LOGINI don’t scare easily.But I respect patterns.And right now, everything was starting to form one.A warning call. A photo taken without mistake. A message delivered straight to my door.That’s not random.That’s controlled.Which means whoever’s behind this isn’t just watching—they’re planning.“Sir, perimeter is clear.”I didn’t look away from the glass wall. “It was clear before too.”“Yes, sir.”“And yet someone still got close enough to leave that.”Silence.Because there was no excuse for that.“Fix it,” I said.“We will.”I finally turned, picking up the photo again from the table.The angle bothered me.Not because it was invasive.Because it was precise.That shot wasn’t taken by someone careless. It was taken by someone patient. Someone who knew exactly where to stand, when to move, and how to disappear.Not an amateur.Not hired last minute.This was planned long before I even stepped into that building.Which means—They knew I was coming.“Trace everything,” I said. “Camer
I knew the moment I stepped out of that building—things were already moving.Not slowly.Not quietly.Fast.The kind of fast you don’t notice until it’s already too late.“Sir.”I didn’t answer right away. I was still looking at the entrance behind me, like she might walk out again.She didn’t.Of course she didn’t.“She let you leave,” my head of security said, standing a few steps behind me.I finally turned. “You say that like I needed permission.”“You didn’t,” he replied. “But you got it anyway.”I didn’t respond to that.Because he wasn’t wrong.“Get in the car,” I said.—The drive back felt longer than usual.Not because of traffic.Because my head wasn’t quiet.That doesn’t happen often.I replayed everything.Her words. Her tone. The way she didn’t back down.The way she warned me.Not like a threat.Like a fact.“You’re not normal.”She said it like it was a problem.I see it as an advantage.“Sir, we have updates.”I looked up. “Talk.”“After you left the location, two veh
I don’t chase people.If I need something, it comes to me.That’s how it’s always been.But as I stood in my office the morning after that meeting, staring at the city like it owed me answers, I already knew—this wasn’t going to follow my usual rules.“Sir, we’ve started digging deeper.”I didn’t turn around. “That’s not what I asked.”A pause. “We’re still gathering—”“I said find everything,” I cut in. “Not start.”“Yes, sir.”I finally looked at him.“Tell me something useful.”He straightened slightly, flipping open the tablet in his hand. “Thea Claire Smith has multiple identities tied to her name. Most of them are clean, but they don’t last long. She moves every few months, sometimes sooner.”“Why?”“No pattern yet. But every location has one thing in common.”“Which is?”“Business transactions linked to underground networks.”Of course.“Direct involvement?”“Hard to prove. But based on timing, she’s always nearby when something happens.”I walked back to my desk, picking up th
I don’t like being challenged.Especially not in my own game.And right now, standing a few steps away from her, I could already tell—this wasn’t going to be a normal negotiation.Thea Claire Smith didn’t look away.Most people do. They either try too hard to hold eye contact or break it first. It’s predictable. Easy to read.She wasn’t.She held my gaze like it didn’t cost her anything. Like she’d done this before. Like I wasn’t the most dangerous person in the room.That alone made her a problem.“You’ve been digging,” she said, her voice calm, almost uninterested.“I call it preparation.”She tilted her head slightly, studying me. “Preparation usually comes with caution.”“I’m not known for being cautious.”“I noticed.”A faint smirk touched her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.Behind her, the three men stayed quiet. Good. They finally understood this w
I don’t like surprises.That’s the first thing people usually learn about me. The second is that I don’t forgive them.“Sir, we just received the updated report.”I didn’t look up from the tablet in my hand. “You’re ten minutes late.”“I know. The delay came from—”“I didn’t ask for the reason.” I finally glanced at him. “I asked for results.”He shut up immediately. Good.I set the tablet down on the desk, the glass surface reflecting the city lights behind me. Thirty floors above Quezon City, everything looks clean. Quiet. Controlled.Exactly how I like it.“Start talking,” I said.“The acquisition in Novaliches,” he began carefully. “There’s been a complication.”Of course there is.“There’s always a complication when people don’t do their job right,” I replied flatly. “Be specific.”He hesitated for a second. That alone told me I wasn’t going to like what I was ab
I don’t believe in fate.I believe in timing, leverage, and control.That’s how I built everything.My name is William Torecampo. If you’ve heard it, it’s probably because of money. Or power. Or something that made people uncomfortable enough to remember me. I don’t mind either way. Fear and respect look the same from a distance.I was twenty-eight when I closed my first billion-dollar deal. People called it luck. Some said I was born into it. They didn’t see the nights I barely slept, the risks I took, the things I had to become just to stay ahead. No one ever sees that part.They just see the result.And the result is simple. I get what I want.Always.At least, that’s what I used to believe.—“Sir, the board is waiting.”I didn’t look up right away. My fingers tapped once against the glass table, slow and steady, the only sound in the room aside from the faint hum of the city outsi







