All Chapters of OWNED BY THE DEVIL: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

158 Chapters

THE TRAP WITHIN THE QUESTION

For a moment, the entire chamber felt like it had stopped breathing.Councilman Rethis leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled together as he watched me. The look on his face wasn’t curiosity.It was satisfaction.Because he believed he had finally cornered me.Behind me, I could feel Dominic’s attention sharpen. Vaelor had gone completely still.The large screen above the tribunal table displayed the file Rethis had pulled up, my old research project from years ago.Economic Policy Adaptation Model — Research Contributor: Elara VanceIt was real.Completely real.But the way he had framed the question…That was the trap.Rethis spoke again, his voice smooth.“Miss Vance, this research model was later adopted by a corporation currently under investigation for financial irregularities.”He tilted his head slightly.“And yet you never disclosed that connection.”The room murmured again.The accusation sounded devastating if someone didn’t understand the context.Which, of course,

TURNING THE BLADE

For a moment after Dominic spoke, the entire chamber was silent.Not the polite kind of silence.The tense, electric kind where everyone knew something dangerous had just been set in motion.Councilman Rethis straightened slightly in his chair.“I’m afraid I don’t understand your implication, Lord Ardenthal.”Dominic’s expression remained calm.“Then I’ll clarify.”He stepped closer to the tribunal console.The movement alone drew every eye in the room.Because Dominic Ardenthal wasn’t supposed to take control of the hearing.But that was exactly what he was doing.“Miss Vance has answered every question regarding her professional history,” Dominic continued.“She has.”“And the committee has examined consulting records, research projects, and grant funding from nearly a decade ago.”Rethis folded his arms.“That is the committee’s responsibility.”“Of course.”Dominic tapped the console.A new file appeared on the chamber display.The title alone caused a ripple through the audience.

THE WEIGHT OF POWER

The council complex had never been this loud.Not with conversation, those were still hushed, but with tension. You could feel it in the way people moved through the corridors, the quick glances between officials, the constant vibration of communicators receiving urgent messages.The tribunal had ended less than an hour ago.And already the entire Dominion government was reacting.Dominic, Vaelor, and I walked through one of the quieter corridors toward Dominic’s office. Even here, far from the main chambers, the atmosphere was heavy.“News networks picked it up already,” Vaelor said, glancing at his tablet.“That was fast,” I replied.“It always is when political blood is in the water.”Dominic didn’t say anything.He walked calmly, his hands folded behind his back, looking almost untouched by the storm we had just created.I studied him for a moment.“You expected this,” I said.He glanced at me.“Yes.”“You expected the hearing to turn into a corruption investigation.”“Yes.”Vaelo

THE MAN BEHIND THE CALM

For several seconds after Dominic spoke, neither Vaelor nor I said anything.The office felt different now.Not because of the political war outside the walls, but because something about Dominic had shifted.Or maybe it hadn’t shifted at all.Maybe I was just seeing him more clearly for the first time.“You worked in Dominion intelligence,” I repeated slowly.Dominic nodded once.“Yes.”Vaelor leaned against the table, staring at him.“You hid that very well.”“It wasn’t relevant to my current work.”“That depends on who your opponent is,” Vaelor replied.Dominic didn’t argue with that.I crossed my arms.“How long?”“How long what?”“How long were you in intelligence?”“Five years.”That surprised me.“That’s not a short assignment.”“No.”“What exactly did you do?”Dominic considered the question for a moment.“Strategic analysis.”“That’s vague.”“It was designed to be.”Vaelor frowned slightly.“That means you were involved in high-level operations.”Dominic shrugged faintly.“So

A MESSAGE FROM THE SHADOWS

The council chamber slowly dissolved into chaos after Kael Vaelor left.Not loud chaos.Dominion politicians were too disciplined for that.But the room buzzed with urgent conversations, private messages, and hurried calculations. Council members gathered in tight circles, whispering to one another, weighing alliances.The split Dominic predicted was already happening.I leaned closer to him as we remained seated.“You really enjoy lighting fires, don’t you?”Dominic watched the council floor quietly.“I prefer clarity.”“That looked like war.”“It is.”Vaelor joined us a moment later, running a hand through his hair.“My father just threatened half the Dominion economy in front of the council.”Dominic nodded.“Yes.”“And you publicly accused him of corruption.”“Yes.”Vaelor stared at him.“You realize neither of you can back down now.”Dominic stood from his seat.“That was already true.”I followed him as we moved away from the council floor toward the exit corridors. Behind us th

THE MEETING NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN

Dominic insisted on planning everything.Which meant the meeting wasn’t spontaneous anymore.It became an operation.We spent nearly an hour reviewing the coordinates, mapping the surrounding streets, identifying entry and exit points, and checking security coverage across the district.The lower commerce district looked quiet on the surface.But quiet places in the Dominion were often the most dangerous.“This building,” Vaelor said, pointing at the map, “used to belong to one of my father’s shipping companies.”“Used to?” I asked.“It was sold two years ago.”Dominic studied the property record.“Not sold,” he said.Vaelor frowned.“What do you mean?”Dominic zoomed in on the ownership structure.“Transferred.”“To who?”Dominic highlighted the corporation name.A shell company.Of course.Vaelor sighed.“Which means it’s still his.”“Yes.”That wasn’t comforting.I leaned against the edge of the table.“So whoever sent the message chose one of his buildings as the meeting point.”D

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT

For a moment after Lena spoke, the air inside the warehouse seemed to freeze.The Dominion Intelligence Council.Not just Kael Vaelor.Not just industrial corruption.Something buried deep inside the government itself.I looked at Dominic.For the first time since I had known him, he wasn’t immediately speaking.He was thinking.Carefully.Dangerously.“You’re accusing the intelligence council of running a corruption network,” Dominic said quietly.Lena shook her head quickly.“No.”“Then what are you saying?”“I’m saying they’re involved.”“How?”“They built the system.”The words echoed softly in the empty warehouse.Dominic stepped closer.“You need to be very precise right now.”“I know.”“Because if you’re wrong...”“I’m not.”Her voice trembled slightly.But not from uncertainty.From fear.Dominic studied her carefully.“Start from the beginning.”Lena took a slow breath.“Three years ago the Vaelor Industrial Trust began routing large financial transfers through offshore holdi

THE NAME THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST

Dominic didn’t speak again until we were three blocks away from the warehouse district.The city around us had returned to its usual rhythm, traffic lights changing, distant voices, the hum of late-night transport systems moving through the Dominion capital.Normal life.Which felt surreal considering three intelligence operatives had just tried to hunt us down.Lena walked between us, her breathing still uneven. She kept glancing over her shoulder like she expected someone to appear behind us at any moment.“They won’t stop looking,” she said quietly.“I know,” Dominic replied.“Those weren’t industrial security agents.”“No.”“They were intelligence field units.”“Yes.”Her voice shook slightly.“Which means they already know I’m talking.”Dominic slowed near the corner of a quieter street.“That’s why we’re not going to your apartment.”“I assumed that.”“Or any location connected to you.”She nodded.“Good.”I finally spoke.“So where are we going?”Dominic glanced at me.“A place

THE PAST THAT WASN’T RANDOM

For a long moment after Lena said the name, no one spoke.Adrian Kessler.The name echoed through my mind like something heavy dropping into still water, sending shockwaves outward.It couldn’t be true.It simply couldn’t.Dominic watched me carefully from across the table, his expression calm but alert, like he was studying a battlefield where something unexpected had just appeared.“You know him,” he said quietly.I nodded slowly.“Yes.”“How well?”I took a breath, trying to steady the sudden rush of memories.“Professionally.”Lena leaned forward slightly.“What does that mean?”“It means he’s been part of my career for years.”Vaelor’s eyebrows lifted.“That sounds… concerning.”I ignored him for a moment, focusing on Dominic.“He wasn’t just a government official I met once.”“How involved was he?” Dominic asked.“He supervised the advisory program that first recruited me into Dominion policy analysis.”Lena frowned.“He recruited you?”“Yes.”Dominic’s gaze sharpened.“Personal

THE INVITATION

The room remained quiet after my words.I need to see him.The sentence still lingered in the air like a spark waiting to catch fire.Lena looked as though I had just announced I intended to walk willingly into a lion’s den.“That’s exactly what Kessler would want,” she said.“Yes,” I replied.“And that doesn’t concern you?”“It concerns me very much.”Dominic spoke before she could continue.“But concern doesn’t change the strategic value.”Vaelor exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.“You two are frighteningly comfortable with suicidal ideas.”Dominic ignored the comment.Instead, he focused on me.“You understand what this means.”“I do.”“You will be speaking to a man who may have manipulated your career for years.”“Yes.”“And he will assume he still holds that influence.”“That’s exactly why the meeting works.”Dominic studied me for several seconds.Not as a colleague.Not even as an ally.But as someone measuring whether the person in front of him could survive a danger

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