2026-05-16 21:55:12Warning: Mentioned Abortion, minor violence
Martin Clarke was Dominique’s oldest friend; they went back years in Manhattan's elite circles.
Erick was still holding on tight, trying not to lose his cool. "I'm here with my wife," he said.
“Your wife?” Martin repeated mockingly. He stood and leaned close enough that only Erick could hear him. "Back when we were dating... I remember everything about Dominique. Every single detail."
Erick shoved his hands into his pockets. Martin Clarke leaned in closer, his voice still low. "Dominique used to hate places like this," he said, glancing around the boutique. " Then she preferred dive bars and cheap diners. Funny how people change," he said.
Erick did not remember deciding to swing at Martin Clarke. One second Martin Clarke was talking, and the next, he was on the floor holding his face. Blood poured from his nose. The velvet box flew open. A blue sapphire necklace skittered across the ground.
"YOU PSYCHO!" Martin Clarke screamed, clutching his face. Blood smeared his designer sleeves. "YOU'RE INSANE!"
The boutique security came running. Before they could grab Erick, the dressing room door flew open. Dominique stood there half in her gown, her face pale. Her eyes darted between Martin Clarke, who was bleeding on the floor, and Erick's clenched fist.
"Erick, what the...?" Martin Clarke instantly switched gears. He struggled up holding his nose dramatically. "He attacked me! I was just. He...!"
"He's lying," Erick said flatly. "He said he... "
"ENOUGH!" Dominique grabbed Erick's arm, her nails digging in. She dragged him outside. On the sidewalk she shoved him away like he was contagious.
"You humiliated me, " Dominique snapped. "In front of everyone. You're ruining everything, Erick."
Erick stared at her. "He talked about you like you belonged to him, Dominique," he said.
Dominique let out a laugh. "So what? Maybe I should've stayed with him instead," she said. "I already ruined my life once for the sake of this pathetic marriage with you.
Erick frowned. "What does that mean, Dominique?" he asked.
Dominique crossed her arms tightly. "I wasn't ready, Erick."
"Ready for what, Dominique?" He narrowed his eyes at his wife.
She gritted her teeth. "Can we not do this now? I still have to finish my dress, Erick."
Erick felt something cold settle in his stomach. Dominique finally looked away. "I took care of it, Erick."
Traffic continued behind them. Erick did not move. "You were pregnant, Dominique?" he asked.
She said nothing.
Erick could not move. "I handled it," she hissed.
Erick stared at her. "Handled it?" he repeated.
Her voice hardened. "I wasn't bringing a child into that family into that life, Erick," she said.
Then she walked back inside without another glance. Erick thought he could have been a father.
His fingers found the burner phone hidden inside his jacket. It buzzed.
Arias message lit up the screen:
[Boss. Problem. Helix flagged access—core system. Origin: inside the Laurent estate. That camera? No surveillance. Backdoor. Some brute-forcing your network.]
Erick’s eyes narrowed. Michel.
***
The Laurent estate was quiet when he returned that afternoon. He entered through the service door like he always did.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Hollis gave him a look and said nothing. Thirty years in this house had taught her that silence was often safer, around the Laurents.
Erick went to his storage room. A hidden panel clicked open under his touch. He placed the Arias frequency jammer beneath Michel's camera.
He stepped out quietly, closing the door behind him. He was heading toward the kitchen to make tea when he heard familiar footsteps. Mrs. Hollis.
Erick paused in the shadows of the hallway. He stayed still, listening.
A moment later, Mrs. Hollis rounded the corner carrying a tray. "Earl Grey, Mr. Erick?" she asked, pouring steaming tea into a chipped cup. "You look like you need it, Mr. Erick."
He took the cup. When the heat seared his palms, he realized his fingers had gone numb.
"I've watched this family for thirty years," she murmured, setting down a plate of cookies. "They don't know what they're dealing with, the Laurents," she said.
Erick drank. "Most people don't Mrs. Hollis," he said.
A loud laugh cut through the quiet. Michel. Erick raised a finger to his lips. Mrs. Hollis vanished into the shadows.
"… so funny!" Michels voice boomed from his phone speaker as he neared the pantry. "I rigged the feed outside the losers room. Hoped to catch him doing something but nada. Guy just sleeps like a corpse."
"Get off that camera, Michel. "Dominique's voice was sharp.
"Oh, relax…."
"You stole two hundred million from Dad's festival project," she snapped. "He doesn't know yet. If I were you, I'd start worrying, Michel."
"You lecturing me? Don't think I don't know about your secrets, Dominique…."
"That's my business, idiot " Dominique snapped.
The front door slammed.
Mrs. Hollis exhaled shakily.
Erick gazed at his tea leaves.
He set the cup down. "Thanks for the tea, Mrs. Hollis. Got homework to finish Ericks old homework," he said, faking a smile, and left.
Inside the storage room, his smile vanished. A hidden screen glowed behind a panel. Encrypted data streamed across it.
Erick had built GD Tech long before the Laurents ever learned his name.
He scanned the acquisition reports, expecting numbers. Then he stopped cold.
Laurent Corporation.
Partnership Status: ACTIVE.
Victor Hale Industries.
Ericks jaw tightened. Victor, of all people, should have known better.
Five years ago, Erick had trusted Victor with everything at GD Tech.
Trusting Victor Hale had been the biggest mistake of his life.
Victor Hale. Of all the people in the world, his childhood friend and second-in-command should have known better. Traitor.
His phone buzzed.
Aria texted: [Board meeting tomorrow. No-show = Victor controls the story.]
Erick leaned back in his chair.
For the first time that day, Erick smiled for real.
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Chapter 84—We Attack
The first contract delay arrived at 9:03 a.m. as a polite email.A mid-tier logistics partner that had worked with GD Tech for four years requested a temporary pause on a pending infrastructure renewal agreement. The language was careful. They cited internal review processes and the ongoing federal matters surrounding the company. No accusation. No open withdrawal. Just a pause that could stretch indefinitely if no one pushed back.By noon there were three more.Erick read each one in the restricted operations room without comment. The federal oversight already limited major transfers and system changes. Now the quiet isolation the intermediary had described was beginning to take shape in real time. Partners were not cutting ties. They were simply becoming cautious in ways that required no public explanation.Remi stood beside him, arms folded. “They’re doing exactly what he said they would. No speeches. No visible attack. Just distance.”“Yes,” Erick said. “And distance is harder to
Chapter 83— What We’re Searching For
The two dark cars stayed with them for eleven blocks.Jacqueline took a sudden left, then two rights through narrower streets. The cars adjusted without hurry, as if they already knew the route options. When she finally cut through a service alley and emerged on a different avenue, the tails were gone — but the message was clear.They had been allowed to notice.Back at the secondary facility, the atmosphere had changed. No one raised their voice. No one wasted movement. Erick stood at the central table while Aria replayed the surveillance fragments she had captured from street cameras. The vehicles were clean. No plates that led anywhere useful. No faces visible through the tinted glass.“They’re not trying to grab us,” Jacqueline said. “Not yet. They’re showing us they can sit on our shoulder whenever they want.”Remi stood with her arms folded tightly. “The general reported the conversation immediately. That was the point of letting you walk out.”Erick nodded. “He gave us a name f
Chapter 82— Very Confident or Very Stupid
The car stopped two blocks short of the address.Erick sat in the back seat with the window cracked just enough to let in the cold air. Remi was beside him. Jacqueline drove. No one spoke for a full minute after the engine cut off.The building was a quiet brick residential block on a tree-lined street. No doorman. No visible cameras at street level. The kind of place that looked forgettable on purpose.“Third floor,” Jacqueline said. “Corner unit. He’s been inside for forty minutes.”Erick checked the time. “We don’t go up. We wait.”Remi’s hands rested still in her lap. “If he panics—”“He won’t see us,” Erick said. “Not yet.”They watched.At 9:17 the general left the building. He was older than the photographs, silver hair cut short, dark coat, walking with the controlled pace of a man who had spent decades expecting to be observed. He carried nothing in his hands. A black car was already waiting at the curb. He got in without looking around.The car pulled away.Jacqueline follow
Chapter 81—Silent Pressure
The federal oversight order hit at 7:14 a.m.It arrived as a sealed digital packet, locked behind three layers of encryption and stamped with a court seal that basically said, don’t even try to argue.Erick read it once in the secure conference room of the secondary GD Tech site, then read it again, slower.While the investigation into the Global Tech Summit and the related system activity continued, operational control of Gerard Dominion Technologies was being placed under temporary federal review. From that moment on, any major money transfers, core system changes, or public statements needed prior clearance.He set the tablet down without saying a word.Remi watched him from across the table. The exhaustion from the Summit was still written all over her face, but she kept her posture
Chapter 80 — First Names
The temporary safe house was quieter than the Summit had been, but the silence carried more weight.Erick sat at the central table with the lights dimmed. The damp navy suit had been replaced by a clean black shirt and dark trousers, though the bandages under the fabric still pulled when he moved. Remi sat across from him. Jacqueline leaned against the wall. Aria’s hologram hovered above the table, already pulling data streams.“We start with the two names Dominique gave us,” Erick said. “The retired general and the private equity woman. We treat everything else as noise until we have a real trail.”Aria’s interface expanded. “I’ve cross-referenced both names against every financial and communications log we currently control. The general is easier to surface. Retired three years ago. Still holds informal advisory roles on two defense technology committees. The woman is harder. She operates through a private equity fund registered under three different holding companies. Most of the r
Chapter 79 — The Next Layer
Remi remained beside him, her hand still resting on the table near his.“They didn’t even flinch when you asked about the Clarkes,” she said quietly. “That’s not caution. That’s protection.”Erick nodded once. “Leroy lost the public battle today. His name is toxic now. Michel is finished. Evelyn will spend the rest of her life managing the fallout. But the Clarkes walked out of here without a single question. That doesn’t happen by accident.”He stood and walked to the glass wall, looking down at the main hall. Leroy was no longer visible. Neither were Martin nor the Congressman. The space they had occupied was already being cleared by event staff and federal personnel.Jacqueline entered the room a moment later, followed by Adrian. Ivan waited just outside with two of his men.“Federal agents are setting up a temporary command post on the third floor,” Jacqueline reported. “They’re treating the recordings as primary evidence against the Laurents. But there’s no active warrant for Mar
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