LOGINJulianThe idea had been forming in my head for days, it had only become clearer when the events connected. If we acted openly, we’d expose ourselves. If we moved emotionally, we’d give them leverage. And if we waited too long, we’d be trapped completely. Distance was the only advantage we had left.“I know a few people who specialize in restructuring systems quietly.”Evan gave a short, humorless laugh. “That sounds worse than stealing. Do you realize what we’re going to be dealing with?”“I do, Evan. I have been reluctant.” I said calmly. “But ignoring the matter won’t make it go away.”Outside, a siren wailed faintly in the distance before fading away.“What about the rules? They matter more than intent,”“I’m bringing the devil into it if it will end this charade.” I breathed, almost seething.That earned a small, reluctant smile from him. “All that talk about being quiet. You’re just hotheaded. I like it.”I smiled wryly, walking away. My mind drifted, uninvited, to Savannah.I
JulianWhen night settled over the city, I had stopped pretending I had any control over all the damage.The lie was useful when it had all just began. It gave me some room to breathe. It allowed me justify my restraint while Evan mapped the terrain. We could’ve charged right to it, head first, but the patterns were clear. This wasn’t a financial mess. It was a structure.I was certain as hell, my father had helped build it.The room was quiet except for the low hum of the air conditioner and the faint ticking of a clock that had been there from my first day in this office. I stared at the screen in front of me, eyes moving across rows of offshore entities branching into one another like veins. Some of them I recognized— old names from board meetings I’d half-listened to years ago. They were the international diversification yet the moment anyone started asking questions, they vanished. They were good. That much was undeniable.Evan sat across from me, elbows resting on his knee
ColleenThere were mostly small partners, people who had been collateral, were still being used as pawns. Some had disappeared, others had been threatened into silence, and some were quietly being manipulated into covering for larger operations. My family hadn’t just been partners—they’d been architects of the chain reaction. And now, my own actions could inadvertently set off the next sequence of events if I wasn’t careful.And so I leaned back again, letting my head rest against my hands. The room was silent except for the faint hum of the computer, the occasional ping of a secure notification. I knew I needed to plan methodically. First, gather every piece of data. Every connection. Every potential ally. Then, map the sequence of actions that would allow me to sever ties without drawing immediate retribution. And finally, create contingencies for the unexpected, because in this world, that was inevitable.I started with potential allies. There were a few individuals within the fami
ColleenI sat back in the shadowed corner of my office, letting the weight of the ledger’s revelations settle in my chest. The numbers, the dates and transfers weren’t just figures on paper. They were evidence of a trail that linked my family to the cartel’s operations far deeper than I’d anticipated. I had always known the partnership existed, knew there were favors and exchanges, but this… this was a network of calculated sacrifice. Small partners, silenced or manipulated to maintain favor. Every decision they had made, every transaction, was designed to protect the family’s position, no matter the collateral damage. And now, I was staring at it, all of it laid bare, and the responsibility of acting on it settled heavily on me.Dissolving the partnership wasn’t a simple maneuver. The cartel didn’t negotiate exits, they dictated them, and anyone trying to step away too soon ended up paying with blood, money, or both. I knew the risks. I understood the stakes. But what I didn’t fully
MelordyI ended the call and exhaled quietly. That was controlled and methodical, the kind of slow tightening I could manage without exposing my own moves. Every step Clint took from here on would be a reaction to forces he couldn’t fully perceive.Savannah’s activity blinked again on the secondary feed. I studied her screen carefully. She wasn’t just passive; she was negotiating reality, probing me through subtle communications, and testing thresholds. She was weighing her own options, walking away, taking risks, or aligning temporarily. Her movements were tactical, precise. One wrong assessment, one misstep, and she could lose the leverage she’d carefully built over weeks.She knew I understood her movements. That’s why her moves were measured. That’s why I allowed them, without interference, for now.And so I walked back to the main console with my hands hovering above the controls and each screen displaying a fragment of the reality I was orchestrating. Every movement, every messa
MelordyI already knew Savannah would feel the shift soon, if she hadn’t already. She was perceptive in a way that bordered on inconvenient. She would sense the tightening perimeter, the subtle shifts in tone, the way some questions lingered just a second too long.She would adjust. And when she did, she would either become indispensable, or expendable.I closed the terminal and gathered my things. There was no need to stay still anymore. This phase required visibility. The kind that reminded everyone involved that the board was still being watched.And so as I moved through the corridor, my phone buzzed once with a confirmation that Clint had passed through one of the monitored zones we’d been quietly tracking.I smiled faintly knowing he was closer than he thought. Closer to his daughter, and the exposure.I stepped into the elevator and let the doors close, already anticipating the next moves. Clint would make his attempt soon. Savannah would be forced to pick a side without the il







