2026-08-21 20:21:57
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CHAPTER 67
"Take? No! That sounds like I'm just being resentful. I decided to earn it," Dr. Kane corrected. "Reginald trusts me completely. Has for years. Every prescription, every treatment plan, every so-called 'health scare' that's kept him weakened just enough to stay dependent on me, compliant, easy to steer — all of it, my design." "Nothing that would ever show up as suspicious on a standard panel. A man his age, with his history, declining gradually? No one questions that. No one looks twice. That's basically the point." Darius's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and he had to force his breathing to remain even and swallow down the surge of rage clawing up his throat at the sheer, casual monstrosity of what he was hearing laid out so plainly, so proudly. "And once he's gone," Darius said, keeping his voice steady and admiring, like someone who is already considering his options, "what then? The empire doesn't just fall into your lap, Dr. Kane. There's a bo
CHAPTER 66
The offer hung in the air between them and for a long moment Darius said nothing, letting the silence stretch. Inside, his mind was working faster than it ever had, calculating, recalibrating, the fury he'd walked in with folding itself carefully away. This was an opportunity — a rare, fragile one — and if he played it wrong, if his face betrayed even a flicker of the disgust roiling beneath his ribs, it would slam shut and could send him down a hole he might never come out from. He leaned back slightly in his chair, letting his gaze drop to the folder still resting on the desk between them, then lift back up to Dr. Kane's face, his expression now entirely different from the one he'd come in with. "Hundreds of billions," Darius repeated, low, as though tasting the words, recalculating his worth. "You love how that sound, don't you? Structured however you like," Dr. Kane said quickly, sensing the shift and leaning forward to press his advantage.
CHAPTER 65
"I will send you the file through Dr. Drey once it's ready." The familiar voice came in from the side of the reception. Darius turned, and there he was — Dr. Kane, tapping a young man on his shoulder as he walked down the lobby toward the desk. Dr. Kane looked up from the tablet in his hand, and he slowed as his eyes landed on Darius, a frown carving itself deep into his forehead. "You?" Dr. Kane said slowly, recognizing. "Aren't you that Reginald's new trap?" "I believe that's me," Darius said evenly, holding the older man's stare without so much as a flicker of hesitation. "What are you doing here?" Dr. Kane's frown deepened. "I need to have a private word with you," Darius said. "Won't take long. I have to return to campus." Dr. Kane let out a scoff, adjusting the tablet under his arm. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I have a full schedule today, and I don't entertain walk-ins, private word or not. You'll have to book an appointmen
CHAPTER 64
Darius held Charlie's gaze for a long moment, the accusation sitting unspoken between the two of them. Then he shook his head slowly, exhaling, and looked away, unwilling — or unable — to finish the thought out loud. He said nothing. Instead, he pushed back from the desk and walked back to the couch. Charlie watched him for a moment, then followed, lowering himself onto the armrest across from him. "Darius," he said, "isn't this the best time to tell Natasha about the Theranga situation? She could dig into this. Find out how they got the footage, who's behind it, everything. This is exactly the kind of thing she's built for." Darius shook his head immediately, firmly. "No." "No?" Charlie repeated, incredulous. "Are you being serious right now? Darius, they hacked into an Argent system. They got to Rhea at her job. This isn't something you handle by yourself with sheer stubbornness." "How can we be so sure they hacked in? What if someone
CHAPTER 63
Charlie was still slouched on the couch, one leg bouncing restlessly, when Darius's phone lit up on the table between them. Darius glanced at the screen. Rhea. A small, involuntary smile touched his mouth — the kind that only she could put there, even after everything else that had happened that night — and he picked up on the second ring. "Hey, darlin'," he said, his voice softening. "Babe," Something in her tone made the smile vanish instantly. He sat up straighter. "What's wrong?" "I just—" She exhaled shakily on the other end. "I just received something at the hospital. An envelope. And I don't know why, but it's freaking me out a little." Darius's whole body went still. Charlie, catching the shift in his posture from across the room, sat up too, brows drawing together in silent question. "What kind of envelope?" Darius asked, keeping his voice level with an effort that cost him more than he let show. "Just this heav
CHAPTER 62
Darius stood rooted to the spot, watching her go. He hadn't expected her kindness. Hadn't expected it to feel the way it did, settling somewhere in his chest, warm and confusing amid everything else that was currently trying to burn his life to the ground. He shook his head slowly, forcing himself to move, and made his way toward the entrance, his thoughts already shifting toward what exactly was Valerio planning for him, despite known that Valerio was obviously barking the wrong tree. When Darius got to his apartment, he pushed the door open. And he met Charlie pacing, with a phone on his ear. "What's going on here?" Darius cleared his throat as he entered. "Darius." Charlie's head snapped up the second the door opened, and the relief that crossed his face was almost immediately swallowed by something far more frantic. "Finally. Where the hell have you been? Why the hell do you have a phone if I can't call you and you answer!" "I didn't se
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