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Chapter 11: The Gilded cage

Author: Amaka
last update Petsa ng paglalathala: 2026-03-01 22:58:57

The West Wing of the De Luca manor wasn't a room; it was a sanctuary of cold, clinical luxury. The ceilings were so high they disappeared into the shadows, and the silk drapes were the color of dried blood. Outside, the storm continued to batter the stone walls, but inside, the air was eerily still.

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, my forehead resting against the glass. Somewhere in this sprawling labyrinth of stone and secrets, my son was fighting for his life. He was surrounded by mach
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  • Healing with the monster    Chapter 42: The frequency of Ghost

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  • Healing with the monster    Chapter 41: The Sub Basement protocol

    The elevator didn't just descend; it plummeted. The digital floor indicator on the brushed-steel panel flickered past the "Sub-Basement 5" mark—the last official level on the building’s blueprints—and kept going."Julian," I whispered, my fingers trembling as they clutched the silver locket I’d found on the floor. "The GPS on my phone just died. We’re below the water line of the Lagos Lagoon now. We’re in 'Ghost Space'."Julian didn't look away from the elevator doors. His jaw was set so tight I could see a muscle jumping in his cheek. He looked like a man walking toward his own execution. "Ghost Space is where Victor keeps the things that don't exist, Elara. The projects that are too illegal for the De Lucas and too profitable for the higher ups to shut down."The elevator slowed with a heavy, pressurized hiss that made my ears pop. When the doors finally slid open, I expected a dark, damp concrete bunker. Instead, I gasped.We were standing in a corridor of pure, brilliant white. Th

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    The guest suite in the Vane Biotics penthouse was a masterpiece of cold, expensive minimalism—all white marble, brushed steel, and floor-to-ceiling glass that made me feel like we were living inside a high-end aquarium. But at 3:00 AM, with the Lagos humidity pressing against the windows like a physical weight, it felt more like a gilded cage."His temperature is climbing, Elara," Julian whispered. He was kneeling by the bassinet, his tactical jacket discarded, his white linen shirt damp with sweat. He held a digital thermometer like it was a detonator. "103.4. The cytokine storm is starting. His body is fighting a war against its own blueprints."Leo was restless, his small face flushed a deep, angry pink. He wasn't crying anymore; he was whimpering—a low, thin sound that cut through my heart more than any scream could. I knelt beside Julian, pressing a cool, damp cloth to Leo’s forehead."Victor is waiting for us to break, isn't he?" I asked, my voice trembling. "He’s sitting in tha

  • Healing with the monster    Chapter 39:

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