Home / Urban / The Silent Benefactor / The Weight of the Gavel

The Weight of the Gavel

Author: Ivy Rogers

2026-01-18 23:56:41

The grand hall underwent a complete transformation overnight, shifting from a standard conference space into an environment that looks like a courtroom. Hundreds of Foundation members sat in those rows like a massive jury. At the very center of the chamber, four elaborate chairs stood in a row.

Five of the most senior Foundation members sat on a dais that was elevated above the rest of the room. Their collective age exceeded four centuries, and their accumulated power was enough to shift the direction of entire nations through nothing more than whispered suggestions. These individuals were the true patriarchs and matriarchs of the order. They had witnessed the evolution of the Foundation through global wars, political revolutions, and technological shifts that would have appeared as pure magic to the previous generation.

Derick took his seat alongside Alexander, Sebastian, and Mei Chen. He could feel the weight of every single stare in the room pressing down on him like a physical

Continue to read this book for free

Scan the code to download the app

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

The Davos Ambush
The main auditorium of the Davos Congress Centre was a sea of expensive suits and powerful faces. Three thousand people filled the rows. CEOs of Fortune 500 companies sat shoulder to shoulder with top government ministers and the heads of central banks. All around the place, journalists from every major news network adjusted their lenses and checked their feeds.Derick stood in the dim light behind the heavy stage curtains, waiting for his cue. He could hear his own breathing, steady and slow, while Jackson spoke directly into his ear through a tiny, hidden speaker."The facial recognition system is currently scanning every face in the building," Jackson said from the high-tech security room. "Our software is tracking how people move and how they shift in their seats. If anyone looks out of place or shows signs of a threat, we will see it before they even take a step.""How many people have we flagged?" Derick asked, his voice barely a whisper."W
Preparing the Trap
The following fourteen days vanished into a relentless cycle of logistics and tactical preparation. Jackson had transformed a secure hotel suite in Davos into a high-functioning command center. Digital displays lined the walls, casting a steady glow over personnel who had been working twenty-hour shifts to ensure every variable was controlled."Swiss intelligence has finalized their positions," Jackson said, his finger tracing the arteries of a digital map. "We have twenty-four officers stationed at every major entry and exit point of the town. No vehicle enters this valley without us knowing about it."Derick leaned over the map, his eyes scanning the terrain. "And what about our eyes inside the venue? Did Interpol come through?""Sixteen agents are already on the ground. They are fully integrated into the event staff. Some are carrying trays, others are checking press badges, and a few are working the security gates. If a single Ghost Protocol operative
Julian Cross
Later that night, back at the Foundation safe house, the air was thick with the smell of coffee. Jackson had spent twenty minutes on a secure phone with his old contacts in London. When he finally hung up, he looked at the group with a grim expression."Julian Cross is a real person," Jackson said. "My contacts found his file. He was one of the most decorated soldiers in British history. He has fifteen confirmed kills and did dozens of secret missions in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan."Jackson opened his laptop and turned the screen around. A photo appeared of a man in his early forties. He had short hair, and a sharp jawline"In 2009, Cross led a team into Syria to find a weapons factory," Jackson explained. "He killed eleven people during that raid. Three of them were children. He tried to claim they were armed, but the evidence showed he had murdered civilians."Charlotte stared at the photo. Her voice was full of anger. "He killed children?"
The Leak
The Foundation safe house stood as a lonely stone sentinel amidst the Scottish highlands. No neighbors lived within a twenty-mile radius, and the horizon remained unbroken by cell towers or the intrusion of internet signals.Derick arrived first, steering a rental car he had secured under a digital ghost of an identity. He had taken every possible precaution, leaving his primary phone in a drawer in New York, navigating three separate international flights with three different passports, and swapping vehicles twice during the final leg of the journey.Jackson followed shortly after, then Charlotte, Lily, and finally Marcus. Each member arrived via a distinct route. They eventually gathered in the main room, where the scent of burning peat filled the air and the fire crackled with a steady, rhythmic heat."Everyone sweep yourselves right now," Jackson said. He began distributing handheld detection devices to the group.They spent the next twenty minutes checking every seam of their clo
Compromised
Derick stared at the secure video screen showing Victoria Laurent's face. The Foundation technology specialist waited patiently for his decision."I need you to go deeper," Derick said. "Every corporation that benefited from Ghost Protocol assassinations. I want ownership structures, financial connections,and everything."Victoria hesitated. "Mr. Sekwiga, with respect, I work for Sebastian Dubois. He assigned me to help with pattern analysis, but expanding the investigation would require his authorization.""Then I'll get it from someone with equal authority," Derick replied. He switched to another line and called the one person he trusted least but needed most right now.The call connected. Victoria Laurent's face appeared on screen, but this was a different Victoria Laurent.Derick had to remind himself this wasn't Victoria. The Foundation had too many Laurents. This was someone else entirely. He'd been told her name but couldn't recall
The Architect
Derick was reviewing security protocols for the bait operation when his phone buzzed with an encrypted message from an unknown number. He opened it and saw two words: "Call me. - Raven"He remembered Raven, the former Ghost Protocol assassin he'd met in that warehouse near Prague weeks ago. The man who'd warned him about Phantom and then disappeared into the shadows.Derick dialed the number attached to the message. It rang once before connecting."Mr. Sekwiga," Raven's voice was rough, accented with Eastern European inflection. "I see you survived Prague. Phantom was disappointed.""You have information?" Derick asked."I have something that will interest you. A list. The Ghost Protocol's current priority targets." Papers rustled on the other end of the line. "Twelve world leaders. Eight business titans. All scheduled for elimination within the next eighteen months."Derick felt his pulse quicken. "Send me the list.""A

You may also like

The Indestructible Alexander

Xayne Xavier, The Ironclad Protector

Rise of the Student Trillionaire

Revenge of the Abandoned Heir

Abandoned In Prison, Now They Regret!

Married to my Ex-wife's boss

Beneath the city lights

ELEVATED BY ERROR

Latest Chapter

The Davos Ambush

Preparing the Trap

Julian Cross

The Leak

Compromised

The Architect