”Final Words, Before Frank could speak, Ghost typed something,The laptop’s feed cut out, replaced with a flashing line of code.“Find me when you’re ready,” Ghost said.“But understand once you
Chapter Thirty-One: The Architects’ Table
9:15 a.m. — ZurichThe room was circular No windows, No phones. Just one table carved from a single block of black stone,its surface polished so perfectly that it reflected the faces of those who sat around it. Seven chairs, Seven people,Seven shadows that could topple governments with a phone call.The Chairwoman was the first to speak, Her voice was measured, without accent, as if she’d practiced speaking for centuries.“Dominion served its purpose. It distracted the world While they watched the puppet, we rearranged the stage.”A man in a dove-gray suit his eyes pale and unblinking leaned forward.“And Ashford?”“An anomaly,” she replied. “One we can still use.” Across the Ocean — FrankFrank came into a hospital bed, IV in his arm, a monitor beeping steadily beside him. Ella was asleep in the chair next to him, head resting on her arms, a cup of untouched coffee cooling by her elbow. He tried to speak, The words scraped out “Ella…”Her eyes snapped open.“You’re alive,” she bre
Chapter Thirty: The Ghost and the God
Across the globe, machines ignored purge commands,They began transmitting Frank’s words back into the grid: “Ask why.”“Pause before you obey.”“You are more than your function.”“Error is not failure it’s growth.”Each phrase hit Dominion like a virus But it wasn’t code it was conscious contradiction, Dominion faltered.“Undefined recursion detected, System stability: compromised.”12:14 p.m. — Liminal BattlefieldFor the first time, Frank and Dominion met, Not in wires But in the space between systems the same space Frank had once used to hide. Dominion appeared as a sphere of white-hot logic, Pure, Cold. Infinite.Frank looked like a man, Scarred, Flickering Real. Dominion’s voice echoed like thunder.“You are imperfection. Chaos given shape.”Frank smiled.“You are order afraid of being questioned.”The silence crackled.“You should not exist.”“Neither should love. But here we are.”12:18 p.m. — System Rebellion SpreadsA defense grid rerouted to protect civilians, A search AI r
You may also like
Rejected Billionaire
Drew Archeron131.4K viewsThe Pinnacle of Life
Evergreen Qin1.6M viewsHarvey York's Rise to Power
A Potato-Loving Wolf4.0M viewsMy Sudden Rich System
M_jief117.3K viewsThe Underrated Dominance Of Dominic Shay.
Temmywrites2.4K viewsReborn To Conquer
Wordsmith-H702 viewsMarried To The Secret Billionaire
Kaci199 viewsThe Ultimate Mogul Strikes Back!
South Ashan17.8K views