Mag-log inThe words hung in the air, and for a few seconds, the silence in the room felt like something you could hold in your hand.Marcus looked at Daniel, trying to process what he had just heard."Tuan," he said finally, his voice trembling between fear and something far deeper—a moral doubt he had suppressed for years in order to keep his job. "I think I misheard. Please repeat what you just said."Daniel looked at him, slightly startled by Marcus's unusual tone."You heard clearly," he said, though his own voice had begun to sound less certain."Tuan," Marcus stepped forward, something he rarely did without being asked, "Junior is your son. The same child who cried out for Alina's name, whose body has already suffered enough from his psychological condition. Are you truly considering keeping him sick? Deliberately?"Daniel said nothing, his jaw tightening, but no denial came from his mouth."I've worked for you for ten years," Marcus continued, his voice growing stronger even as his body
The call ended, but Salvatore's words still echoed in Daniel's head.He stood motionless by the window, still gripping the now-dark phone, his mind churning between anger and something far more foreign—doubt.Marcus, who had been waiting at the doorway, finally worked up the courage to enter."Tuan? What did Russo say?"Daniel didn't answer right away. He stared out at the city below, the buildings blinking indifferently, seemingly unaware of the battle unfolding in one of its tallest towers."He's threatening to destroy our entire business empire," Daniel said finally, his voice flat—too flat for someone who had just received a threat of that magnitude.Marcus felt something cold crawl up his spine. "What are we going to do?"Daniel turned, and for a moment, Marcus saw something he rarely saw in his employer's eyes—not anger, nor the usual calm Daniel always displayed. But something resembling recalculation, like a general who had just realized the battlefield had shifted far beyond
Salvatore didn't respond to Daniel's threat with violence right away.He was smarter than that.That night, in his quiet office, he called in three of his most trusted people—not to plan an attack, but to compile something far more dangerous for a man like Daniel Blackwood.Information."I want everything you can find on Daniel Blackwood," Salvatore said, sitting behind his desk with a chilling calm. "Not just his legal business. I want every suspicious transaction, everyone he's ever gotten rid of, every death that's ever been connected to him even if it was never proven."One of the men, a financial analyst who had worked under Salvatore's network for over a decade, nodded. "We started digging since the journalist's death. There are some interesting patterns.""Good," Salvatore said. "Gather it all. I want a complete picture before I decide on the next move."Renee, standing in the corner of the room, watched all this closely."Boss," she said once the two analysts had left, "you're
The message was sent through a channel Marcus rarely used—a line reserved for the most sensitive communications, one whose full details Daniel himself didn't entirely know.It took less than an hour before a reply came.Marcus read the message with a slightly trembling hand before bringing it to Daniel."Tuan," he said, his voice tense. "Russo replied."Daniel looked up from his computer screen. "And?"Marcus handed over the tablet, his expression full of a worry he couldn't fully hide.Daniel read the short message, and for a moment his face remained flat before the corner of his mouth twitched—not a smile of victory, but something more complicated.You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Blackwood. I've faced threats from people far more dangerous than you, and every one of them regretted it. But since you're so eager to play dirty, let's see who's more prepared to lose everything.Alina is no longer just someone I protect out of debt. She's now under my personal protection.
News of the raid reached Daniel before sunrise.Marcus stood at the doorway of the office, his face pale, unsure how to deliver news he knew would trigger an explosion of anger."Sir," he said carefully. "There's a problem."Daniel looked up from the document he was reading, something in Marcus's tone immediately putting him on alert."Speak.""David Hayes," Marcus said, choosing his words with great care. "He's been found. Police raided the property where we were holding him last night. Both our guards were arrested."The room fell silent for several seconds that felt like an eternity.Daniel set down the document in his hand with a movement that was too controlled, too slow—the kind of calm far more terrifying than any shout could be."How did they find him?" he asked, his voice low and cold."We don't know for certain yet," Marcus answered. "But most likely through the rarely-used property registered under the company's name. Detective Reyes led the raid."The name made Daniel's ja
That night felt longer than any night before it.Adrian sat in the car with Detective Reyes, parking their vehicle a few hundred meters from the suspected property—an old house on the outskirts, surrounded by dense trees that made it nearly invisible from the main road."The warrant's come through," Reyes said, checking the document in his hands one last time. "But remember, Lawson, this is still speculative. If we're wrong, this could mean serious trouble for your career and the credibility of the case you're building.""I know the risk," Adrian answered, his eyes fixed on the house sitting quiet in the distance. "But I also know if we don't try now, David could be moved at any moment once Daniel suspects we're getting close."Reyes nodded, then signaled to his team waiting in the other vehicle.They moved in careful formation, approaching the house from multiple sides, small flashlights dimmed to avoid drawing attention.Adrian followed from behind, his heart pounding with every ste







