LOGINIt came in fragments—documents pulled from shadows, whispered confirmations, patterns that only made sense once fear stopped clouding logic. By the time Nadine sat across the long glass table in the secured meeting room, the conclusion was impossible to ignore.This was no longer the work of a single enemy.It was a war.Rafael stood at the screen, sleeves rolled up, dark circles under his eyes betraying nights without sleep. Behind him, a web of names, corporations, and offshore accounts glowed like a digital spider’s nest.“They’re not acting independently,” Rafael said, voice low but steady. “They never were.”Davin leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Say it plainly.”Rafael exhaled. “Several of our competitors have merged their operations into one syndicate. Shared resources. Shared intelligence. Shared objectives.”Nadine felt her chest tighten. “You’re saying this is coordinated.”“Yes,” Rafael replied. “And deliberate.”Selena, seated near the end of the table, tapped her
The rain began before dawn.Not the gentle kind that soothed the soul, but heavy, relentless drops that struck the city like accusations. Nadine stood by the window of her apartment, arms wrapped tightly around herself, watching the streets below dissolve into blurred reflections of neon lights and uncertainty.She hadn’t slept.Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Rafael’s voice from the recording again.She doesn’t need to know.She pressed her fingers against her temples, shaking her head.“It’s fake,” she whispered to herself. “It has to be fake.”Yet doubt clung to her like a second skin.Her phone buzzed.A new message.From an unknown number.> You’re closer to the truth than you realize.Trust the evidence, not the man.Her breath hitched.“Enough,” she muttered, blocking the number with shaking hands.But fear didn’t disappear just because she commanded it to.---RafaelAcross the city, Rafael sat alone in his office, the lights off, rain streaking down the tall windows
The night felt unusually quiet.Too quiet.The city lights outside Nadine’s office window flickered like dying embers, stretched across the glass tower as if holding their breath. Everyone else had gone home hours ago, but Nadine remained at her desk, drowning in reports she could hardly focus on.Her mind kept replaying the scene from earlier—Rafael losing control, shouting, shaking, spiraling.It wasn’t anger that haunted her.It was the fear she saw underneath.She rubbed her temples, trying to steady her thoughts, when suddenly—A new email notification appeared.Sender: AnonymousSubject: THE MAN YOU TRUSTHer stomach tightened.She clicked it.A wall of text unfolded, cold and venomous.> You think you know Rafael.But he’s hiding something far worse than you imagine.Ask him where he goes at night.Ask him why he’s been in contact with your enemy.If you don’t… you’ll regret it.Attached was a file.A single audio clip.Nadine hesitated, pulse quickening. Her instincts screame
The conference room was far too bright—white lights glaring down like interrogators, bouncing off the polished table and the anxious faces surrounding it. The entire senior team sat stiffly, their laptops open, screens glowing with numbers that spelled disaster.Nadine sat at the head of the table, fingers clasped tightly together, trying her best to stay composed.But Rafael…Rafael looked like a storm.His jaw was tense, his eyes ringed with exhaustion, and the vein in his neck pulsed like a ticking bomb. It had been days since he’d slept properly. Weeks since he’d felt in control. Months since fear had stopped clawing at him.And now, with the latest sabotage results flashing across the screen, something inside him snapped.“Explain this,” Rafael said, his voice low but trembling with barely contained rage.The financial director cleared his throat. “We, uh… discovered discrepancies in the transaction logs. Someone accessed the system with high-level clearance—”“Who?” Rafael deman
The air in Davin’s apartment felt heavy—too quiet, too tense, too full of things unsaid. Rain tapped on the window like impatient fingers, urging him to make a decision he didn’t want to make.The file on his desk glowed faintly under the dim lamp. Inside it was the truth.A truth Nadine should never see.Davin rubbed his forehead and whispered, “If she sees this… it will destroy her.”A knock interrupted him—three soft, uncertain taps.“Davin?” Selena’s voice drifted in. “You’ve been in there for hours. Did you find something?”He inhaled deeply, then slid the file into a drawer.“No,” he lied smoothly. “Nothing new.”Selena stepped inside, watching him with searching eyes. “You’re lying.”Davin stiffened. “I’m protecting her.”Her expression softened, but the concern in her eyes sharpened.“Protecting her with silence is dangerous, Davin. If you’ve found something bad—”“Bad?” He laughed bitterly. “Selena, this isn’t just bad. This will shatter everything Nadine has rebuilt.”Selena
Rain slithered down the windows of the small conference suite Nadine had rented for emergency meetings. Water streaks blurred the city skyline into a smear of trembling lights—as if even the world outside mirrored the chaos inside her heart.Her company was under attack.Her reputation was collapsing by the hour.And every call her legal team made returned with the same answer:“We need more time.”Time she didn’t have.She rubbed her temples, exhaustion settling into her bones. Rafael had insisted on staying with her, but she had convinced him to handle the legal team instead. She needed time to think. Time to breathe. Time to—A soft knock on the conference door interrupted her thoughts.“Come in,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.The door opened, revealing a tall man in a charcoal suit. His hair slicked back, his expression unreadable. Behind him stood two silent bodyguards who remained outside as he stepped in.“Nadine Aurelia,” he greeted smoothly, bowing his head slig







