Justice of the Supreme War God

CHAPTER 42 PART 1

Liam Steel paced his penthouse office like a caged animal, his phone pressed against his ear hard enough to leave a mark. His broken finger throbbed with phantom pain, a constant reminder of the humiliation Marcus Hayes had dealt him.

"What do you mean it's not done yet?" Liam snarled into the phone.

On the other end, Detector Truth's voice carried a hint of frustration unusual for someone of his reputation. "Mr. Steel, I've been trying to explain. The backdoor I created through the trojan has been closed. Someone scrubbed the phone clean—professionally. My access key is gone."

"Then make a new one!" Liam slammed his fist on the mahogany desk, sending a crystal paperweight rolling. "I'm not paying you six figures to tell me about your problems. I'm paying you to destroy that bastard!"

"It's not that simple—"

"I don't care how simple it is!" Liam's voice rose to a near shriek. "Diana should have kicked Marcus Hayes to the curb by now. She should have thrown him out on the street like the trash he is. But instead, what do I hear? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

There was a pause on the line. When Detector Truth spoke again, his tone was carefully measured. "Mr. Steel, perhaps we should reconsider the approach. If they've already cleaned the malware, they're aware someone is targeting them. Going back in now increases the risk significantly—"

"I don't give a damn about your risk!" Liam cut him off viciously. "You think I care about your professional concerns? I want that nobody destroyed. I want Diana's company bankrupted, and I want everyone to know it was that street rat husband of hers who did it."

"Then I'll need to reinsert the trojan into her devices," Detector Truth said flatly. "Which means I need physical proximity again."

"So do it! You found her once, find her again." Liam's lips curled into a cruel smile. "She's a creature of habit. Every morning, same coffee shop, same time. Blue Haven Café on Madison Street. Be there tomorrow morning and do your job, or I'll make sure every dark web forum knows Detector Truth couldn't handle a simple corporate espionage job."

The threat hung in the air. In their world, reputation was everything. A hacker who couldn't deliver became unemployable overnight.

"Fine," Detector Truth agreed coldly. "But my f*e just doubled."

"I don't care if it tripled. Just get it done." Liam ended the call and threw his phone onto the leather couch.

His father Lucas walked into the office, a tumbler of scotch in hand. "Still obsessing over Diana's husband?"

"That piece of gutter trash humiliated me, Father. In front of everyone." Liam's voice dripped venom. "He broke my finger, made me look like a fool at Grandma's party, and stole our contract with Strong Inc right from under our noses."

Lucas took a slow sip of his drink. "And yet Diana hasn't divorced him. Interesting, don't you think?"

"She will," Liam said with absolute certainty. "Tomorrow, her company account gets wiped clean. Every penny gone. And when the investigation traces it all back to Marcus Hayes, she'll have no choice but to throw him out. She's a businesswoman first—she won't protect someone who bankrupted her."

"You'd better hope you're right," Lucas warned. "Because if this blows back on us, the Steel family reputation won't protect you from the consequences."

"It won't blow back. I've covered my tracks." Liam's smile was pure malice. "By this time tomorrow, Marcus Hayes will be begging for change on street corners where he belongs."