With the exception of the occasional glass clinking as people twitched their drinks anxiously, the room was quiet. It was intended to be a celebration, a sumptuous banquet thrown by Verena Walker, a moment of victory for her and her well manicured persona. While the rest of the world continued to view her as the untouchable grandmother of an enduring legacy, guests mixed together and marvelled at her most recent business endeavours. But beneath all of this glitz, Anita was ready to demolish everything Verena had worked so hard to create.Anita had a surge of satisfaction as the last parts of the puzzle came together. She was prepared. With their cameras focused on the woman who believed she could overcome her history, the media had already assembled and was waiting for the signal. Nathan, standing tall next to her, had dark eyes that glowed with the same passion that had been developing between them over the past few weeks. They now had a shared objective and a silent understan
Anita’s pulse raced as she stood in the center of the room, watching her team scramble to respond to Verena’s unexpected message. They had expected Nadine to react with arrogance, maybe a few threats, but this—this was different. Verena was on the offensive now, and that shifted everything. It was no longer just a game of outsmarting Nadine—it was a battle between two masterminds, and Anita had just been drawn into the bigger, more dangerous fight.Nathan stood beside her, his eyes dark with frustration, his mind already working through the next steps. His fingers drummed against the table, his usual calm demeanor now replaced by the urgency that only came when he was truly threatened. The energy in the room shifted from a team of quiet strategists to a group of soldiers preparing for war.“We need to rethink this,” Anita said, her voice steady despite the churn of nerves in her stomach. “Verena’s playing a different game than we thought. We thought we were dealing with the daughter,
Anita’s heart pounded in her chest as the weight of the message from Nadine lingered in the air. She could practically hear the mocking tone in the words, the confidence that dripped from every sentence. The woman wasn’t just a threat anymore—she was becoming a force to be reckoned with. And it was clear that their advantage was slipping away.“Dammit,” Marla muttered under her breath, rubbing her eyes as she looked over the freshly downloaded financial records. “This doesn’t make sense. She’s covered her tracks too well.”Anita’s mind worked furiously. She’d known from the beginning that Nadine was dangerous, but now it was clear that the Rothschild heiress wasn’t just playing her mother’s game. She was rewriting the rules. Nadine wasn’t afraid to fight dirty, and that meant Anita had to do the same.Nathan leaned over the table, his jaw clenched, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. “She’s playing us. We’ve underestimated her.”Anita’s gaze never wavered from the screen. “No
The moment the first phase of their plan kicked into motion, Anita felt the weight of the world settle heavier on her shoulders. She was no longer just fighting for herself. It was her entire future at stake, a future she was determined to control. She didn’t need to look back—only forward.But as her fingers hovered over the keys, her mind raced with the realization that this war was more dangerous than she’d ever anticipated. Every step forward, every move they made was a gamble. And as the lights of the room flickered, a strange tension began to crawl up her spine. Something felt off.Nathan stood across the room, his gaze fixed on the screens, his expression unreadable. She could feel his unease, the same unease that had settled in her own chest. They were on the precipice of something big. They had already lost so much—she wasn’t ready to let the whole empire crumble just yet.“Everything’s in motion,” Marla said, her voice sharp. “I’ve got Nadine Rothschild’s financial records.
The red letters on the screen flickered ominously. Verena’s message was like a knife to the chest, a cold reminder of how deeply the Rothschilds were entrenched in their web. Anita’s fingers froze on the keyboard, a cold sweat dripping down her spine as she read the message over and over again.“I know what you’re doing. You’re too late. – Verena.”Her heart pounded, the room around her feeling smaller, more suffocating with every passing second. They had been careful—hadn’t they? They’d taken precautions, covering their tracks, using the most advanced encryption. So how had Verena found them? How did she know what they were planning?Nathan’s voice cut through the tension, low and steady. “What does this mean?”Anita turned, her eyes wide with shock but masking her rising panic. “It means she’s playing us. Verena knows we’re coming for her.”Ethan’s voice came through the comms, clipped and urgent. “She’s onto us, no question. I’m trying to scramble her trace, but she’s fast. Too fas
The moment the door slammed shut behind them, the war room plunged into silence. The glow of the monitor flickered in the darkened room, illuminating Anita’s face as she stared at the encrypted files now pulsing on the screen. The map of Verena Rothschild’s empire unfolded like a maze, each node representing a person, a deal, or a dark secret. But to Anita, it wasn’t just an empire—it was a blueprint for destruction.She ran her fingers over the console’s smooth surface, her mind racing. Every moment spent here was another chance for Verena to move against her. The clock was ticking.Nathan stood behind her, his broad presence like a shield at her back. He hadn’t spoken since they’d left Zurich, but Anita could feel the weight of his gaze, the pressure of his silent questions. She couldn’t afford to be distracted—not now.“This is it,” Anita murmured, more to herself than to him. “This is everything.”Marla stood off to the side, arms crossed, waiting for orders. Ethan, meanwhile, hov
Zurich was cloaked in snow, a city frozen in time, like a still-frame before detonation.The private jet touched down just before dawn. Nathan and Anita descended the steps into biting wind, flanked by Marla’s elite security. Every movement was calculated. Every glance sharp. Zurich was no longer neutral ground—it was a battlefield.Gregor Bennett had been hiding under a false identity, tucked away in a fortified villa on the edge of Lake Zurich. It had been years since Anita had seen him in person. Years since she’d dared to look at the man who had fathered both her and Stacy, yet raised neither.And now, he might be the key to taking Verena Rothschild down—or the final betrayal.The villa stood like a forgotten cathedral, its stone walls dusted in snow. As they approached the heavy oak door, two guards stepped forward. Marla flashed clearance. The door opened.Anita’s breath caught.He looked older. Greyer. The once-proud lines of Gregor Bennett’s face had deepened into weary trench
The storm that had loomed over Milan finally broke the next morning.Rain streaked down the glass walls of the penthouse as Anita stood at the edge of Stacy’s hospital bed. Her half-sister—her enemy, her blood—lay still, machines monitoring every vital, a faint beeping tethering her to the present.Nathan entered quietly behind her.“She’s stabilized,” he said. “But Marla says the neurological damage... it’s extensive.”“She’s lucky to be alive.” Anita’s voice was sharp, but her fingers gently brushed Stacy’s pale hand. “Verena didn’t just rewrite her—she tried to erase her.”Nathan watched Anita, taking in her expression. Gone was the soft uncertainty that once lingered in her eyes. In its place stood a storm queen, forged in betrayal, rebuilt in fire.“What are you planning?”Anita finally turned toward him.“Verena Rothschild wants to play god?” Her lips curled. “Then I’ll remind her what happens when gods fall.”Nathan crossed the room, closing the distance between them. “You’ve c
The Milan skyline shimmered beneath a violet dusk as Anita stepped off the private jet. The city pulsed beneath her heels—its heartbeat syncing with hers. Strong. Defiant. Ready.Nathan was waiting on the tarmac, collar turned up against the wind, hands in the pockets of a midnight wool coat. His eyes locked on hers like a compass finding true north.He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.Anita walked straight into his arms, the weight of Berlin pressing against her spine. His hands tightened around her waist.“She didn’t deny it,” Anita said against his shoulder.“Verena?” he asked.She nodded. “But she didn’t confirm it either. She’s not playing for power, Nathan. She’s playing for legacy.”Nathan pulled back slightly, searching her eyes. “Eleanor’s legacy?”“No,” Anita said. “Her own. And she’s found a way to resurrect it through something Eleanor discarded—something even Eleanor feared.”Nathan’s jaw tightened. “Stacy.”Anita exhaled. “The Phoenix Protocol.”They rode back in silence