Semua Bab My Father's Rival Is My Lover : Bab 211 - Bab 220

Ezra couldn’t sleep.The bed felt unfamiliar again, not because of the silk sheets or Alma’s warm breath on his neck, but because of the silence. The absence of chaos was its own kind of noise.He got up and went to the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and stared at himself in the mirror.Lines he hadn’t noticed before etched his skin. Not from age, he was still in his prime, but from battle. The kind of battles that happened behind screens, in hidden tunnels, in the deep and dangerous places of the heart.He touched the scar near his collarbone.A gift from Sapphire.A reminder.Behind him, Alma leaned against the doorway, her robe barely tied.“You dreamt of her again.”Ezra didn’t answer.“I could feel it,” Alma said. “Your breath changed. You kept whispering her name.”“I’m sorry.”She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Don’t be. You don’t forget the ones who save you. But I need to know, Ezra”He looked into the mirror at her reflection.“Do you still

Rain pelted the runway as the private jet roared to life, slicing through the night like a silver ghost. Alma and Ezra, soaked and breathless, climbed aboard just as another explosion rocked the villa behind them.Roman slammed the hatch shut. “That’s twice now I’ve had to save you during your own honeymoon. I’m charging double.”Alma ignored him. She clutched the glowing cube tightly in her hands, its light pulsating like a living heart. Ezra’s arm was around her waist, steadying her, though his own shoulder bled from grappling with the drone.They barely had time to breathe.Petra’s voice came through the secure comms.“You’re airborne. Good. But we’ve got bigger problems. I decrypted the last layer of Sapphire’s files. Alma, Ezra Phoenix isn’t just an AI. It’s sentient. A ghost in the code. And it’s been watching you since day one.”Alma’s fingers tightened around the cube. “How do we stop something that’s everywhere?”Roman turned from the cockpit, brow furrowed. “You don’t. You o

The streets of Istanbul shimmered in the early morning haze. Church bells mingled with the call to prayer, creating a haunting symphony of ancient tension and modern life. In a penthouse overlooking the Bosphorus, Alma sat cross-legged on the floor, her mother’s journal open in front of her and Zehra’s files spread like tarot cards.Ezra entered with two coffees, pausing to study her.“You didn’t sleep again.”Alma didn’t look up. “I can’t. That girl, Ember if she’s real she could be anything. A weapon. A clone. A mistake.”He knelt beside her and set the coffee down. “Or she could be someone like you.”Alma’s voice was soft. “You really think so?”“I know so.” He pulled her into a gentle hug. “You weren’t built, you were born. There’s a difference.”She leaned into him, letting the warmth of his words soften her fear.Just then, Zehra burst in, breathless.“I found something. A signal. It’s faint, but it's moving fast, like it’s bouncing through encrypted servers in Europe.”Roman tr

Alma stood in the middle of the safehouse’s living room, the dim light casting sharp shadows across her face. Zehra, Roman, Ember, and Ezra watched as she replayed the message.“You are my daughter. You are perfect.”Each time, it hit differently.Not just because of the words, but the calm, clinical reverence behind them. Like she was a trophy.“Voss isn’t hiding anymore,” Alma said. “He wants me to find him.”Ezra frowned. “Or he’s setting a trap.”Alma turned, fire in her voice. “Either way, I’m going.”Ember stepped forward, her tone quieter. “We go. Together.”Two Hours Later, Belgrade’s Underground MarketThe city’s underground tech market was a myth in most circles, a place only spoken about in hushed tones. But Zehra had connections, ones from a darker life she rarely acknowledged.They met a man called Cvetko, a half-blind code smuggler who specialized in off-grid surveillance tech.“What you want is dangerous,” he warned, puffing on a cigarette. “People who look for Dorian V

The cold of the underground chamber clung to Alma’s skin as she shook off the last of her restraints. Her knuckles were bloodied, her wrists raw, but her mind was sharper than ever.Ezra’s betrayal had gutted her, but it had also awakened something primal. A fire deeper than vengeance, deeper than heartbreak.She wasn’t just fighting for Ember now.She was fighting for her soul.She crept toward the sealed door, memory flashing to Ember’s last panicked gaze before the blast separated them. Where was she? Was she still alive?Alma clicked her comms device. Nothing. Static. Ezra’s team had jammed every frequency.But they’d forgotten one thing.Alma wasn’t born, she was engineered.And Voss hadn’t wiped every upgrade.She pressed two fingers to her temple. Closed her eyes. And whispered:“Override protocol. Phoenix 11.”A pulse shot from her neural implant. It took only three seconds.The lights flickered. The door hissed open.She grinned. “Thank you, Sterling.”Meanwhile, deep in Voss