2025-10-24 16:34:02
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Chapter Nine: Ghost Empire
The Stratton Gala had left Milwaukee buzzing. Social feeds exploded with clips of Landon Hale walking out into the night, calm and untouchable, while the Strattons burned in their own shame.A man the city once mocked had become a ghost everyone suddenly feared, but Landon didn’t bask in it. He was already working.Claire tossed the remote aside. “You’re viral,” she said. “Half the city thinks you’re an avenging angel, the other half thinks you staged it.”Landon stood by the window of the rented penthouse, overlooking the skyline. The lights shimmered like veins of power he could already feel pulsing toward him. “Let them think,” he said quietly. “Perception is leverage. Fear is currency.”She crossed her arms, studying him. “You sound like a CEO already.”He turned. “That’s the idea.”On the coffee table lay a spread of documents, company reports, stock charts, and a photo of Westhill Dynamics, a struggling logistics tech firm that once supplied the Strattons’ empire. Claire had p
Chapter Eight: Return of the Ghost
Snow glittered on the marble steps outside the Lakeshore Grand Hotel, where Milwaukee’s elite were gathered for the Winter Hope Charity Gala. Cameras flashed. Laughter echoed. A jazz band played soft, expensive music under the chandeliers, and in the middle of it all, the Strattons smiled like nothing had ever happened.Harold, stiff and polished in a navy suit, was doing interviews near the sponsor banner. Emily stood beside him, flawless in a silver gown. Todd, his arm in a designer brace, smirked for the cameras, pretending last week’s “incident” had been a minor electrical fire.The whispers had died down. Their PR team made sure of that. Until tonight. Because Landon Hale was back.Claire adjusted her coat beside him on the sidewalk, just out of the lights. “You’re sure about this?” she murmured.Landon watched the revolving doors, calm as still water. “They built their image by destroying mine,” he said softly. “I’m just returning the favor.”Claire gave a wry smile. “You coul
Chapter Seven: The Fallout
The Stratton estate was cordoned off by dawn. Blue and red lights washed over the snow like watercolor stains. Reporters huddled behind yellow tape, cameras flashing, breath misting in the frigid Milwaukee air.“Police are still trying to determine what caused the electrical failure and injuries at the Stratton residence late last night,” a young reporter said into her mic, hair whipped by the wind. “Sources say the family is refusing to comment, but witnesses claim there were… unusual lights.”A camera drone buzzed overhead, capturing wide shots of the dark mansion. For all its luxury, it looked like a haunted shell.Detective Elena Brooks stepped out of her unmarked sedan, clutching a paper cup of coffee. She hated winter, hated rich people’s scandals, and most of all, hated that her first case of the year smelled like nonsense. A rookie officer jogged up. “Detective, you’ll want to see this.”Inside the mansion, the air was thick with the scent of ozone and fear. The fireplace w
Chapter Six: The Echo
Snow fell thicker that night over the Stratton estate, soft and silent, burying the footprints Landon had left behind. Inside, the house was anything but quiet.Todd paced the living room like a trapped animal. His right arm hung limp at his side, wrapped in a sling. Every time he moved, pain flashed across his face. “I’m telling you, Dad, that freak threw me with nothing. No wires, no tricks. Just, boom!” He snapped his fingers. “Like gravity flipped.”Harold stood by the fireplace, drink in hand. His usually perfect hair was disheveled, his face pale. “You’re exaggerating.”“I’m not exaggerating!” Todd shouted. “He glowed! His eyes were blue like, like neon!”“Enough!” Harold’s voice cracked like a whip. “You sound insane.”Emily sat curled on the couch, still in the blue dress she’d worn that evening. Her mascara had smudged, her eyes vacant. “He’s not insane,” she said quietly. “I saw it too.”Harold turned sharply. “You’re just… upset. He’s gone, Emily. Forget him.”She looked u
Chapter Five: The Pier
The night was a black mirror. Lake Michigan stretched out like an endless sheet of ink, the old lighthouse blinking red every few seconds. Wind lashed the pier, biting through Landon’s coat, but he hardly felt the cold. He was early.The message from Claire had said “Pier 6. Midnight. No electronics.” He’d left his phone in a locker two blocks away, though the thing had still pulsed faintly even after he shut it off, like a heart unwilling to stop beating.Now, the pier creaked under his boots as he stared out at the dark water. The whole city was silent behind him, a thousand lights reflected in the waves.“Didn’t think you’d actually come,” said a voice from the shadows.Landon turned. Claire stepped out of the darkness, coat whipping around her, face half-lit by the lighthouse’s glow. “You don’t seem like the trusting type,” she added.“I’m not,” he said. “But I’m out of options.”“Good answer.” She looked him over. “You’ve changed. Energy output’s higher.”“I don’t even know wha
Chapter Four: The Divorce Dinner
Snow powdered the Strattons’ mansion like sugar on marble. Landon stood at the iron gate, clutching the divorce papers Emily had insisted he sign “in person.” He could have mailed them, but something in him wanted to see their faces, one last time, before he disappeared from their world for good.The gate buzzed open. He walked up the long drive, boots crunching over frozen gravel. The house glittered with warm light, all glass and stone and quiet arrogance.Harold Stratton himself opened the door, immaculate as ever in a navy sweater and loafers. “Ah, the prodigal son-in-law,” he said dryly. “Try not to drip on the rug.”Landon wiped his feet deliberately, meeting the man’s eyes. “Wouldn’t want to stain perfection.”Harold’s jaw tightened. “Come in.”Inside, everything gleamed, crystal chandeliers, a fire glowing behind glass, the smell of expensive wine. Emily sat on the couch, pale blue dress, hands folded like she was attending a funeral. Todd lounged beside her, smug in his des
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