2024-10-29 00:31:57James’s voice was ice-cold, each word clipped with barely contained fury. “You think $3,000 will cover what you did to my sister, Tom?”
Tom gave a smug shrug, slipping a wad of cash out of his wallet and tossing it onto the table. “It’s more than you’ve ever seen, James. Take it or leave it.”
Helen laughed, picking up the cash. “Honestly, James, maybe spend this on something useful. Like… makeup for me.”
The comment hung in the air, and James felt his anger boiling over. He looked around at their smug, indifferent faces, something inside him snapping. Without a word, he grabbed the expensive bottle of wine from the table, his grip firm.
Before Tom could react, James swung, smashing the bottle against the side of Tom’s head. Glass shattered, and Tom slumped back, a stunned expression replacing his arrogant smirk.
Helen gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “James! Have you lost your mind?”
But James ignored her, his eyes blazing as he grabbed another bottle, letting the moment settle. He leaned close, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. “You think you can buy your way out of this? Offer me scraps to ignore what you did to Emily?”
Tom stammered, his face paling. “J-James… calm down.”
James didn’t hesitate. He picked up the diamond necklace Tom had gifted Pamela and shoved it toward Tom. “You like to give things, don’t you? Here’s a gift from me. Swallow it.”
Tom’s face twisted in fear, but James’s grip was unyielding. “Open your mouth, Tom, or I’ll do it for you.”
“James, this is insane!” Helen cried, but she was no longer sure of herself, her eyes wide with fear.
Ignoring her, James pushed the necklace into Tom’s mouth, forcing him to choke and cough as he tried to pull away. The humiliating scene left everyone frozen, even George, who looked pale and taken aback by James’s intensity.
Finally, James released Tom, who spat the necklace out, sputtering, his face red with humiliation. James took a step back, his voice steady but steely. “That’s what your pathetic show of wealth is worth to me.”
Pamela stared, torn between shock and something else—a flicker of admiration at seeing James finally standing up for himself.
Helen’s face twisted into a furious scowl, her tone icy as she sneered, “I knew it was a mistake letting you into this family. Pamela deserves better than some violent, money-hungry thug.”
James turned to Pamela, ignoring Helen’s ranting. “Pamela, here.” He pulled out the diamond necklace he’d bought for her and placed it gently into her hands. “This isn’t out of obligation. It’s real, just like my feelings.”
Pamela stared at the necklace, her lips parted in quiet surprise. For a moment, she looked up at him, her expression softening.
But before she could speak, Helen snatched the necklace, examining it dismissively. “What is this cheap piece of glass?” She threw it to the ground, scoffing. “You call this a gift?”
James looked at her, unflinching. “You wouldn’t know a genuine gesture if it hit you in the face.”
Helen’s eyes narrowed, her voice dripping with contempt. “You’re nothing, James. And if you have any sense, you’ll disappear. We’d be better off without you.”
James took a long, steady breath, glancing once more at Pamela, who seemed caught in an internal struggle. “I’ll be going, then,” he said quietly. “But this isn’t over.”
Outside, James’s heart pounded with a mixture of rage and satisfaction. He’d made his point—maybe even crossed a line—but he didn’t regret it. The memory of Tom’s arrogant smirk and Helen’s contempt fueled his resolve.
As he walked away from the Shaw house, his mind shifted to Emily, and a calm determination settled over him. He knew Tom would retaliate, maybe even Helen would find ways to make his life difficult. But with the inheritance and newfound purpose his father had left him, he was prepared for whatever came next.
Tonight, he’d protect his sister, defend his family, and—finally—show the world who he truly was.
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Chapter 125
The Boardroom Trap The morning light over Maple Group Tower carried a strange heaviness, as though the city itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what was about to unfold. Inside the building, that tension was even more pronounced, moving through the corridors like an invisible current that made every employee more cautious than usual. By the time James arrived at the executive floor, the emergency board meeting had already been called into motion. Directors who usually arrived late or delegated their presence had shown up early, seated in the glass-walled boardroom with expressions that mixed curiosity, concern, and something closer to unease. Pamela walked beside James as they approached the entrance, her heels soft against the polished floor, her expression composed but observant. She had begun to understand something important about his world; nothing called “emergency” in Maple Group ever meant something simple. Victor was already inside, standing near the head
Chapter 124
The morning after the chaos at the command center arrived without celebration, as though the city itself had chosen to pretend nothing extraordinary had happened. The news reports spoke vaguely of an “industrial explosion at a restricted facility,” carefully avoiding details that would disturb the public, while the powerful circles that actually understood the situation remained unusually quiet.James stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of Maple Group Tower, watching the city stretch endlessly beneath him. From this height, everything looked controlled, almost peaceful, but he knew better now. Peace in his world was never the absence of conflict; it was simply the moment before someone decided to strike again.Behind him, Pamela entered the office quietly, her presence soft but certain, like she had begun to understand that she no longer needed permission to stand beside him.For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was not uncomfortable, but reflective, as thou
Chapter 123
The atmosphere inside the temporary command center changed the moment Victor's tablet vibrated.Only seconds earlier, everyone had been focused on the disturbing financial reports spread across the screens. The revelation that someone had been quietly acquiring pieces of Maple Group while James was occupied elsewhere had already created a sense of unease.Now Victor was staring at the newly arrived message as though he had seen a ghost.James immediately noticed the change in his expression.Over the years, Victor had become one of the most reliable people in his life. The older man was rarely surprised and rarely rattled. No matter how serious the situation became, Victor always seemed to maintain his composure.That composure was gone."Victor?"The room fell quiet.Victor looked up slowly.His face had lost color."What is it?" James asked again.Instead of answering immediately, Victor looked back down at the screen as if hoping the message would somehow change.When it didn't, he
Chapter 122
The silence that followed the explosion was not death; it was confusion.James blinked slowly as the world around him came back into focus. His ears rang, his chest heaved unevenly, and for a moment, he couldn’t tell whether he was still inside the collapsing facility or somewhere between survival and memory.Then reality settled in.Cold air. Dust. Emergency lights flashing in the distance.He pushed himself up from the ground with a low groan, his body aching but intact.“James!”A voice cut through the chaos.Emily was the first to reach him, grabbing his arm before he could fully stand. Her grip was tight, steady, alive.“I’m fine,” he muttered, though it was clear none of them were truly fine.Around them, the remaining team members were scattered but moving. Ethan was coughing near a broken slab of concrete, brushing dust off his shoulders, as if refusing to acknowledge how close the situation had come to disaster. Victor was already checking damaged equipment, more focused
Chapter 121
The elevator doors hissed open.A wave of cold air rushed out, thick with ozone and the sharp scent of burnt circuitry. The chamber before them was vast—circular, cathedral-like, with cables hanging like black vines from the ceiling. In the center, a single column of light pulsed faintly blue, stretching from the floor to the unseen heights above.Victor whistled under his breath. “This is it. The main neural nexus.”Emily stepped forward, rifle raised, eyes scanning the room. Every instinct screamed that this place was wrong—too still, too expectant. “Stay alert. If Liam’s still connected somewhere, this is where he’ll be.”Ethan’s boots echoed behind her as he joined her at the edge of the platform. “Hard to believe all this started with one experiment.”Riley brushed her fingers along a shattered console. “No. It started with one man who thought he could play god.”A low hum rippled through the air, and every console flickered to life at once. Blue light turned red. The floor tremb
Chapter 120
The corridor erupted in white light.The blast tore through the steel, swallowing sound, fire, and form alike. For an instant, everything was gone—Genesis, the team, even the storm of alarms and static. Just light. Endless, merciless light.Then came silence.When Emily opened her eyes, she was lying on cold metal. The air was thick with dust and the acrid bite of burned circuitry. The overhead lights flickered weakly, struggling to stay alive.“—Emily? Emily, talk to me!”Riley’s voice broke through the haze. She was limping, covered in soot, but alive. Somewhere behind her, Victor coughed hard, dragging himself out from under a collapsed conduit.“I’m here,” Emily rasped, forcing herself upright. Her rifle was gone. Her ears rang. “Ethan? James?”“Here!” Ethan’s voice came from the far side of the wreckage. He helped James to his feet—bloodied, but breathing. “Barely. But here.”Emily turned toward the center of the corridor. The metal there was melted smooth, fused into a blackened
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