2026-02-04 19:33:41
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CHAPTER 58
I was staring at the flickering blue light of my monitor when the basement door creaked. The sound of her heels on the wooden stairs was soft and rhythmic.I didn't turn around at first. I just kept typing, even though my fingers were still stiff from the morning's tremors.Sarah stepped into the room, and the scent of jasmine and roasted chicken filled the damp air. She was carrying a small tray with a white cloth over it."You look like a ghost, Victor. It breaks my heart to see you in this hole," she said softly.She set the tray down on the edge of my plastic table. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair from my forehead.Her touch was warm and gentle. For a second, I didn't pull away. I just sat there, breathing in her scent."I made your favorite. Lemon roasted chicken and mashed potatoes," she whispered.I looked at the plate. It looked delicious, but all I could think about was the clinic and the six hour line.I knew there was a high chance this food was laced with the sa
CHAPTER 57
My hands were jumping like a pair of nervous rabbits when I woke up. I tried to grab a glass of water, but my fingers wouldn't close properly.The glass shattered on the concrete floor of the basement. I stared at the shards, my head spinning in a thick, grey fog.Sarah’s "medicine" was finally leaving my system, and it was taking my dignity with it. I felt like a machine with rusted gears.I called out to the System, begging for a healing skill or a detox buff. I was a Level 6 Sovereign, surely I could fix a few shakes.[Status: Physical Damage outside System Jurisdiction. Healing Skills Locked until Level 10.]The purple light mocked me before fading away. I was a titan in the digital world, but my meat and bones were failing.I couldn't go to the family doctor because he was on Sarah’s payroll. I couldn't go to a private hospital without the cameras finding me.I pulled on a dirty hoodie over my ruined dress shirt and slipped out the side gate. I walked toward the part of the city
CHAPTER 56
I found him at the very edge of the industrial district. He was tucked away behind a row of rusted shipping containers.The van was an old, beaten-up Toyota. It was covered in so many layers of dirt that you couldn't tell what color it used to be.Adekunle was sitting on a plastic milk crate when I arrived. He was holding a wrench like it was a weapon.He looked like a man who had spent too many years looking over his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot and jumped at every sound."Whatever you're selling, I don't want it," he barked. He didn't even stand up."I’m not selling anything, Adekunle. I just want to talk," I said. I kept my hands visible."How do you know my name? Who sent you? Was it Julian?" he asked. He stepped back toward the van, his knuckles white.I shook my head and sat on the ground near him. I didn't care about my expensive trousers anymore."Julian Blackwood is the reason I’m sleeping in a basement," I told him. I looked at the broken engine of his van.He stayed qu
CHAPTER 55
The car ride was silent. The air conditioning in the limousine was on full blast, chilling the sweat on my neck.Sarah sat next to me, scrolling through her phone. She looked bored."Why am I here?" I asked."Because the tabloids are saying we are estranged," she said without looking up. "We need a paparazzi shot of us leaving the clinic together. The 'happy parents' seeing their baby. It plays well with the stockholders.""There is no baby," I said."Shut up, Victor," she snapped.We arrived at the clinic. It wasn't a normal hospital. It was a private suite with marble floors and a fountain in the lobby that trickled softly. It smelled of lavender and money.We were ushered into a dark room. The doctor, a man named Dr. Aris with a shiny gold watch and a greasy smile, was waiting."Ah, the happy couple," he said. "Lie back, Mrs. St. Claire."Sarah lay on the table. She pulled up her shirt.The doctor squirted the blue gel onto her stomach.I stood in the corner, arms crossed. I was wa
CHAPTER 54
I slammed the thick legal binder onto the plastic table. Dust flew up, dancing in the harsh blue light of the monitor."There has to be a way out," I muttered, rubbing my bloodshot eyes. "There has to be."I had been reading for six hours. Divorce law. Annulment precedents. Fraud cases.I couldn't stay in this house anymore. Not after the jewelry. Every time I saw Sarah, I felt a physical sickness in my gut. I needed to cut the cord. I needed to escape.I found a section on "Medical Duress." If I could prove I was medicated when I signed the Power of Attorney, I could void the marriage contract."Yes!" I hissed. "Yes, that is it."I pulled up the System. I needed it to crunch the case law, to find the probability of success."System, calculate probability of voiding contract based on medical records of sedation."The screen flickered. The purple light turned a dull, angry red.[Analyzing...][Error: Legal Predicament outside System Jurisdiction.]The text pulsed like a warning beacon.
CHAPTER 53
I woke up with a crick in my neck that felt like a knife. I had fallen asleep on the keyboard again.The basement was freezing, and the stain on my shirt had dried into a stiff, purple crust.I needed fresh clothes. I needed to wash the smell of stale wine and failure off my skin.I climbed the stairs, moving slowly. The house was quiet. The gala was over, and the silence felt heavy, like the air before a storm.I walked to the master bedroom. The door was open. Sarah wasn't there.I walked into my dressing room. I just wanted a clean shirt.I opened the closet door.It was empty.I blinked. I rubbed my eyes, thinking the exhaustion and the lingering drugs were making me hallucinate.My rows of custom suits? Gone. My collection of Italian leather shoes? Gone. The hangers were bare, rattling softly in the draft.I turned to the wall safe. The heavy steel door was hanging open.I ran to it. I fell to my knees and peered inside.The velvet trays were bare. My Patek Philippe. My vintage R
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