جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

I stared at the screen, analyzing my options.​Upgrading my foresight was tempting, but right now, my physical body was still that of a regular civilian. If a shootout started at the harbor, knowing a bullet was coming wouldn't matter if I didn't have the physical reaction time or combat training to dodge it or defend myself.​[System: Purchase 'Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat' and 'Intermediate Physical Conditioning'?]​"Yes," I murmured.​[Deducting 600 System Points...][Error: Insufficient Points. Current balance: 500 SP.]‘​Ah, right. Math.’​"Just purchase [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat] and keep the remaining 300 points," I corrected.​[Purchase Successful. Deducting 200 System Points.][Remaining Balance: 300 SP.][Integrating Passive Skill: Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat...]​A sudden, strange sensation washed over me. It wasn't painful like the neural strain; instead, it felt like a warm, tingling current flowing down my arms and legs. Images and concepts of stances, weight distribution,

"Just give me a bat and I'll demonstrate just fine." I said,"I might just hold you to that, sweetheart," Lucien murmured, his chuckle low and incredibly dark as he rested his arm along the back of the leather seat behind me. "But unfortunately, the Falcones demand a little more... finesse than a baseball bat."​"Finesse?" I turned my head back to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what you call bringing an armored SUV and a shoulder holster to a shipping meeting?"​"In our line of work, that ‘is’ finesse," Daniel piped up from the front, smoothly taking a sharp corner that had the tires gripping the pavement. "If we wanted a bloodbath, we would’ve brought the boys with the submachine guns. Today is just a friendly chat. With a lot of heavily armed chaperones."​I turned my gaze back to the tinted window. The towering skyscrapers of the city center were slowly giving way to industrial warehouses, rusted chain-link fences, and the sprawling, gray expanse of the harbor. The salt

​"Lucien!" Victor called out, his voice raspy and loud as he gestured with his tiny ceramic espresso cup. He didn't stand up, remaining seated at the wooden table like a king on a temporary throne. "I was beginning to think you’d lost your appetite for shipping routes. Who's the girl? A new bodyguard, or did you bring your mistress to a sit-down?"​"She's here to keep me entertained, Victor," Lucien replied smoothly, his voice carrying effortlessly over the wind. He stopped a few feet from the table, his posture completely relaxed, his hands tucked in his pockets. "Though, if I were you, I'd worry less about my company and more about your ledger. I hear your boys have been skimmin' off Pier 9."​"Lies and rumors," Victor sneered, taking a slow sip of his espresso.​I kept my gaze lowered, but my mind was screaming. My internal clock was ticking.​One minute.​The dialogue played out almost exactly as it had in the vision. Victor gestured wildly, denying the allegations, while Lucien k

The ride back was a stark contrast to the chaotic, adrenaline-fueled tension of the docks. I slid into the leather backseat of the SUV, letting out a long, shuddering breath as my muscles finally began to relax. I leaned my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes to soothe the lingering, dull throb behind my temples.​But my quiet moment didn't last long.​A sharp, digital ping echoed directly inside my mind. I opened my eyes, and a brilliant blue holographic screen materialized in my field of vision, completely invisible to the two men in the car.​[System Notification: Skill Evolution]​Condition Met: You have successfully activated [Foresight] more than 10 times under high-stress conditions.​Skill Level Up: [Foresight: Level 1] >>> [Foresight: Level 2]​Level 2 Perks Unlocked:Extended Vision: You can now see further into the future window (up to 5 minutes).​Neural Stabilization: Significantly reduces physical strain and minor brain hemorrhaging upon activation.Increas

The SUV smoothly rolled past the wrought-iron security gates of the Giovanni estate.​If the Onyx Club penthouse was a monument to Lucien’s modern, public-facing wealth, this place was a testament to the old-money, iron-fisted legacy of his family bloodline. Nestled on a sprawling, secluded plot of land far from the chaotic grid of the city center, the estate looked like a modern fortress disguised as a luxury manor. A high stone wall, topped with discreet security wiring and high-end surveillance cameras, snaked around the entire premises, completely cutting it off from the outside world.​Daniel expertly navigated the vehicle up the long, winding cobblestone driveway lined with towering oak trees.​"Home sweet home," Daniel announced lazily, throwing the vehicle into park right in front of the massive, grand entrance. "No reporters, no Falcone snakes, and plenty of room for a magician slash prophet to store her baseball bats."​As soon as the engine died, a pair of guards in dark