Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 71 - Chapitre 80

The diner looked like a time capsule that had been forgotten on purpose.Grease-stained tiles, a cracked leather booth, and a jukebox that hadn’t played since before Y2K. The sun crept through yellowed blinds in thin, hazy bands, painting lines across the dusty Formica tables.Alex sat in the corner booth, his sleeves rolled up, his jacket draped over the seat beside him. He looked like someone used to listening more than talking, a detective dressed in the polite stillness of someone trying to coax answers without spooking the source.Across from him, Gene Valco looked like a ghost.His skin was wind-worn and sallow, his hair thinned to a silver whisper. The man clutched a chipped mug of stale coffee like it was the only thing tethering him to the moment.They hadn’t spoken for nearly two minutes.Just sat there. Watching.Listening.Judging the other’s breath.Then Alex spoke in a quiet voice. No badge. No authority. Just an invitation.“Long way from New York, Officer Valco.”Valc

– Reed Estate, Late AfternoonThe car door hadn’t even shut before Pearl sprang out, sneakers thudding onto the warm brick driveway. A glittery paper bag bounced on her hip, its fragile handle near breaking under the weight of construction paper, glue sticks, and determination.Inside it: Two crooked paper crowns trimmed with silver sparkles, three hand-drawn invitations, and a folded sign, scrawled in bold pink marker: “Queen & Dad’s Day?”She wore hope like a second backpack.As she stepped into the foyer, her grandmother, Eleanor Reed, always elegantly composed even in casual linen, met her with a fond smile and open arms.“There’s my hurricane,” Eleanor said as Pearl barreled in for a hug.“Hi, Granny.” Pearl squeezed her tight, then leaned back. “Is Alex still coming today? Mommy said he would.”Eleanor hesitated, smoothing a flyaway curl from Pearl’s cheek. “Sweetheart, I haven’t heard anything. But I do know that when he does show up, he and I are going to have a serious talk.

Fog rolled off the harbour like smoke from a dying fire. It coiled between steel shipping containers, wrapped around corroded cranes, and curled through rusted fences like a serpent finding its way home.Dock 4C was silent. Too silent.The faint creak of mooring lines and the occasional splash of black water were the only sounds—until bootsteps broke through it. Sharp. Unyielding. Purposeful.Ava Reed moved like a shadow in the mist.She was clad in obsidian—an armoured tactical suit stitched with Kevlar and high-grade ballistic mesh, molded perfectly to her frame. It absorbed light, almost seemed to drink it. Under the hood of her tactical cloak, her face was shielded by a matte black mask. Her eyes, exposed and focused, burned like twin blades behind narrow visors.No jewelry. No sentiment. Just silence and precision.Around her moved a dozen hand-picked La Rosa enforcers, armed with suppressed rifles and hand signals. No one spoke unless she allowed it.“Crates marked C-31 to C-42,

Today felt like any other day as the sun rose softly over the estate's eastern side, casting a warm glow over the neatly kept lawn. The garden was alive with summer activity: bees busily moving from flower to flower, a few butterflies gliding through the warm air, and the fresh scent of citrus and freshly cut grass wafting gently in the breeze.Ava Reed stood by the window with a mug of mint tea, hair loose, dressed in a soft white blouse and light trousers that made her seem momentarily ordinary, unguarded. She watched Pearl pace near the door, bouncing lightly on her toes with barely contained energy.“He said he’d come. He said Saturday. He said games,” Pearl recited under her breath like a spell.Then… the doorbell rang.Pearl flew across the tile like a rocket, threw the door open and froze.Alex stood there in casual clothes: navy Henley, jeans, and sneakers that looked freshly scrubbed. In one hand, he held a bag with Pearl’s favourite mint-choco swirl ice cream, and in the o

Evening – En Route to Reed EstateThe city rushed by outside the windshield—headlights flashed like ghosts in Ava's view, with every red light glowing boldly. She pressed down on the accelerator, the engine protesting loudly as she weaved through the traffic. Horns honked around her, but she didn’t pay attention to them.She gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her lips were pressed in a flat, controlled line.She was beyond fear.She was operating on a deeper, darker level. She hit the call button on her car’s dashboard. Selena’s voice picked up on the second ring.“Ava?”“Meet me at the estate. Now. Call Rafael.”“What’s going on?”But Ava had already ended the call.---Reed Estate – Underground War RoomThe moment the elevator doors hissed open, Ava stormed into the subterranean control room. The space pulsed with LED displays and quiet mechanical hums. Maps glowed on one wall. Security feeds blinked across another.Selena was already waiting, standing like a g