LOGINChapter 268The silence in the boardroom was absolute, broken only by the hum of the servers and the soft, terrified breathing of young Julian hiding behind Ethan’s leg.Crash every airplane in North American airspace."Cut the feed, Leo," Ethan commanded, his voice devoid of any warmth. The Warlord had returned.Leo’s fingers flew across his tablet, overriding the physical hardware array to manually sever the connection. The holographic projection of the silver-haired girl named Nyx vanished, plunging the room back into the stark white lighting of the corporate tower."Marcus!" Ethan roared toward the door.The security chief burst into the room, his hand resting on his holstered weapon. "Boss. The perimeter is secure, but the cyber division is going out of their minds. Someone just danced through our outer DMZ.""I know," Ethan said grimly. "Lock down the tower. Get the kids to the New York bunker. Nobody breathes without my permission."As Marcus ushered a shaken Aria and a quiet J
Chapter 267Five Years Later. Rebuilt Aegis Global Headquarters, New York City.The new Aegis Tower did not scrape the sky; it pierced it. Built on the exact footprint of the fallen monolith, the new structure was a towering spire of self-healing carbon-fiber and polarized obsidian glass. It was a monument to resurrection. A declaration that the Cole family could not be buried.Inside the newly minted, cloud-level boardroom, the atmosphere was as frigid and absolute as it had been half a decade ago.But the man sitting at the head of the table was not Ethan Cole.Twenty-year-old Leo Cole leaned back in the high-backed leather chair, his long fingers steepled beneath his chin. He wore a razor-sharp, bespoke charcoal suit, a silver tie pin glinting under the recessed lighting. The boy who had hacked global syndicates from his bedroom was gone. In his place sat a six-foot-two titan, his jawline carved from marble, his steel-gray eyes radiating an ancient, terrifying authority that made m
Chapter 266Three Weeks Later. The Swiss Alps.The pristine, untouched snow of the Swiss Alps sparkled brilliantly under the midday sun.Standing on a sheer, jagged cliff overlooking the breathtaking valley below, Ethan Cole leaned heavily on a sleek, carbon-fiber cane. His ribs were still taped, and the gash on his bicep was stitched tightly, but he wore a tailored, immaculate black overcoat that exuded absolute, unquestionable authority.He wasn't looking at the view. He was looking at the small, black urn resting on the makeshift stone altar before him.The ashes of Julian Cole.Ethan stood in silence, gazing and the freezing wind whipping at his coat. He felt a profound, heavy sorrow for the brother he never truly knew for real. A brother twisted and broken by a madman’s obsession with a bloodline."He wasn't your fault, Ethan."Zara walked up beside him, her boots crunching softly in the snow. She wore a stunning white winter coat, looking radiant and healthy. She carried their n
Chapter 265The collision between the Cole twins was not a fight. It was a localized, apocalyptic seismic event.Ethan and Julian slammed together with a sickening crunch of bone and muscle. Their identical gray eyes locked, blazing with equal measures of absolute, homicidal fury.Julian was fast terrifyingly, mechanically fast. His combat conditioning under Elias Frost’s torturous regime had stripped away all hesitation. He slashed his serrated blade toward Ethan’s throat with blinding speed.Ethan parried the strike with a brutal upward block, the sparks flying as the steel blades clashed. He didn't try to out-speed his brother. He used his sheer, overwhelming mass. Ethan drove his knee upward into Julian’s stomach, following it instantly with a devastating headbutt that cracked sickeningly against Julian’s nose.Julian staggered backward, blood pouring over his lips, but he didn't even wince. He laughed a hollow, soulless sound that chilled the air in the medical wing."You’ve grow
Chapter 264The Aegis Citadel was designed to be an impenetrable fortress. But it had never been tested against a ghost who shared the exact same DNA as its creator."We need to get her to the medical wing!" Ethan roared, easily scooping Zara into his massive arms. He ignored the blaring sirens and the sound of heavy automatic gunfire echoing from the upper levels of the bunker."Dad, the medical wing is in Sector 4!" Leo yelled, grabbing Aria’s hand and pulling the terrified nine-year-old close to his side. "The blast doors to Sector 4 just auto-sealed because of the breach!""Then override them, Leo!" Ethan barked, sprinting down the red-lit corridor, cradling his wife against his chest.Zara gritted her teeth, a guttural groan escaping her lips as another agonizing contraction ripped through her body. The stress of the explosion and the horrific revelation of Ethan’s twin brother had triggered premature labor."I can hold it," Zara gasped, clutching Ethan’s tactical shirt, her knuc
Chapter 263Six Months Later. The Aegis Citadel, Upstate New York.The world outside the fortified concrete walls of the Aegis Citadel was blanketed in a serene, blindingly white layer of January snow.Inside the subterranean fortress, Zara Cole was anything but serene."I am perfectly capable of walking to the command center, Ethan," Zara huffed, swatting her husband’s massive hand away as he hovered protectively behind her.She was eight months pregnant. Her stomach was beautifully, undeniably rounded beneath her tailored black maternity dress, making her usually sharp, intimidating silhouette noticeably softer. But the Ice Queen’s temper was as lethal as ever."You’re supposed to be on bed rest, Zara," Ethan argued, easily keeping pace with her as they walked down the brightly lit corridor. He wore a simple black t-shirt and tactical slacks, his gray eyes scanning every shadow out of pure habit. "Dr. Evans said your blood pressure needs to remain stable.""My blood pressure is high







