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PROJECT ASHES

Penulis: Silverling
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-03 03:56:25

Part I

The HARTMAN war room smelled of coffee, wet coats, and adrenaline. Overnight rain still lashed against the high windows, dragging grey ribbons down the glass; the world outside looked blurred, half‑remembered.

At six a.m., everyone was already there. Elias at the head of the long console, Damian cross‑checking files, Julian coaxing a reluctant network server back to life. The stolen data from the gala scrolled across four curved monitors…a constellation of numbers and encrypted folders that refused to yield simple meaning.

I stood behind them, sweater thrown over the black dress I’d never had time to change out of. Luca placed a second mug beside me with his usual precision.

“Still hot,” he said.

“Still bitter,” I answered.

He smirked. “Suited to the hour.”

For twenty minutes we said nothing, only the soft tap of keys filling the space. Then Elias muttered, “There’s a string buried in every file header. ‘PA‑01‑OP.’ That’s Project Ashes. But no meta‑data before February twenty‑s
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  • THE HEIRESS   PROTOCOL ASH

    Hartman Tower - Sublevel War RoomThe room felt like the inside of a storm—screens glowing, maps flickering, voices overlapping in clipped commands.Damien stood at the central console.“Victor moved Emma,” he said without preamble. “She’s not in the industrial block anymore.”Adrian swore softly. “Of course he moved her.”Elias folded his arms. “Where?”Damien pressed a key.A larger map expanded…red zones marking Crane‑owned properties, subsidiaries, shell companies.But one zone pulsed.A sealed, off‑grid compound at the northern border.Rookwood.My stomach dropped. “That’s Crane restricted territory.”Adrian’s jaw locked. “That site was shut down after Margaret died.”Damien shook his head. “No. Victor kept it active. Low staff. No public oversight.”Elias looked at him sharply. “Why?”Damien clicked again.A single word appeared across the screen:ASH.I felt the air leave the room.Adrian murmured, “He wouldn’t dare.”Damien answered quietly:“He already started it.”***Ravenw

  • THE HEIRESS   VICTOR’S TRAP

    Ravenwood Medical Center - 4th Floor Trauma WingThe steady beep of the monitors filled the quiet recovery room.Luca lay pale against the white sheets, fresh bandages wrapping his side. His breathing was strong but shallow,the kind that came after surgery, not sedation.Alive.Damien stood at the foot of the bed, bruised and exhausted but steady.“He’ll pull through,” he murmured. “Luca always does.”Elias squeezed my shoulder gently. “He saved your life. Again.”I swallowed hard. “I know.”But we didn’t get to stay long, because Adrian pushed through the door with an urgency that sent the medical staff glancing up.“We found something,” he said.I moved toward him instantly. “Emma?”His expression tightened. “Possibly.”Damien straightened. “Show us.”Adrian held up his phone. A still frame from street footage appeared: Emma being pulled into a black SUV three blocks from her school. Victor’s hired security—non-Crane uniforms, but trained.Then Adrian zoomed in.A reflection in a sh

  • THE HEIRESS   WHEN THE LINE BREAKS

    Hartman Tower - South Lobby, 7 minutes after the breachChaos rippled through the marble atrium.Security lights strobed across fractured glass and overturned furniture.Medical teams rushed toward the west wing where Luca had been taken, while Adrian and Elias argued near the emergency stairwell.I stood between them, shaking from shock, adrenaline, and the fragments of Margaret’s log still echoing in my head.Damien touched my shoulder lightly.“We need to leave the building. Now.”Adrian immediately snapped, “She stays with me.”Elias barked, “She’s leaving with family, Adrian…”“I’m part of this family too!” Adrian shot back.The words hit the air like something dangerous.Elias froze.Damien looked away.Even I felt the weight of it.The tension would have erupted…if my phone hadn’t started ringing.A blocked caller.Not Charlotte.Not Victor.Something worse.I answered.A child’s voice whispered my name.“Evelyn?”My stomach dropped. “Emma?”The line crackled.She was crying.

  • THE HEIRESS   THE PRICE OF THE TRUTH

    Hartman Tower - Executive Floor, West WingThe emergency corridor doors blew inward.White smoke rushed in as alarms wailed overhead.Grant grabbed my arm, pulling me behind a marble pillar while Elias blocked the breach with a security override.Luca positioned himself in front of me immediately, shielding me with his body.Adrian moved the opposite way…straight toward the danger.“Adrian!” I hissed.He ignored me. “Grant, with me. We flank left.”Grant nodded, following.Luca glared after him. “He’s going to get himself killed.”Elias tapped furiously on a keypad. “We’ve got ninety seconds before Charlotte reroutes the entire floor.”Damien, pale and barely keeping upright, thrust the damaged drive into my hand.“Open Margaret’s second log. Now. Before she reaches it.”My heart hammered.The notebook, the one addressed to Rose…felt heavy, like it recognized this moment.Luca stood over me as I knelt against the wall, flipping to the marked tab.Margaret’s handwriting filled the page

  • THE HEIRESS   BLACKMAIL AND BLOODLINES

    Hartman Tower - Sublevel B Emergency CorridorThe hatch blew open with a deafening crack.A wave of cold, sterile air hit us…followed by blinding white lights snapping on in rapid succession.Grant shoved Adrian through first.Elias scrambled out behind him.Luca lifted me up and pushed me forward before climbing out himself.Damien barely made it, the moment his feet hit the floor, the hatch slammed shut beneath us and locked.The whole corridor vibrated as the sublevels automatically sealed.Luca grabbed my arm. “Move. This whole floor’s going into lockdown.”Adrian swept the hallway with his weapon. “Exit’s clear. For now.”Grant muttered, “Which means Charlotte wants us clear.”A silence fell over the group.Because none of us could deny it.Charlotte always planned two steps ahead.Damian leaned against the wall, pale, breath thin. “We need to get to a secure terminal. The rest of Margaret’s logs will tell us what she feared about the unknown child, before Victor or Charlotte fin

  • THE HEIRESS   MOMENTUM

    The London rain pelted against the windows of the Shard as Elena closed another monumental deal. Across from her, Sir Richard Blackstone, Britain's leading tech magnate, extended his hand."Welcome to the European Security Alliance, Ms. Cross. Your quantum encryption protocols will revolutionize our continental infrastructure."Elena shook his hand firmly, noting how he no longer tried to crush her fingers as he had during their first meeting six months ago. Respect, she'd learned, came in many forms."NovaTech is honoured to partner with established leaders like Blackstone Industries. Together, we'll create an impenetrable digital fortress for European data."As their legal teams finalized paperwork, Sir Richard studied her with calculating eyes. "You know, Cross, when you first approached us, I thought you were too young, too... American. But you've proven me wrong at every turn.""I find that underestimating opponents based on superficial qualities often leads to strategic failures

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