2026-05-22 10:32:16The rain continued drenching Manhattan in silver as black luxury cars lined up outside the Plaza Hotel.
Camera flashes exploded nonstop.
Politicians. Billionaires. Old-money dynasties. Influencers hanging onto men three times their age. The entrance looked less like a gala and more like a gathering of beautifully dressed predators.
Inside the ballroom, crystal chandeliers drowned the crowd in gold light. Champagne flowed endlessly while a string quartet played music nobody truly listened to.
Victor Hale stood near the center of the ballroom, surrounded by executives and reporters, enjoying the attention like a king celebrating his own victory.
Meanwhile, Erick entered through the restricted service corridor.
Several women glanced twice. A few executives frowned, trying to remember where they had seen him before.
Dominique spotted him first.
Her champagne glass froze halfway to her lips. For a brief second, genuine shock crossed her face. Erick almost enjoyed it.
He stood near the ballroom entrance in a perfectly tailored black suit, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed. No nervousness. No trace of the obedient Laurent, son-in-law they were used to bullying.
Tonight, he looked like he belonged there more than half the men in the room.
Unfortunately for Dominique, her grandmother noticed too.
Esara Laurent slowly turned from her conversation with several wealthy socialites. The old woman's sharp eyes landed on Erick immediately.
Then she frowned.
"Why are you standing there like a stray dog?" Esara snapped loudly enough for nearby guests to hear. "Come here."
Several heads turned.
Dominique stiffened beside her grandmother.
Erick walked toward them calmly while whispers spread through the surrounding tables.
"That's Dominique's husband?"
"I thought she married some useless nobody."
"He cleans up surprisingly well."
Dominique's jaw tightened.
Standing beside Esara were several elite women from old-money families. Diamonds glittered across their wrists and throats like battle medals.
Esara looked Erick up and down critically.
"At least tonight you remembered how to dress," she said coldly.
One of the older women laughed softly. "So this is the mysterious husband?"
Another added, "We almost thought Dominique invented him."
The women chuckled politely.
Dominique forced a smile, though her eyes warned Erick not to start anything.
Esara tapped her cane once against the marble floor.
"You embarrassed this family enough already," she said quietly. "Smile. Speak less. And for once in your life, try not to create another scandal."
Erick met her gaze evenly.
"That depends," he replied calmly. "Will your family stop trying to drug me for one evening?"
Dominique nearly dropped her glass. One of the socialites blinked awkwardly.
Esara's eyes narrowed instantly. "You're speaking nonsense."
"Am I?"
Dominique stepped closer fast. "Erick."
He ignored her.
"The Pierre was an interesting invitation," Erick continued casually. "Martin certainly put effort into it."
Esara slowly turned toward Dominique.
That tiny movement alone carried terrifying pressure.
"You sent him there?"
Dominique hesitated for half a second.
Big mistake.
Esara's expression hardened immediately.
"I only wanted to scare him a little," Dominique said defensively under her breath. "Martin handled it."
"And Martin handled it badly," Erick added.
Esara's grip tightened around her cane.
The old woman might hate Erick, but she hated incompetence even more.
Around them, the wealthy guests pretended not to listen while listening to absolutely everything.
One of the women cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well... despite everything, the two of you do make a striking couple."
That line almost made Erick laugh because nobody in this room knew the truth.
Esara suddenly spoke again.
"You've been married five years," she said sharply. "Yet somehow you still behave like enemies."
Dominique looked away first. Esara noticed it too. The old woman's eyes moved slowly between them.
"You will stand beside Dominique tonight," Esara ordered Erick. "The media already suspects problems in this family. I will not allow divorce rumors during this gala."
Dominique's expression darkened instantly.
Erick almost smiled.
So even now, the Laurents still needed him; appearances mattered more than truth.
Always.
Michel suddenly walked onto the main stage across the hall, champagne glass in one hand and microphone in the other. The giant LED screen behind him flickered to life.
Dominique's expression changed instantly. "Oh no," she muttered.
Michel gave the crowd a drunken smile. "Ladies and gentlemen... before tonight's main event, I think we should address a small family matter first."
Polite laughter rippled through the guests. Erick already knew where this was going.
The screen behind Michel suddenly showed security footage from the Pierre Hotel. A woman in a silver dress ran terrified from Room 401. Then another clip: Erick entering the same suite hours earlier.
The hall buzzed with whispers:
"Wasn't that Dominique's husband?"
"Did he assault someone?"
Michel raised the mic dramatically. "It seems our dear Erick Laurent has been busy tonight."
Scattered laughter came from the dance floor. Dominique closed her eyes briefly, as if wishing the marble would swallow her whole. Nearby, Martin pretended to look concerned while barely hiding his satisfaction.
Michel continued loudly, relishing the attention. "A woman was found hysterical after Erick forced his way into a hotel room. Hotel security has reviewed the situation."
Shocked murmurs spread through the crowd. Several reporters immediately raised their phones.
Just as Martin wanted: public humiliation and character assassination before tonight's business announcement.
Michel smirked at the crowd. "We've all defended Erick for years. Tonight, unfortunately, the evidence speaks for itself."
The ballroom fell silent. Every eye turned to Erick.
Dominique looked tense now, no longer smug. She looked like Michel's game had slapped her.
Erick slowly took a champagne glass from a passing tray and walked toward the stage. The crowd instinctively parted. Even the reporters quieted down.
Michel grinned confidently as Erick climbed the stage steps. "There he is!" he announced mockingly. "Let's hear this year's excuse."
Erick stood beside him, sipping champagne calmly. His gaze swept across the ballroom—filled with billionaires, politicians, executives, and parasites pretending to be civilized.
Finally, he gave a small, cold smile.
"You're right," Erick said quietly into the mic.
Michel's grin widened.
"Someone should be arrested tonight," Erick continued.
The ballroom froze.
Michel blinked.
Erick turned slightly toward him. "For attempted drugging, illegal surveillance, conspiracy, blackmail, and evidence tampering."
Michel's smirk vanished. Martin went pale near the front row. Dominique stared at Erick in disbelief.
Erick's gaze moved slowly across the room until it landed on Victor Hale.
Victor's champagne glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor. His face drained of all color as he stared at Erick like he'd seen a ghost.
For several long seconds, the only sound was the string quartet still playing in the background.
Then Victor's legs gave out.
Victor’s champagne glass slipped from his fingers and shattered against the marble floor. He staggered backward slightly, staring at Erick with exposed disbelief.
“No…” he whispered.
Around him, executives looked confused.
Victor pointed at the stage with a trembling hand. “Quade…”
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
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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