A sharp, burning pain from the bullet's graze on Nathan's shoulder sent him reeling back into the room's chaos. Before his intellect could react, his instincts took over and his body began to move. Panic swept through the room as he shoved Anita to the ground and protected her with his own body as gunfire reverberated. Her body shook under him as the blast of sound drowned out Anita's scream. "Nathan!" she said, her voice brimming with fear. Nathan restrained her with a force commensurate with the gravity of the situation, even as she attempted to push herself up."Anita, stay put! Keep still! He spoke in a strong voice with a hint of desperation. His thoughts were racing; everything was moving too quickly. The Architect had stopped playing games and was launching a full-scale assault. Furthermore, he had no idea who had been deceiving him all along. Another shot went off, this one closer. Even though blood was leaking from Nathan's shoulder, he found it difficult to lift
As Nathan stumbled back, blood streaming from the new wound across his side, the world briefly appeared to distort. Even though the pain was blinding, he continued to move. The acute focus, almost automatic, replaced the pain as the adrenaline pumped through his veins drowned it out. As Sophia watched him with almost clinical curiosity and rubbed the knife's blade with her thumb, her eyes glinted with a cold, detached amusement. A smile that stopped short of her eyes twisted her lips. Nathan, you always believed you were unbeatable, didn't you? You have been playing an unwinnable game all this time.His shirt became darkly stained as the blood from his side seeped through it. Despite having trouble breathing, Nathan persisted. After everything, he was not going to allow her to win now. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what he should do next. Anita's piercing, terrified voice broke through the atmosphere. "Nathan! You must— Nathan cut in, his voice tense with agon
Nathan’s breathing was hard, his side scorching from the cut Sophia had caused. His clothes was saturated in blood, and the air was heavy with the smell of metal, but he would not show them how weak he was. His thoughts were racing, calculating, trying to find a way out. Harry and Sophia stood side by side across the room, a triumphant, warped picture of treachery. Harry's grin was filled with contentment, and Nathan felt a new surge of rage when Sophia laughed icily. "I must confess, Nathan," Harry remarked, his tone brimming with derision. "Observing you in this state? Bleeding and helpless? It's a pretty sight.Nathan's vision darkened at the edges, and his jaw tightened. Throughout his life, he had battled to always be one step ahead of those like Harry. Yet, here he was, standing at the mercy of two people he had once misjudged. With her hands shaking at her sides, Anita took a step forward. Her eyes were filled with fear, but underlying that was something more fierce
The security team surrounded the penthouse, securing the area, their radios crackling with updates as they pursued the traitors through the city, but Nathan knew better than to expect an easy capture because Harry had always been slippery. Gregor holstered his gun, stepping forward, his face ashen, his expression solemn. "They won't run forever. Harry has too much pride to disappear into the shadows." Nathan's grip on Anita remained firm despite the increased tension in the air.Nathan hardly heard him and nodded. Anita, still shaking in his arms, was his centre of attention. He tilted her chin up and cupped her face tenderly. "Are you in pain?" Despite shaking her head, her wide eyes conveyed a different message to him. "They were going to take me, Nathan." Her fingers dug into his arms as her voice faltered. He gritted his teeth. "They won't have another opportunity." A stagger went through him as a sharp pain tore through his side. Anita gasped and gently but firmly reach
The restaurant was enveloped in an oppressive silence. Between Nathan and Harry were the falsified papers, a black-and-white declaration of war. Beneath the table, Anita's palm clutched Nathan's, her pulse racing against his flesh. Her searching stare weighed heavily on him, waiting for him to break the trap Harry had so meticulously prepared. Leaning back in his chair as if unconcerned, Nathan let out a deep exhale. A sneer formed on his lips, but beneath it his blood boiled. "Excellent work, Harry," he remarked, patting the folder's edge. "I'll give it to you." Harry grinned more broadly. "I knew the craftsmanship would be appreciated by you."Sophia's amused eyes shone as she crossed her arms. It's actually that easy. You must either watch your empire fall apart or allow us to take it away. Nathan tightened his jaw. He was a man who lived his life foreseeing dangers and thwarting them before they had a chance to establish themselves. However, this was a personal matte
The weight of everything they had been through crashed down on them, and Nathan's hold on Anita's hand grew tighter. They were besieged and had nowhere to flee once the Architect executed his last move. However, Nathan had never been a guy to submit to fate. He outwitted adversaries who attempted to destroy him, created his empire out of nothing, and would now do the same to the anonymous menace that had plagued them for months. Anita clung to him, her other hand shaking against the material of his shirt, her breath irregular and her pulse wild. "Nathan," she muttered, her voice full of passion. But what if this isn't the end? What if—She was forced to look into his eyes as he cupped her face. "When I say it's over, it is." There was something deeper in his gaze, something raw and unbreakable, but his tone was steel. They were both on high alert when they heard a loud crash from the corridor. Just as the door exploded open, Nathan turned and positioned Anita behind him. W
The gunshot was followed by a deafening quiet. As Anita's eyes flitted to Nathan, looking for any indication of harm, her breath caught in her throat. His posture was tight, his face unreadable—but the moment was broken by a sudden intake of breath. Gregor stumbled against the wall, clutching his side. Dark, merciless blood soaked between his fingertips. "Dad!" Nathan was quicker than Sophia, who shouted and rushed forward. He lowered Gregor to the ground, catching him before he fell. Anita clambered up to his side and covered the cut with her hands. The blood spread too quickly and was warm—too warm. Anita begged, her voice full of dread, "Stay with me." Nathan jerked his head in the direction of his security detail. Track down the shooter! Right now!His guys fumbled, spreading out, their voices crackling through earpieces. However, Anita felt deep down that this was more than just an attack. It was a message. With a moan, Gregor tightened his hold on Nathan's wrist.
Nathan's penthouse was oppressively quiet. He could still see the taunting, challenging message from The Architect. Watching Nathan pace the room, Anita perched on the side of the bed with her fingers intertwined. His muscles tensed with controlled tension, and his jaw was clenched. Since security had verified that the signal originated inside the premises, he had hardly talked. Their walls had been penetrated. The hush was broken when Anita eventually replied, "I don't understand." How were they able to bypass security? Who is capable of this? Nathan paused his pacing and faced her. His gloomy eyes were impenetrable, but beneath his annoyance was something more that made Anita's stomach knot.“They didn’t just get past security, Anita,” he replied, his voice softer, more controlled. “They were already inside.” Her breath caught. "You believe—" He interrupted, saying, "I think this isn't just about my business anymore." "This is a personal matter." She felt a chill go
The next morning brought a storm Anita hadn’t seen coming—not from the frontlines, but from within the walls of the fortress she had so carefully built.Anita entered the boardroom at Grant Holdings, expecting support, strategy, and a unified front. Instead, she walked into silence and stiff backs. The tension was visceral, as if the air itself was laced with suspicion.Nathan sat at the head of the table, jaw tight. Across from him, Reva Langston, the very woman who had shaken Anita’s hand just hours ago, now stared at her with cold detachment.“What happened?” Anita asked, setting her tablet down.Reva didn’t blink. “Dominic Pierce filed an injunction against you, Anita. He claims your press conference was a smear campaign backed by falsified documents.”“That’s absurd. We verified everything.”Nathan spoke then, voice clipped. “Pierce is claiming the documents you presented were stolen from a secure database in Switzerland—and that Grant Holdings was complicit in cybercrime.”A chi
Dominic Pierce thought he’d rattled her.He’d sent the orchid as a warning, veiled in civility. But Anita wasn’t the girl she’d been when she first walked into Nathan’s world. She’d been made, broken, burned, and reborn.She knew now that in games of power, silence was never safety—it was strategy.Anita stood before the mirror in her office, buttoning a crisp ivory blouse. Her reflection stared back with poise and purpose. Behind her, Patricia’s photograph smiled faintly on the bookshelf. That reminder was all she needed.Nathan appeared in the doorway, his frame a towering presence. “The press conference is set. Noon.”She turned, slipping gold hoops into her ears. “Are the files ready?”“They are.” He stepped closer. “Are you?”She met his gaze. “You’re not the only one who keeps leverage, Nathan.”He raised a brow. “You’ve been building something?”“I learned from the best.” Her voice was calm, but there was steel beneath. “Remember when I asked you to assign me as your proxy on t
Anita didn’t speak during the drive home.She sat in the back of the armored black Maybach, eyes fixed on the lights bleeding through the city skyline, replaying every word Dominic Pierce had said. The man didn’t blink. Didn’t threaten. He didn’t need to. His offer wasn’t just power—it was a declaration.He didn’t want to destroy Nathan. He wanted to replace him. With her.And that made this war far more personal.When the car pulled into the private elevator bay at the Grant penthouse, she stepped out, shoulders straight, heels echoing like declarations of defiance. The moment the elevator doors opened, Nathan was already there—jacket off, tie undone, eyes stormy with anticipation.“Well?” he asked.Anita let out a slow breath. “He wants to recruit me.”Nathan’s brow twitched. “Recruit?”“Full takeover. My own firm. Resources. Autonomy. And I’d never need you again.”Silence settled thickly between them.He crossed the room slowly, eyes scanning her face. “And?”“I told him to go to
The Calm Before the WarThe rain had stopped, but the tension hadn’t.Nathan stood at the balcony of the penthouse, shirt sleeves rolled up, the city sprawled beneath him like a conquered battlefield. Yet victory felt heavy, laced with exhaustion. His mind replayed every detail from the boardroom, every reaction—Delacorte’s twitching eye, Chen’s collapse, and Anita’s unflinching resolve.She’d been magnificent.Behind him, Anita moved through the living room, barefoot, still in the suit she hadn’t changed out of since the night before. Her hair was slightly tousled, and fatigue clung to her frame like a second skin, but her eyes… they were alive. Sharp. Focused.She approached him quietly, holding two mugs of black coffee. No celebration. No champagne. Just coffee. Because they weren’t done yet.“You’re not sleeping,” she said, offering the cup.He took it, brushing her fingers with his. “Neither are you.”She leaned on the railing beside him. “We just humiliated one of the most corru
Shortly after midnight, the storm broke out. Rain battered the penthouse windows as lightning illuminated the skyline and thunder cracked over the metropolis. Everything was moving in Nathan's battle room, which used to be his office. Anita leaned over a computer table showing the activities of shareholders, Gregor yelled orders into a secure queue, and Nathan Nathan observed her. Something about her had changed. Once standing unsurely at the edge of wolf-infested boardrooms, the woman now stood in the middle, unwavering. Making calculations. Sharp.While looking over the information on the encrypted server that Nathan had previously concealed from even his own legal advisor, Anita remarked, "We're going to need proof." "The board's plan cannot be overturned without concrete proof of wrongdoing or manipulation." "Misconduct always occurs," Gregor mumbled. "These men didn't reach the summit without stepping on people." "Then we discover the corpses," she answered in a firm
As Anita's remarks reverberated across the room, silence descended once more, this time more profoundly. It's time to invite those they never thought to invite. It's time to reverse the situation. At first, Nathan remained silent. He looked her, truly studied her, and his eyes narrowed, calculating. He was constantly aware of Anita's intelligence and fortitude. However, this? This was a very different matter. Instead of cowering in the shadows behind him, she was stepping into her own and daring to confront the machine that had moulded their world. "Who are they?" With care in his voice, Gregor asked in a low murmur. "We need details if we're going to take action. Right now.Anita averted her gaze from both of them and looked up at the glistening skyline. In addition to her face, the mirror in the glass depicted the woman she had grown into, one who had withstood manipulation, treachery, and a web of power struggles that would have destroyed anybody else. She whirled aro
The air was packed with unspoken words as they locked the doors of Nathan's private office. The slight bustle of the metropolis beyond the glass walls felt distant, replaced by an oppressive silence that hung between them. Nathan stood at the far end of the room, his back to her, hands clasped behind his neck, gazing out into the darkness. His figure was black against the lighted skyline, with the weight of leadership—and everything they had worked for—weighing heavily on him.Anita took a deep breath, feeling the chilly air on her skin as she stepped into the chamber, her shoes' heels clicking quietly on the polished marble floors. Despite the opulence of the setting and the vista, everything about this moment felt off. The tension between them was real, like an invisible thread about to snap. She had never seen him this remote, closed-off.She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips as Nathan turned around, his face determined. His gaze met hers, his face op
With the large estate in front of them softly lit by the moonlight, Nathan and Anita stood at the mansion's threshold during a tense night. Their brains were racing from the weight of what had just happened at the family meeting, and the air was heavy with unsaid words. After Nathan's audacious statement, the family-filled room had quieted down, but the situation was far from done. Now, as the night drew on, the uncertainty of what was ahead hung heavy."Do you think they’ll accept it?" Anita asked in a low voice that could hardly be heard above the gentle sound of leaves rustling in the breeze. She wasn't discussing the family. She wanted to know about the future Nathan had planned for them. the notion of restoring the family, dismantling Eleanor's poisonous authority, and forging something more resilient out of the ruins. It seemed like a huge undertaking that would call for more than simply assurances and words.As Nathan gazed off into the distance, his eyes darkened and h
After Eleanor left, the air had a strange feel to it, full with an almost tangible energy that Anita found difficult to comprehend. The family's long-standing barriers to control had crumbled, and the balance of power was changing in the silence that followed her departure. Everyone was trapped in the aftermath of what had just happened, and nobody appeared to move right away.For a few while, Anita remained motionless, her fingers still clasped together with Nathan's. Though it wasn't as strong as it once was, she could still feel the heat of his touch. She felt more confident since he now had a strength and a resolve that she had not seen before. She came to the realisation that this win was only the beginning, though, when the dust settled. There was still so much to discover. Nathan responded, "She’s gone," in a cool but slightly ferocious tone. "But that doesn’t mean this is over."Slowly, Anita nodded, her mind racing. There was still so much to accomplish, more to reve