MasukSilas spun around and plunged headlong into the security booth beside the complex's main gates like a helpless, cornered animal.Bruno Hanks, the guard on night duty, was dozing off in a military-style overcoat. The sudden bang of the door startled him awake."Pull up security footage from the gate and the street's intersection, sir! Hurry!"Silas was soaked through. Rainwater dripped down his jawline, and his eyes were unnervingly bright.Bruno jolted. "It's the middle of the night, Sil. We can't just pull up the camera footage—""Someone's missing! A life might be on the line!"Silas slammed both hands onto the monitoring desk with a loud bang, his voice hoarse with tension."Do it now!"Intimidated by the murderous look on his face, Bruno dared not argue. He quickly cut to the security footage and handed Silas the mouse.The footage was grainy and buzzy from the torrential rain and dark night. Silas' fingers were shaking slightly as he dragged the timeline to 11:00 pm.At
The rain over Bellmere that night fell so violently it felt as though a huge hole had torn through the skies.At 10:00 pm, Urban Memories hung its wooden "Closed" sign right on time.Silas packed away his drawing tablet and glanced over at Avery. She was still seated behind the wet bar counter, tapping away on a calculator under a small desk lamp."Aren't you leaving yet?" he asked, draping his suit jacket over his forearm. "The rain isn't letting up anytime soon. The highway will be jammed up like a parking lot if you leave any later."Avery didn't even raise her head. Her fingers flew across the keys in a blur."You leave first. I have to reconcile the daily sales split for a few pop-up brands overnight. Finance needs the monthly financial statements first thing in the morning, and I really don't want those pencil-pushers breathing down my neck."Silas knew that no one could change her mind once her workaholic mode kicked in."Alright. I'm heading out then. Things have been ch
Back in the basement, Carlton slammed the magazine onto the desk with a heavy thud.The sharp bang startled Jamison and his partner, Knox Gunner, who were playing cards. They stopped their game and looked at him."I'm done hiding," Carlton announced in a cold voice, staring fixatedly at Silas on the cover. "Since they want me dead, I'll make sure I take a few of them down with me on my way to hell."The extreme jealousy in his mind had driven him into a terrifying state of absolute calmness.Teresa was a guarded woman, and after secretly scouting the area over the past few days, Carlton noticed a few suspicious, tough-looking men lurking around Urban Memories. They were plainclothes security guards she had arranged to protect Silas.Carlton couldn't get anywhere near them in his current state as a desperate fugitive. Besides, killing Teresa outright was far too easy on her.The ultimate way to destroy a rival was to ruin their world, and Carlton decided that since Silas was heavi
It seemed as though Bellmere's sunshine was strictly for the upper class.It shone through the glass wall of the airport's VIP concourse with unreserved, brilliant intensity, yet it refused to reach the maze of dark basement slums in West District's working-class neighborhood.Carlton was holed up in one of the windowless basements."When the hell is this suffering going to end, Mr. Unger?"At the other end of the basement, two shirtless, full-tattooed thugs were crouched on the floor playing cars. Their scar-faced leader, Jamison Warren, was the desperate mercenary Carlton had hired with cash on the black market not long ago.Jamison slapped his cards onto the floor and impatiently spat. "Things are getting tight out there. Squad cars from the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit have been roaming the streets for days."If I'm still not getting the final payment you promised, we're not sitting around rotting in this hole with you. Even dogs would turn their noses up at such a suf
Wednesday morning at Bellmere International Airport felt like a war zone.The main terminal was a complete battleground of crowds pushing luggage carts, while the VIP concourse radiated a cool, expensive calm with a trace of premium perfume lingering in the air.Silas wore a clean, light blue shirt and his usual black jacket, standing outside the security checkpoint. A little girl in pink overalls and a bunny backpack clung to his feet.Luna was usually well-behaved, but she was unusually stubborn today.Just five minutes ago, she belatedly realized that Silas wasn't getting one of the paper boarding passes to get onto the giant plane, and now he was about to leave her and Miranda in this huge glass building. That was when she instantly fell apart."No! I want to fight monsters with Mister Hobbyhorse!"She tossed her most treasured stuffed bunny aside and wrapped her chubby arms around Silas' thigh like an octopus.When she looked up, her face was flushed red from crying. Tears
The mention of Luna stirred a wave of warmth in Silas' heart."But what about this agreement? Even if you're leaving, the stocks are still yours. There's no need to hand over all your voting rights," Silas said."Why not?"Miranda tapped on the desk twice."Greed and inference are the nature of capital, Silas. While I'm still here at Valence Capital, I can suppress the people underneath me from bossing you around. But after I leave, whoever takes over will surely scrape through your ledgers for profit."They'll force you to cram a few more coffee tables into the atrium, push you to take on shady, low-tier pop-up exhibitions, and turn Urban Memories into a soulless money-making machine."When Miranda looked at Silas, her gaze was clear and honest."This agreement is the last line of defense I'm leaving you," she said, pushing the document forward right by Silas' hand."With this, you have absolute control over Sil Design. No one can force you to revise your designs or chase chea
Days later, Bellmere received the rare blessing of good weather amid the usual early fall chill. The sunlight filtered in through the sheer curtains, softening the apartment's cold monochrome palette into something faintly resembling warmth.It was 9:00 am on a Saturday. Silas stood in front of the
At 7:30 am, sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the sprawling apartment. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of pour-over coffee and the faint sweetness of butter-toasted bread.Silas, wearing a gray linen outfit softened through repeated washing, slid a perfectl
The welcome-back party was held at the top-floor ballroom of the Belica Hotel in Bellmere.Heavy, double-layered soundproof glass completely shut out the fall chill. A soothing cello melody drifted through the ballroom. The scent of expensive woody perfumes and the sweetness of money burning by the
Standing at the kitchen island, Silas skillfully stirred a spoonful of honey into some water that had been heated to about 115 degrees Fahrenheit. It was the precise temperature he'd arrived at after three years of trial and error.When it was too hot, Teresa would frown in displeasure. Too cold, a







