เข้าสู่ระบบRoseI don't know if I was supposed to feel like this. But every nerve in me screamed a reminder that I had to be patient.I heard a pop-up notification from my phone indicating a success.I didn't think much about sending that message. The only thing my brain could register was the outcome I expected.My fingers lightly touched the edge of the glass, watching the data streams refresh in a steady, green sequence that illuminated the dark surface before me.On the screen, the transmission log showed a hundred percent completion.The altered genetic report from Dr. Vance’s private clinic had been successfully injected into the executive board’s secure briefing packet, nestled quietly between the third-quarter financial results and the compliance audit summaries where no one would think to look until the morning session opened."It's done," I murmured to the empty room.The document I had spent the last three weeks manufacturing was a masterpiece of legal and medical forgery. To any sta
DamienThe digital terminal I was prying on was mute. There was no chime from the alarm. It simply refused my primary encryption key.I kept my fingers on the keys for three long seconds, staring at the small blinking cursor that signaled my sudden, total displacement.I had spent the last seventy-two hours straight building a digital firewall that should have severed Rose’s proxy access to the primary Holt's accounts forever. It was meant to be a clean strike to freeze her operational capital before the executive board met. It had to protect the remaining pieces of the life Serena and I had once tried to build before the empire grounded us to dust.I could still taste the bitter cinnamon tea I’d survived on, still feel the phantom ache in my shoulders from leaning over this console, hammering out lines of defense designed to shield my son Eli from the vultures circling us.Instead, the static prompt on the monitor mocked me with a single phrase, "Access Denied. Institutional Protoco
Rose I waited, and my patience had already run out. Since she's trying so hard to make things difficult for me, I hope she never regrets this. I hurriedly rush off to see Dr. Vance. It wasn't a good idea but then, with money it'll be so easy to get him. Right at his office, Dr. Vance kept his back turned to me, his fingers adjusting the dials on a small digital incubator that gave off a faint click every few seconds. He had been working in this lab for two hours without saying more than a few words to me. The facility didn't have the usual reception or security desk, just a heavy door that locked from the inside. "The trace is very faint," Vance said, finally dropping his hands and looking at the screen beside him. "The material from the glove you brought to me was mixed with dirt and grease. If this were an official court request, I would have rejected the sample immediately. A standard sample needs a clean swab." "This isn't for anyone, Vance," I reolied, leaning my weig
SerenaI slammed my palm against the side of the laptop until the screen flashed. I was trying to see if what I had in mind was going to work. Fray called Marvin because he was the only subject that could offer assistance. Beside me, the satellite uplink device emitted a dying beep, signaling another failed handshake with the Damien's Hale Group’s primary gateway. I pulled the cables, coiled them into tight loops, and tossed the kit onto the passenger seat. There was no point in forcing a connection that didn’t want to be made."The node is dead, Marvin," I said, catching my breath. "She didn't just password-protect the compliance portal. She scrubbed the routing protocol entirely. It’s as if the estate filing never existed in the corporate database."Marvin’s voice crackled through the earbud, sharp with caffeine-fueled agitation. "Serena, listen to me. I’m running a trace on the rejection packet. It’s not a system error. It’s a deliberate, manual exclusion. Every time I try to pu
SerenaThe chill inside the cabin didn't take long to break through the layers of my wool coat. Out here, the air carried a heavy dampness that clung to everything it touched, turning every breath into a pale cloud of mist. Fray had gone ahead with the flashlight, leaving me alone in the truck with Eli. In the dark, my son’s rhythmic breathing was the only constant thing left in my world. Small, warm, and entirely steady against the cold vinyl of the seat. I kept my arm draped over his back, my palm rising and falling with his small shoulders, terrified that the moment I let go, the quiet reality we had carved out over the last four years would simply vanish.A sharp tap against the glass made me flinch so violently my shoulder hit the steering wheel.Fray was standing outside the passenger window, his frame a dark silhouette against the dark skyline. He waved the beam of his light toward the low, sagging roofline, signaling that the interior was clear. I carefully unbuckled Eli
DamienI sat in my office as my. phone lay on the desk, the screen dark.For a long time, I just stood by the window, watching nothing in particular. My hand was still cold. Part of me wanted to grab my keys, run down to the garage, and drive out to the valley. I wanted to stand on Serena's porch and tell her that I was on her side, that I would stand between her and Rose until the meeting was over.But I knew what would happen if I did.Serena would see my car coming up and think it was another attack. A warning from me would look like a threat. If I wanted to protect Eli, I had to stop the wheels from turning before they ever reached her gate. And the only way to do that was to use the very thing I had spent my entire life building... my weight in this company.I walked back to the desk and sat down.For the last few years, every decision I made had been about survival. I had protected this Group because I believed it was the only thing keeping my family alive, the only thing t
Serena's Pov Beeping.That was the first thing.Not pain, not light, not the slow crawl back into consciousness that they show in films where everything is soft and gauzy and someone is holding your hand. Just beeping. Steady and indifferent, like the world had kept running while I was somewhere e
Serena's Pov I sat on the couch muching on some snacks. My last encounter with the lawyer went smooth. I was watching an episode in a documentary. And it got me real bad. I was so engrossed that I didn't hear the doorbell ring.The sound of the cameras alarm brought me back to reality. I hesitated
Serena's Pov The smell of eggs hit my nostrils before I opened my eyes.I lay still for a moment. Damien's side of the bed was empty and cool. I got up, washed my face with cold water, and looked at myself in the mirror until I felt ready. Then I walked out.He was at the stove in a grey t-shirt,
Serena's POV I closed the bedroom door behind me and stood there for a moment with my back pressed against it. The apartment suddenly felt too quiet. Too small. From somewhere down the hall, I could still hear the faint murmur of their voices. I pushed myself off the door and walked toward the







