LOGINBattle Beneath the GroundThe heavy steel door of the underground bunker slammed shut with a resounding boom, cutting off the sound of the rain from the world above. Inside the soundproofed room, which felt cold and smelled of antiseptic, Liora stood only a few metres away from Gabriel, while Mavric was trapped behind a thick wall of bulletproof glass.Gabriel looked at Liora with an expression that was difficult to decipher a mixture of deep admiration and intense hatred. In his hand, he held a triggering device connected directly to the interrogation chair where Eleanor Thorne sat, helpless and restrained.“You are incredibly brave, Liora,” Gabriel said, his voice clear and crisp over the room’s audio system. “Or perhaps you are simply foolish enough to believe that Mavric will be able to save you this time.”“I did not come here so that Mavric could save me, Gabriel,” Liora replied. Her voice was steady, not trembling with fear in the slightest. She stood tall and composed, rad
Time To StrikeHeavy rain lashed down on London that night, seemingly wrapping Thorne Mansion in a deadly state of isolation. The sound of raindrops striking the large glass windows of Mavric’s study usually brought a sense of calm, but tonight, the noise sounded like thousands of footsteps closing in all around them.Mavric Thorne stood frozen in the middle of the back garden, his gaze fixed intently on one of his newest security guards a man named Marcus, who had joined just three months earlier on the recommendation of an elite security agency in London. Marcus offered a perfect salute, yet the cold, unwavering look in his eyes revealed he was not acting under Mavric’s orders.Standing beside him, Liora felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She tightened her grip on her husband’s arm, her fingers instinctively brushing against the emergency transmitter strapped to her wrist.“Mavric… don’t make any sudden moves,” she whispered, her voice almost drowned out by the p
Redemption Atop the MountainThe echo of the gunshot seemed to reverberate endlessly within the soundproofed medical chamber. The sharp stench of gunpowder quickly filled the air, stinging the lungs of Mavric, who was already gasping for breath. Thin tendrils of smoke curled from the barrel of the weapon, but the sight before him was far more terrifying than anything he had ever conjured in his darkest nightmares.Julian Thorne, the man presumed dead for twenty-five long years, was truly drawing his last breath. Yet he had not been shot by Victoria. Using the very last of his waning strength, Julian had ripped the wires from his heart monitor and lunged for Victoria’s arm at the exact moment the trigger was pulled.The bullet pierced Julian’s chest, striking just beside the breathing tube that had sustained his artificial life for so long.“Father!” Mavric roared, leaping over piles of overturned medical equipment and debris. He caught Julian’s frail body before it could crash onto
The Maze of Ice and BloodAt an altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level in the Alps, the air felt like thousands of icy needles piercing their lungs. Before Mavric and Liora, the massive steel gate embedded in the granite walls near St. Moritz swung open with the heavy groan of hydraulics. This was no ordinary laboratory; it was a monument to the madness of a genius with unlimited funds at her disposal.Mavric gripped Liora’s hand tighter. His tactical gloves brushed against her cold fingers. Under the aim of more than a dozen blue laser sights, they had no choice but to step into the corridor, lit by blindingly bright, pale white LED lights.“Don’t let go of my hand, no matter what happens,” Mavric whispered, his voice echoing down the soundproof concrete passage.“I’m right here, Mavric,” Liora replied, though her legs still trembled slightly from the lingering effects of her medical trauma in London. “I’ve activated the encryption on the transmitters in our pockets. Gabriel ca
Towards the Peaks of the AlpsThree days after “The Bride’s Death” at Westminster Cathedral, the scandal was still the talk of London. The headlines in financial newspapers around the world were no longer about mergers or acquisitions, but about the arrest of Lucas Thorne and the courage shown by Liora Thorne in taking drastic measures to safeguard national security. Yet within the sturdy, heavily guarded walls of Thorne Mansion, the atmosphere was far from calm.Mavric Thorne sat by the side of their large bed, watching Liora, who was still fast asleep due to the lingering effects of her medication. Her face looked serene, a stark contrast to the faint bruises on her arms left by the resuscitation injections. On the bedside table, the black envelope bearing Alpine coordinates lay undisturbed, seemingly mocking Mavric’s helplessness in protecting his wife from the shadows of the past.“Who was my mother, really?” Mavric whispered, his voice hoarse and strained.For years, he had b
The Death of the BrideThe atmosphere inside Westminster Abbey fell abruptly silent, as though time itself had stopped ticking. The sharp stench of gunpowder mingled with the scent of withered white roses scattered across the altar floor. Mavric Thorne stood frozen in place, the red laser dot from Lucas’s sniper rifle still fixed dead-centre on his forehead. Yet his eyes were not fixed upon the death threatening him; they were locked entirely on Liora.In one hand, Liora held a small vial containing a highly concentrated solution of Adenosine a substance used medically to temporarily stop the heart in order to correct irregular arrhythmias. With her other hand, her finger remained hovering over the Enter key on her laptop.“Liora, don’t!” Mavric cried out, his voice raw and hoarse with a terror he had never experienced before. “We will find another way!”“There is no other way, Mavric,” she whispered softly. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, soaking the silk fabric of her wed
The Devil's TransparencyThe explosion on Level 0B of Thorne Tower slowly subsided, leaving behind a pungent stench of sulfur and burnt metal. At the shattered doorway, Silas White and Miles Thorne were forced to retreat. The Nemesis Protocol activated by Liora was more than just electronic inter
Shadows of the White PhoenixThe night before the Azure Gala was supposed to be a night of calm for Liora Thorne. Yet calm was a luxury she no longer possessed. Behind the tightly locked laboratory door, Liora sat surrounded by the blue glow of dozens of holographic monitors floating in the air.
The King’s DeclarationThe storm that lashed the city overnight left the morning air damp and cool at Thorne Manor. Yet the temperature in Mavric’s private library was far more frigid. Beatrice Thorne stood in the middle of the room; her usually haughty face looked wilted, with lines of exhaustio
The Emerald ViperThe morning sun at Thorne Manor had never felt so cold. Though golden light streamed through the crystal windows of the main dining hall, the atmosphere around the long table felt like a frozen battlefield. Liora sat to Mavric’s right the seat legally hers by right but at the fa







