Mag-log inI didn't bring Serena to an interrogation room. I brought her to the kitchen.She sat across from me at the small wooden table. Her hands were wrapped around a mug of tea she wasn't drinking. She looked exhausted, her eyes red and puffy from crying in Darius's car.I didn't yell. I didn't accuse her. I just reached into my pocket, unfolded the piece of paper, and slid it across the table.Serena looked down.The ink laid out the exact timeline. The camera hack. The guard's radio call. And right next to the time Zuri's room was found empty, Serena's name sat beside the dark green winter coat.Serena stared at the paper. The color drained from her face. Her lips parted, but no sound came out at first."Veyra," she finally whispered. Her voice shook violently. "What is this?""That is the timeline of how Zuri was taken from the safe house tonight," I said. My voice was completely flat. "And you are the only civilian on it."She dropped the mug. Tea spilled over the wood, dripping onto th
Darius threw the tablet onto my desk. The screen glowed with lines of green text."I traced the Directorate code," Darius said. "The one that disabled the cameras at two-o-five."I leaned forward. "Who does it belong to?""A mid-level systems technician named Elias Thorne. He works in the lower grid." Darius tapped the screen. "But Thorne has been on medical leave for three weeks. His credentials were used remotely."Someone didn't forge an access key. They stole a real one. It was smart, clean, and left a perfect scapegoat."Find him," I said. "Pick him up quietly. No uniforms, no squad cars. Just bring him to the warehouse."An hour later, Thorne sat in a steel chair under a bare bulb. He was trembling.I stood in the corner, letting the silence stretch before I spoke. "Tell me about your login key, Elias.""I didn't do it!" Thorne's voice cracked. "I swear to you, Mr. Cairos. I haven't logged into the network since my surgery."I stepped into the light. "Someone used your code to b
I pulled the guard into the adjoining study, shutting the heavy oak door on Cairos's rigid silhouette in the hall. Cairos terrified people when he was cornered, and fear made witnesses useless.The guard stood by the cold fireplace, wringing his hands. His knuckles were white."Sit down," I said, keeping my voice low and steady.He sank into the armchair. "I didn't leave my post without cause, Miss Veyra. I swear it.""Tell me what happened at two-ten," I said. "No details skipped.""My radio clicked," he said, swallowing hard. "A voice gave the order to check the perimeter wall by the east gate. They used protocol code Echo-Seven."My chest tightened. Echo-Seven was an internal rot-code, updated every twelve hours. Only five people had access to today’s rotation."How long were you gone?" I asked."Five minutes maximum. I ran out, checked the wall, saw nothing, and came straight back. The door was still latched, but when I looked inside..." He dropped his head into his hands. "She wa
The engine hummed against the dark asphalt as I cut through the inner district.Inside the SUV, the silence was heavy. Veyra was already on her phone, tapping away as her network stirred to life. Beside her, I dialed Darius on speaker, keeping my tone clipped and level."Lock down the safe house perimeter," I said. "No one leaves the grounds. Check every camera feed within two miles.""Understood, sir," Darius replied, his voice tense. "I’m ten minutes behind you."I ended the call and tightened my grip on the wheel. I had chosen that safe house myself. Tucked into a quiet, high-security neighborhood, it was designed to be invisible. It was supposed to be the safest place in the city.Instead, it was a trap.Ten minutes later, the SUV pulled into the secluded driveway. I bypassed the main hall and went straight upstairs, Veyra right beside me.Nadia, my contact who managed the property, met us on the landing. She was usually composed, but her pale face betrayed her panic."I don't kno
Chapter 98: The Warning at Our DoorVeyra’s POVThe knocking came again.I stood near the wall, listening carefully as Cairos walked toward the front door.I didn’t know who was outside, but I had a bad feeling about it.We had barely returned home, and now someone was already knocking on our door. After everything that had happened at the Directorate, I couldn’t help wondering if the Council had sent people to confront Cairos.He had openly challenged them by demanding my release and ordering the preservation of their CCTV recordings.I was grateful that he had brought me home, but I was also worried about what his actions might cost him.The door finally opened.“Commander Cairos,” a man greeted him.I recognized the voice but couldn’t see the person from where I stood.“What do you want?” Cairos asked.“We are here on behalf of the High Council.”I held my breath.The High Council?I moved slightly closer to the wall so I could hear better.“We need you to accompany us to a meeting
Chapter97 : They Will Come for YouVeyra’s POVThe moment we arrived home, I felt a sense of relief.I was finally out of that place.I could still remember the cold room, the questions, and the way the officers had looked at me as though I had committed a terrible crime. I had done nothing wrong, yet they had treated me like a criminal.Cairos had brought me home, but I knew the matter wasn’t over.Someone had deliberately changed my report. Until I found out who had done it and why, I wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully.I turned toward Cairos, who was sitting beside me.“Where’s Zuri?”He looked at me.“She’s safe.”“Where?”“I took her to a friend’s place before I went to the Directorate. I didn’t want her to witness everything that was happening.”My heart softened.“Is she all right?”“Yes. She’s been asking for you, though.”I lowered my head for a moment, feeling guilty that my daughter had spent hours without me.“When will she come home?”“I’ll call them and ask them to brin







