2025-08-07 22:25:01The room smelled like power—aged scotch, expensive perfume, and polished ambition.
Investors filled the private hall in tailored suits, crystal glasses in hand, voices low and polite. Waiters moved between tables like shadows. The spotlight wasn’t on Jessica tonight—but she knew it would swing her way. She stood near the head table, her smile frozen, hands trembling just enough to make her wine ripple. “Relax,” Michael muttered, adjusting his cufflinks beside her. “You’ll scare them.” Jessica shot him a glance. “Easy for you to say. You didn’t just lose 8% of your company overnight.” Michael offered a smug smile. “That’s what you get for letting your ex get in your head.” She stiffened. “You think Adrian has the resources to pull this off?” Michael chuckled, taking a sip. “I think your guilt is making you paranoid.” Jessica didn’t answer. Her phone buzzed in her clutch—an unknown number. She ignored it. But she couldn’t ignore the sensation crawling up her spine. Eyes. Someone was watching. She scanned the room—and froze. Across the crowd, sitting quietly at the far end of the hall, a man leaned back in a velvet chair, face unreadable, arms folded. Adrian. He wasn’t on the official list. He wasn’t seated with investors. He didn’t speak to anyone. But he was there. And he was watching everything. Adrian didn’t drink. Didn’t eat. Didn’t speak. He simply observed—Jessica laughing too loudly, Michael bragging to men who didn’t care, the subtle exchanges between old-money players who treated Jessica like a wounded animal. System Notification: Mission in Progress – Emotional Suppression Active. New Data Acquired: Investor Influence Web – Jessica Benson, 32% compromised. He tuned out the system’s hum and focused on body language. Jessica’s heels clicked too fast across the marble. Her smile faded as soon as backs turned. Michael kept checking his phone. And the investors—they smelled blood. Tasha arrived fifteen minutes late. She didn’t sit with Adrian. She didn’t need to. Their plan had already begun. She whispered into the ear of a tech mogul, then slid a USB into another’s pocket. Subtle. Precise. Controlled. Adrian’s mother would’ve approved. Jessica approached one of the older investors—Mr. Torres from Kensington Capital. He gave her a smile laced with pity. “Miss Benson. Quite a year.” “I appreciate you still taking the time—” “I don’t usually invest in ghosts.” Her smile cracked. “Excuse me?” He shrugged. “Your company’s bleeding. Your father’s out. You’re under attack. And your board can’t protect you. That’s a grave, not a bet.” Jessica opened her mouth—but couldn’t find the words. From across the room, Adrian watched it happen. He didn’t smile. But the pain in his chest wasn’t satisfaction either. It was something colder. Michael found his way to Adrian’s table, clearly forcing confidence. “You’ve got balls showing up here.” Adrian didn’t look at him. “I could say the same.” Michael leaned in. “Still chasing scraps? Thought you’d disappear after Jessica threw you out.” Adrian finally looked up. “I don’t chase anything. I wait. And watch.” Michael smirked, but his eyes twitched. “I’m not scared of you.” Adrian tilted his head. “Then why are you sweating?” Michael looked down—tiny beads of moisture dotted his collar. He straightened and walked away without another word. System Notification: Insight Scan Activated – Michael Kane Shell Company: MK Holdings Ltd. – Fraudulent Paperwork Flagged Location: Macau Bank Crosswire Confirmed Adrian stared into his drink. Not a drop had been touched. Jessica stepped outside to catch her breath. The night air was cooler than she expected, sharp with the scent of rain and exhaust. Her phone buzzed again—same unknown number. She almost blocked it. But curiosity won. She answered. No voice. Just silence. Then, a recording. Her own voice, from a week ago: “You’re pathetic, Adrian. You’ll never be more than a useless man living off my father.” Her stomach twisted. Who had that? She turned—just as a shadow moved past the glass door behind her. Adrian. She stormed back inside. He was already rising from his seat when she reached him. “Wait,” she said. He paused. People were watching now. Jessica stepped in front of him, heart pounding. “Why are you here?” “I was invited,” he said calmly. “By who?” He said nothing. “Are you buying my company?” Still nothing. “You think you’re punishing me? You think this is revenge?” He finally met her eyes. “If I wanted revenge, you’d already know.” She swallowed hard. “Then why?” He stepped closer, voice low. “Maybe I’m just here to watch it all fall apart.” The words hit harder than she expected. She slapped him. A sharp sound that echoed across the marble floor. The entire room froze. Adrian didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. He simply looked at her, eyes ice cold. System Notification: Emotional Suppression – 100% Complete. Reward: Bonus Feature Unlocked — “Digital Identity Erasure.” He walked away. Jessica stood shaking, breath caught in her throat. Michael rushed up beside her. “What the hell was that?” She barely heard him. Across the room, Adrian disappeared through the side door. Later that night, in the back of a blacked-out car, Tasha handed Adrian a small tablet. “This is the footage. Jessica losing control. Investors will start pulling within 48 hours.” Adrian didn’t react. Tasha glanced sideways. “You okay?” He stared out the window. “My mother used to say—revenge isn’t loud. It’s quiet. It’s clinical. It’s clean.” Tasha smirked. “She was right.” He nodded. “We’re not done yet.” She raised a brow. “What’s next?” He looked down at the tablet again. “Debt acquisition. Then surveillance access. I want eyes on the boardroom.” Back at Jessica’s penthouse, her phone buzzed again. One message. “You’re being watched.” No sender. No trace. She looked around the empty apartment and whispered, “Adrian… what are you doing?” But the real question was— Who was he now? And how much of him had she destroyed?
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Chapter 99: Holding Life
The world had gone still.For the first time in months, there was no noise, no reporters, no system pings, no storm hammering against glass. Just the faint hum of hospital lights and the soft, steady breathing of two people who had almost lost each other forever.Adrian sat at the edge of the hospital bed, drenched clothes replaced with plain scrubs the nurse had given him. His sleeves were rolled up, forearms still faintly marked by rain. But he didn’t care.All his focus was on the small weight resting against his chest… warm, fragile, alive.His daughter.Her fingers twitched every now and then, clutching faintly at his shirt like she already knew what she wanted to hold on to. Her breathing came in short, soft hitches, the faintest sound he’d ever heard and the most grounding.Adrian swallowed hard, tracing a thumb across the infant’s tiny wrist.“Hey, little one,” he whispered, voice unsteady. “You came into the world kicking, huh?”The baby made a quiet noise, almost like a s
Chapter 98: When The Water Broke
The rain started soft—like a warning the world whispered before it broke. Jessica put her hand on her lower belly. Her breathing wasn’t steady, her phone screen lit up soft against the dark tinted window of the car.“David?” she called out to the driver. No answer.The car was parked somewhere in between the apartment building and the hospital. Her contractions hit her quicker than she figured they would, they came sharp. “David!” she tried again, panic rising as she shifted forward. The front seat was empty. The keys dangled, engine off. The rain thudded against the roof like a thousand tiny drums.He was gone.For a heartbeat, she didn’t believe it. She leaned forward, blinking hard, gripping her belly as another wave of pain tore through her.Her driver—gone?Jessica fumbled for her phone, tapping the emergency contact. The screen flickered. No signal. The storm had swallowed everything.“Come on,” she whispered, her voice breaking.She tried to steady her breathing the way the
Chapter 97: Protecting Her
The city had barely woken when Jessica’s phone started vibrating on the nightstand.She reached for it, half-asleep, the screen glaring against the dim morning light. Her assistant’s name flashed repeatedly.Mia: You need to come in now.Jessica: What happened?Mia: It’s bad. Someone broke into the warehouse.Jessica sat up so fast the sheet slipped to her lap. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest. “No… no, please not today,” she whispered, dragging herself out of bed.The brand’s first big shipment…. newborn blankets embroidered with Hope—was supposed to go out tomorrow. The warehouse was everything she’d built with borrowed faith.She didn’t even change out of her sweater. And she was gone.The streets were still wet from dawn rain when she pulled up outside the small industrial building. Police tape fluttered across the front gate. Her stomach dropped.Crates were overturned. Fabric soaked in muddy water. Broken glass glittered in the puddles.Mia ran up, face pale. “They smashed
Chapter 96: Baby Shower
The hall glowed like a dream.Soft music floated through the air, warm laughter filled the space, and white balloons drifted under a ceiling of hanging lights. Cameras clicked. The smell of vanilla cake and roses hung in the air.Jessica stood in the middle of it all, a soft blue dress hugging her figure, her hands resting gently on her round belly. Her cheeks glowed, not from makeup but from the strange calm she’d learned to live with.“Jess, you look amazing!” one of her friends squealed, snapping another picture.“Your baby’s going to be so spoiled,” another teased.Jessica smiled, polite and practiced. She’d learned to smile even when her heart tugged in two directions…. forward, toward her child’s future… and backward, toward the man who taught her how to stand alone.But today wasn’t about heartbreak.Today was about hope.At the doors, murmurs rose suddenly. Cameras shifted.The atmosphere thickened, curious whispers breaking through the chatter.“He’s here.”“Wait— that’s him
Chapter 95: System Final Mission Begins
Night fell quiet over the city.The kind of quiet that wasn’t peaceful but expectant.Adrian stood alone in his penthouse, the skyline stretching endlessly before him. Below, the world buzzed with noise and light, but up here, it was just him, the hum of machines, and the faint reflection of his own tired eyes.The system had been silent for days.Too silent.He’d gotten used to its presence over time, the mechanical voice that once barked commands now something he almost trusted. It had pushed him through rebuilding his empire, through his pain, through every wall he put between himself and Jessica.But lately, even the system seemed to hesitate around him.He poured himself a glass of water and turned toward the desk.The screen blinked to life, blue light spilling across his face.[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: FINAL MISSION AVAILABLE]Adrian’s pulse slowed. He set the glass down carefully, almost reverently. “Final… mission?”“Yes.”The voice was softer now. Almost… human.“Final Emotional
Chapter 94: The Silent Support
The storm finally passed.But silence carried its own kind of noise.For three days straight, Jessica’s name had been everywhere—linked, twisted, reshaped by headlines that didn’t care about truth. When it finally died down, all she felt was… exhaustion.Not victory. Not relief. Just the quiet ache of surviving another public trial she never asked for.Now, her focus had to shift.She was eight months pregnant and running on caffeine, stubbornness, and soft music that barely covered the hum of her sewing machine. Her apartment had transformed into something between a nursery and a startup. Fabric samples covered the couch, notes littered the coffee table, and mood boards leaned against the wall.Her new dream—her baby brand, Hope & Haven—was finally ready to launch.Or so she thought.Her phone rang.“Jessica, I’m sorry, but after recent media noise, our investors decided to pull out,” her project manager said over the call, his voice brittle with corporate apology.Jessica held the p
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