2024-10-29 00:32:28James couldn’t help but smirk as he read through the high school reunion chat on his phone. The messages from Luke Hunter, flaunting his “success” and throwing jabs about James’s past poverty, were nothing short of juvenile. The insults piled up, old accusations resurfacing, and his former classmates joined in, laughing at his expense.
Same old Luke, James thought, feeling a familiar anger simmer inside him. Memories of high school came flooding back—the day Luke had framed him for theft, the shame he endured, the way everyone had turned on him. But today, he wasn’t that powerless teenager anymore. He was ready to respond… in his own way.
James opened his banking app, set up a string of transfers, each accompanied by a custom message, and began sending money into the group chat.
A notification appeared in the chat:
James Smith sent $50
“Luke is a dumbass.”Within seconds, another:
James Smith sent $100
“Luke is a coward.”The chat exploded with curiosity and laughter as each new transaction hit, each one laced with another jab at Luke.
“What’s going on?” one former classmate typed, confused but intrigued.
“Free money? I’ll take it!” another replied, laughing.
James Smith sent $200
“Luke, bite me if you can!”People began accepting the transfers eagerly, laughing and repeating the messages as they joined in. The insults spread, echoing through the group chat as more people accepted the money, unaware of who was behind it or why.
Finally, their old high school teacher joined the chat, confused but intrigued by the free cash and copied the message: “Luke is a coward.”
Luke’s frustration was visible, his replies growing angry and desperate as he tried to stop the chaos. “Whoever is doing this—stop it right now!”
But the chat continued to spiral until James was finally removed from the group. He put his phone away, satisfied. The wealth his father had left him wasn’t just a lifeline—it was freedom, power, and, in this case, a bit of poetic justice.
Arriving at the towering Maple Properties building, James paused, taking in the sleek glass exterior. Just a few years ago, he had been thrown out of this very building, humiliated and penniless, while asking for wages he was rightfully owed. Today, he was returning—but this time, as the company’s new CEO.
As he approached the entrance, a security captain stepped forward, eyeing him skeptically. “What do you want?” the captain asked, his tone dismissive. “Here to demand money or something?”
James smiled calmly. “Actually, I’m here for business. My business.”
The captain raised an eyebrow, sizing him up. “Look, if you’re here to ask for a job—”
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind. “Well, if it isn’t the pauper,” sneered Luke, stepping out of his car. He looked James up and down, still smug but visibly irritated from the group chat fiasco.
James turned to face him, holding his gaze with steady, unflinching eyes. “Luke,” he greeted, his tone cool and composed. “Funny seeing you here.”
Luke crossed his arms, his expression a mix of arrogance and frustration. “Thought you could humiliate me in that group chat and get away with it, huh? Still pulling those cheap tricks, I see.”
James smiled, unfazed. “Cheap? The money seemed to work pretty well, didn’t it? You could call it an investment in honesty.”
Luke scowled, shifting uncomfortably. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? But at the end of the day, you’re still just a nobody.”
“Maybe I was,” James replied, stepping closer until he was eye-to-eye with Luke. “But things have changed.”
Luke scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh yeah? Enlighten me. What could possibly be different?”
James glanced up at the Maple Properties logo gleaming above them. “I’m here to take over Maple Properties as CEO. So, if you’re looking for a ‘somebody,’ Luke, you might want to take a closer look.”
Luke’s jaw dropped, the smirk slipping from his face as the weight of James’s words sank in.
James offered a final, unwavering smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a business to run.” He strode toward the entrance, leaving Luke stunned, facing the reality that the man he once humiliated was now in control of an empire.
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Chapter 114
Safehouse Echo – 5 Days LaterClassified Location, Somewhere in Northern EuropeThe snow outside fell in slow spirals. Gentle. Almost peaceful.Emily sat on the edge of the metal steps overlooking the clearing, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She hadn’t slept much. Not because she couldn’t—but because she wouldn’t. Sleep meant letting her guard down. And the past few years had taught her that peace rarely came without a price.Behind her, the door opened.James stepped out, quiet as ever. He didn’t say anything at first. Just walked over and stood beside her, hands tucked into his coat pockets.“You been out here all night?” he asked finally.Emily shrugged. “Don’t know. I lost track.”He looked at her, carefully. “He’s stable. Heart rate’s back to baseline. Neural readings are slow, but functional. Victor says that’s a good sign.”Emily nodded, but her eyes didn’t move from the trees.James sat down beside her. “You’re not convinced.”“It’s not that.” Her voice was soft. “I ju
Chapter 113
Blackrock Sublevel 6 – Control GalleryLiam’s hand hovered over the manual purge switch.Below, Ethan and Emily stood side by side—battered, defiant. His control systems were compromised. His top operative was no longer his.And for the first time in years, Liam was improvising.“You’re both already dead,” he said through the intercom. “You just haven’t hit the floor yet.”Emily’s eyes locked onto his. “You built this place on pain. You won’t leave it standing.”Liam sneered, tapping a code into the panel. “I’ll bury it with you in it.”Behind them, a blast door slammed shut—trapping them in the chamber. Gas hissed from hidden vents.Ethan stumbled back, eyes burning. “Neuro-gas. Same compound they used at Site 12.”“Then we shut it down,” Emily said, already moving toward the manual override on the wall.Her hands flew over the panel, but the system was encrypted. Liam’s voice came again—cold, amused.“The only thing you’ll override is your last breath.”Then—BANG.A bullet cracked
Chapter 112
Ghost CodeThe air inside the transport hummed with tension.Emily sat across from James, her hands clasped tightly between her knees. The hum of the VTOL engines was loud, but it couldn’t drown out the sound of her heartbeat. Every second that passed brought them closer to Blackrock.Closer to Liam.Closer to the truth.Closer to the chance of losing Ethan all over again.Marissa sat in silence, cuffed to the bench beside Victor. Her face was pale, but her eyes never stopped moving — scanning, calculating.“Once we breach,” James said, “you stick to me. No heroics.”Emily didn’t answer.He leaned closer. “You still think you can bring him back?”She looked up. “I know I can.”Victor snorted quietly. “You’re betting your life on a ghost.”Emily didn’t blink. “No. I’m betting it on my brother.”⸻Blackrock DamSublevel 6The facility’s silence was deceptive. Clean corridors. Gleaming lights. Every inch designed to feel sterile — to erase any trace of the people broken within its walls.
Chapter 111
The lights flickered as the metal doors hissed open.Emily stood frozen at the sight of him.Ethan.But not the brother she remembered—the one who teased her about her cooking, who used to hum old rock songs while fixing the engine on their dad’s truck. This Ethan moved like a shadow. Cold. Precise.His eyes scanned the room with mechanical calculation. When they landed on her, something flickered—but then vanished like mist under sunlight.“Emily Shaw,” he said. Voice monotone. “Target confirmed.”“No—Ethan, it’s me. It’s Em.”She took a shaky step forward. He didn’t move.“I remember the fire,” she said, heart pounding. “Valkyrie base. You told me to run. You covered me with your coat, remember? You burned your arm so I could get out.”His hand twitched.For a second—just a second—his lips parted, confused. But then a sharp, unseen signal surged through him. He straightened like a soldier.“You are a variable,” he said. “You must be neutralized.”She barely dodged the first strike.
Chapter 110
Emergency lights bathed the courtyard in a crimson hue as sirens pierced the night. Faculty scrambled through corridors, ushering students out of their dormitories. Within five minutes of Nash’s call, the school was nearly empty—except for one figure.Emily.She stood in the library’s upper gallery, staring out the window at the chaos unfolding below. Her breath was steady, her hands clenched. She knew Liam was making his move. And she wasn’t going to run.Maple HQ – Tactical Bay – 1:07 AM“We have motion sensors tripped on the Academy’s west perimeter,” Damien reported. “Evacuation’s in progress. No casualties—yet.”Victor’s eyes locked with James’s. “You think he’s bluffing?”James shook his head. “Liam doesn’t bluff. He performs.”Pamela rushed in, phone to her ear. “Emily’s not answering. She’s not on the evac list.”James’s expression hardened. “She stayed behind.”“Why would she—”“Because she wants to end it.”James grabbed his jacket and turned to Victor. “Prep the team. We go
Chapter 109
Liam’s MistakeLocation: Ravencliff – Abandoned Rail YardTime: 9:12 PMThe rain came down hard, slicing through the dark like glass. James stood at the edge of the old Ravencliff rail yard, hidden beneath the overhang of a rusted structure. His breath misted in the cold air, but his mind burned—sharp, focused.This was Liam’s last known meeting point. According to intel extracted from the captured intruder—now rotting in a hidden cell beneath Maple HQ—Liam was scheduled to meet one of his European allies here.Victor’s voice crackled through James’s earpiece.“North tunnel’s clear. No sign of movement.”“Copy,” James replied. “Damien?”“Got eyes on the east. There’s someone approaching.” A beat. “Female. Tall. Blonde. Marissa Vane.”James’s jaw clenched.Time to move.Platform 3 – 9:17 PMMarissa Vane stood beneath a cracked canopy, her designer heels out of place against the gravel and rust. She lit a cigarette, hands trembling slightly. Her eyes scanned the dark. No Liam.Then Jame
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