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
As Nathan's heart pounded in his ears, his hold on the phone became more firm. The image was new: Anita stood close to their penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing into the city lights. However, she wasn't by alone. In the backdrop, a shadow was just barely discernible in the glass's reflection. There had been a visitor. With deadly composure, Nathan ordered, "Pack a bag." Anita's breath caught. “What?” Nathan's dark, unfathomable eyes turned to her. "We're heading out." Now. Anita was hesitant. “But—” Gregor interrupted, his voice urgent. He's correct, Anita. You're not safe here if they manage to get inside. She felt a knot in her stomach. Her skin crawled at the idea that someone had been watching her, that she had been unaware.She nodded and quickly grabbed a tiny luggage from the closet. Nathan trailed behind, opening a drawer and taking out a loaded firearm. It was a harsh reminder that this was more than just a game, and the sight of it chilled her. I
As Nathan's heart pounded in his ears, his hold on the phone became more firm. The image was new: Anita stood close to their penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing into the city lights. However, she wasn't by alone. In the backdrop, a shadow was just barely discernible in the glass's reflection. There had been a visitor. With deadly composure, Nathan ordered, "Pack a bag." Anita's breath caught. “What?” Nathan's dark, unfathomable eyes turned to her. "We're heading out." Now. Anita was hesitant. “But—” Gregor interrupted, his voice urgent. He's correct, Anita. You're not safe here if they manage to get inside. She felt a knot in her stomach. Her skin crawled at the idea that someone had been watching her, that she had been unaware.She nodded and quickly grabbed a tiny luggage from the closet. Nathan trailed behind, opening a drawer and taking out a loaded firearm. It was a harsh reminder that this was more than just a game, and the sight of it chilled her. I
Nathan's pulse pounded against his ribs as he gazed at the screen. Sophia. Hurt, battered, and completely scared. Beside him, Anita took a sharp gasp. "This must be a trick, isn't it?" Nathan remained silent. Already, the possibilities were running through his thoughts. Sophia wasn't blameless; she had plotted, cheated, and even attempted to destroy Anita's life. However, this? This was not like the others. There was more to the Architect's message than that. Nathan was forced to play the game they were establishing the rules for. The screen displayed another message. "Time is of the essence. Call or she will perish. Gregor exhaled deeply and slowly. "You're playing right into their hands if you interact with them." Nathan's hands tightened into fists. "If I don't, they'll kill her." Anita's face looked pallid and conflicted. He could feel the conflict brewing within her—Sophia had been her adversary, but she wasn't heartless. "You can't just let her die," Anita m
As it got closer to the warehouse, Nathan's black SUV hummed as it sliced through the shadowed streets like a ghost. He was so focused on strategy, calculations, and the constant throb of adrenaline in his veins that he hardly noticed the vehicle's motion. Gregor checked his rifle next to him, his face inscrutable. "We're striking hard?" Nathan tightened his hold on the steering wheel. "No. We're entering strategically. It was crucial for Sophia's survival. Gregor nodded slowly, realising the implied implication. Failure was not an option because they only had one chance at this. The architect believed they were in charge of the board. However, they had misjudged the individual.The trap is in place. Nathan turned off the headlights as they drew into an empty lot. The flickering lamps barely lit the rusting facade of the warehouse that towered over them. A shadow shifted close to the doorway. Armed. Protecting. Nathan tightened his jaw. "They anticipate us." Gregor
In sharp contrast to the pandemonium within, the penthouse had never felt colder than it did now. Despite the storm inside, the city lights outside flickered. As he took in what Anita had just disclosed, Nathan stood by the window with his back to her. The weight of whispered facts hung over them like a dense cloud of stillness. With her heart thumping in her chest, Anita stayed motionless. She had anticipated resentment, possibly even treachery. However, she had not anticipated the utter quiet that now pervaded the space. Although there had always been a gap between them, it felt much wider today. The ground seemed to have moved under their feet, and she was afraid it would swallow them both whole"It's unbelievable that you withheld this from me." Despite being low, Nathan's voice held a rawness that Anita hadn't expected. "You were aware of your father's actions, yet you chose not to inform me? You didn't anticipate how it would impact us? Anita winced, but she kept her
The weight of choices taken, vows made, and threats that now loomed like a storm on the horizon made the air in the apartment feel heavier with every second that went by. Nathan stood by the wide window, watching the city below pulse, its lights a blur of movement, as though everything was changing all the time. For a brief time, he wanted he could be somewhere else instead of here, confronting the truth he had been avoiding, as the enormity of it appeared to engulf him whole.Anita paced tensely and quickly behind him. There were many unspoken statements in the deafening quiet between them, but neither of them felt willing or able to break it. Even though they had experienced a lot together, it seemed like the tipping moment. Their marriage was now on the verge of breaking due to the strain that had been building for weeks and months beneath the surface. He sensed it, like a tense wire about to break. "Why didn’t you tell me, Nathan?" At last, the quiet was broken by Anita's
On the morning following the scandal, Anita stood in the centre of her penthouse, gazing at the city skyline that she had once thought was her stronghold. Normally a source of pride, the vista now felt like a mocking reminder of the mayhem she had let loose. On the sofa table, her phone was constantly buzzing. For the time being, she disregarded it. The world could wait. With her head still reeling from the events of the previous few hours—Pierce's premeditated blow, Stacy's treachery, and her choice to turn the tables on them both—her fingers caressed the edge of the marble counter. The cost had only just started to become apparent, and the satisfaction was bittersweet.Max had performed his duties with surgical accuracy. Pierce had to deal with the damage right away because the leaks had struck hard. Anita was aware, however, that the billionaire businessman was not the kind to back down for very long. Retaliation would occur, and it would affect all parties. Even those wh
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