2025-06-24 08:35:00Dubai sparkled like a desert jewel, its towers gleaming beneath the brutal sun, its streets teeming with the world’s elite, politicians, powerbrokers, predators, Some called it paradise. For Jace Carter, it was a battlefield wrapped in glass.
He touched down at 3:47 AM on a private, unregistered jet secured by Darius. No flight plan. No announcement. No room for error.
Elena, her arm now stitched and stabilized, walked beside him despite her injury. Her glare said she was ready to shoot anyone even God who got in their way.
Gustavo Reyes remained behind in a hidden location, controlling satellite surveillance and drone intel. “You’re walking into a trap,” he warned through their encrypted comm. “Expect layers. Triple blinds. Daven was trained by the same ghosts I was, only they broke him in ways they never broke me.”
Jace didn’t flinch. “Let him try.” The board vote was scheduled for noon. Location: The Ecliptic, the tallest tower in Dubai, entirely owned by Carter Global. That day, every executive, investor, and major stakeholder would gather at the top.
Daven Carter had petitioned to remove Jace from all rights of inheritance. Claiming fraud. Psychological instability. Fabricated identity. “In 9 hours,” Elena said, “he intends to own the entire empire. And if he wins the vote… it’s done.”
Jace stared out over the city. “Then I’ll crash the boardroom before the clock hits zero.” 6:10 AM — Underground Safe Zone, 40km outside city limits.
Darius had built the place during Elias’s final years, a “shadow nest,” filled with disguises, weapons, fake passports, burner comms, and a digital override vault. Jace inserted the three keys into the console.
The cube, the silver chip, and the black glass token lit up, interlocking with a mechanical click. The vault chimed. “CARTER PROTOCOL INITIATED.”
“Override access granted.”
The console blinked. MATCH FOUND. Confirm: Elias Carter – direct bloodline. “Vault opening…” A small compartment hissed open.
Inside, nestled in a titanium frame, was a red data crystal with the Carter crest and an encrypted number sequence glowing beneath it. The Final Override.
Or destroy everything. Elena stared at it. “You hold the world in your hands now.”
Jace said nothing. Because all he could hear was Lucien’s voice, whispering from that old video: “Your grandfather’s sins were never buried. Just locked away. Now you get to decide whether to inherit them… or burn them down.”
9:15 AM – Downtown Dubai, Jace walked into the heart of enemy territory wearing a suit stitched with graphene plating and a mind sharpened by betrayal, A stolen board member pass gave him access to the lobby. From there, he rode the elevator to the 199th floor, where the Carter boardroom awaited behind steel doors and biometric scanners.
Two security agents eyed him warily. Jace smiled. “I have a seat at the table.” They hesitated. Then the doors opened. And the air inside changed. The Boardroom.
Circular. Sleek. Surrounded by bulletproof glass overlooking the entire city. Twelve men and women sat at the round table. In the center? Victor Lang, smiling like a viper in silk. And beside him, seated in Elias Carter’s former chair, was Daven Carter.
He looked nothing like Jace, except for the eyes. Same shade of silver-grey. But his posture? Predator. His smile? Surgical. Jace walked in without a flinch. Silence fell. Daven’s smirk widened. “Well, well. The ghost returns.”
Jace held up the data crystal. “I brought a housewarming gift.” Victor stood, holding a legal packet in one hand.
“This board is in session to determine the rightful heir of the Carter Consortium. As acting counsel, I move to invalidate Jace Carter’s claim on the grounds of”
Jace cut him off. “On the grounds that you lied, Victor.” He inserted the crystal into the override panel at the table. Every screen in the room flickered.
Then lit up with the full audit of Elias Carter’s legacy, including Daven’s disappearance, genetic confirmation, and video proof of Victor forging board signatures to place Daven as heir. Chaos erupted.
“Impossible”
“We signed nothing”
“That’s my name on a document I never saw”
Jace’s voice cut through them like a blade. “You want to talk legacy? Let’s talk about how Lucien Ward funded this resurrection. Let’s talk about the deals being cut in backrooms while Daven hides behind fake paperwork and fabricated memories.”
Daven stood slowly. He didn’t yell. He just walked around the table and stopped a foot from Jace. “You don’t deserve this name,” he whispered.
“You don’t deserve this blood,” Jace replied. Daven’s punch was lightning-fast, but Jace blocked it and twisted his arm, slamming him into the table. Gasps rang out. Jace leaned in.
“You want to fight me for the empire? Then let’s fight. But not here.” Victor snapped his fingers. Suddenly, guns drawn. Two agents flanked Jace. Daven stepped back, straightened his suit, and spoke to the room:
“My cousin is clearly unstable. This proves everything. Remove him.” Before the guards could fire, the windows exploded inward. Drones. Flashbangs. Smoke filled the room.
And a voice boomed through the chaos:“Stand down. This building is under siege by Order 66 of the Carter Emergency Charter. All power is revoked.” Darius Feng stepped through the smoke in full tactical gear.
Behind him? Mei Lin, Gustavo Reyes, and half the underground Carter loyalists, guns raised. “Board meeting’s over,” Darius said. “Now comes the war.
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Chapter Nine: The Fall of Glass and Blood
Smoke twisted like ghosts through the Carter boardroom. Shattered glass crunched beneath boots. The skyline of Dubai, usually pristine and untouched, was now a smoldering backdrop for civil war.Jace Carter dropped to one knee behind the table as bullets shredded the air. The board members screamed, scrambling for cover as Victor Lang’s private security opened fire on Darius Feng’s strike team.“Clear the windows!” Darius barked. Mei Lin, crouched by the emergency relay panel, hacked into the floor’s security systems, plunging the room into red emergency lighting. The steel panic shutters descended, slamming into place with a clang, sealing them in.Gustavo Reyes ducked beside Jace. “Still want the throne, kid?”Jace cocked his pistol. “I didn’t come to inherit a kingdom. I came to end it.”Across the room, Daven Carter rose from the smoke like something born of it. Suit torn. Blood on his temple. Eyes gleaming with hatred. “You should’ve stayed dead,” he hissed.“You should’ve never
Chapter Eight: City of Gold, Game of Graves
Dubai sparkled like a desert jewel, its towers gleaming beneath the brutal sun, its streets teeming with the world’s elite, politicians, powerbrokers, predators, Some called it paradise. For Jace Carter, it was a battlefield wrapped in glass.He touched down at 3:47 AM on a private, unregistered jet secured by Darius. No flight plan. No announcement. No room for error.Elena, her arm now stitched and stabilized, walked beside him despite her injury. Her glare said she was ready to shoot anyone even God who got in their way.Gustavo Reyes remained behind in a hidden location, controlling satellite surveillance and drone intel. “You’re walking into a trap,” he warned through their encrypted comm. “Expect layers. Triple blinds. Daven was trained by the same ghosts I was, only they broke him in ways they never broke me.”Jace didn’t flinch. “Let him try.” The board vote was scheduled for noon. Location: The Ecliptic, the tallest tower in Dubai, entirely owned by Carter Global. That day, e
Chapter Seven: The Devil’s Ransom
The fire crackled low in the Geneva safehouse, but the air felt colder than the snowstorm outside. Jace Carter stared at the grainy video on Elena’s phone, his pulse a steady thrum in his ears, Gustavo Reyes, bruised and gagged, chained to a rusted chair in what looked like an abandoned warehouse. A single bulb swung overhead, flickering.Then Lucien Ward stepped into frame , calm, collected, sipping wine. “He won’t last long. I’m sure you’ve guessed that.”“But I’m nothing if not fair. Bring yourself to me, Dubai, 48 hours, and I’ll let him go.”“Don’t… and he dies slowly. With teeth, cameras, and press coverage.”“Your move, Heir.” The video cut to black.Jace sat in silence. Elena paced behind him. “It’s bait. You go, you die. Period.”Noelle Varga leaned against the doorframe, a glass of brandy in her shaking hand. “She’s right. Lucien never plays fair. If he wants you in Dubai, it’s because he has a kill shot lined up.”“But if I don’t go,” Jace said, “we lose Gustavo. And with h
Chapter Six: The Ice Queen and the Knife’s Edge
The private jet roared through the night, cutting across the Atlantic like a black arrow. Jace sat in the cabin, knuckles white on the armrests. The news loop played endlessly on the flat screen in front of him:“BREAKING: Daven Carter emerges as alleged true heir.”“Jace Carter under investigation by Interpol and U.S. Justice Department.”“Carter family feud ignites global market chaos.”He was now a fugitive. A criminal in the eyes of half the world, Lucien’s plan was unfolding perfectly. And Noelle Varga, the next key to unlocking the Carter Consortium, had vanished just as everything caught fire.“You’re shaking,” Elena said, seated across from him. She was bandaging the wound on her shoulder from the crash, her movements sharp and efficient. Jace forced himself to breathe.“If Daven’s alive,” he said slowly, “then why did Elias choose me?”“Because Elias didn’t trust Daven. He called him a poison bred by his own blood.”“Then why keep it a secret?”“Because even Elias knew that m
Chapter Five: A Test Written in Fire
The teahouse lanterns flickered like warning beacons. Darius Feng stood tall and composed, the Carter family seal gleaming on his gold ring, a ring that had once symbolized power, now covered in dust and silence.Jace Carter met his gaze with a steel he hadn't known he possessed. “You were my grandfather’s right hand,” Jace said. “Why disappear?” Darius tilted his head, not answering. He reached into his robe and pulled out a long scroll, aged, delicate, sealed in wax.“Power,” he said, “requires two things: memory and sacrifice. And your grandfather had far more of both than you can imagine.”He turned to Elena. “Does he even know the truth?” Elena said nothing. Her silence was answer enough.Jace stepped forward. “What truth?” Darius held up the scroll. “This is one of the three codes required to access the Carter Consortium's Override Protocol, the master switch. But I won’t hand it over because of your name. I need proof you understand what you're about to inherit.”Jace nodded. “
Chapter Four: The Boy Who Should’ve Died
Darkness swallowed everything. Salt water. Metal. Screams. Then nothing. A pulse woke him, A ragged, stabbing breath punched Jace Carter’s lungs as he jolted awake, coughing violently. His vision blurred. Salt stung his eyes. His body throbbed like a broken instrument.He was alive. Somehow, Waves slammed into him, choking his gasp with seawater. He kicked, instinct more than thought, and his legs met open space. He was floating. Alive. Free. But where was the plane? Where was Elena?He tried to scream her name, but it came out a rasp,Through the haze, he saw something burning in the distance. A flaming hulk, the last remnants of the plane, now sinking into the black sea like a dying god. A few yards away floated a case. The briefcase.Elena’s voice echoed in his mind: “The vault key! Don’t let it”Jace forced his limbs to move, swimming toward it with everything he had left. The sea pulled at him, cold and endless. But the case was all that mattered, He reached it, clutched it to his
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