Morning sun filtered through the broken panes and cast an angry glare over the ruin. The mine was in shambles, debris everywhere, testament to the blast that had taken place. Clarke lay on cold, hard earth, his head pounding, his body weighed down by the exhaustion of the events of the night. He blinked, trying to clear off the fogginess in his brain, but the throbbing pain forbade him from focusing.The screeching of wheels on the floor yanked Clarke out of his fog. He swiveled his head slowly, his vision blurring at the edges, to see Charles wheel himself into the trashed room. His face was a mask of contained rage, his eyes narrowing as they drank in the view before him."What happened here, Clarke?" Charles's voice was cold and keen, every word weighted with barely restrained anger.Clarke struggled to sit up, his body protesting quite vehemently. His memory was a bit fuzzy, the night blurring back together in bits and pieces. He could recall Stephen-Stephen ordering him to let hi

Marriane stood before the mirror, adjusting her collar in the tailored suit. The morning light streamed through the windows of her opulent bedroom in streaks of warm radiance against polished surfaces. She ran a hand through her sleek, dark hair, her thoughts already on the day ahead-the empire had been exacting of late, and she had no room for distraction."Mom, can I come with you today? School's on break," Ariane's voice sliced through her reverie and back into the real world.Turning to face her, Marriane found her daughter standing in the doorway, her eyes pleading. "Ariane, it is not a good day for you to come along. I have much to attend to.""Please, Mom. I promise I won't be in the way," Ariane begged, her tone low yet insistent.Marriane hesitated, and her mind was running through all the bad possible scenarios. She didn't like mixing work with her daughter, but something in Ariane's eyes made it hard to refuse. She nodded with a sigh, "Alright, but you have to stick close t

Standing, Stephen's breathing still came in ragged gasps, while the adrenaline from the near-death experience coursed through his veins. Marriane's eyes were wide with shock, her mouth slightly agape as she stared at him. Clarke, leaning heavily against the wall, his own blood seeping through his shirt, looked just about as astounded. The sight of Stephen standing, his chest wound miraculously healed, defied all reason.Enoch and Victor exchanged a look; both knew what just happened. The system—had saved Stephen's life.Stephen's gaze turned to the lifeless body of Charles lying on the ground. He had almost managed to take everything away from him. But now, as he looked up, he saw Ariane, his little daughter, standing in the doorway, trembling in her small frame, with wide eyes in fear and clutching onto Yuna's hand for life. Yuna's father stood protectively by their side, his face etched in silent gratitude, but the terror still could be told in his eyes.It was these people he had c

A decade later, Victor stood with a much rounder man in the port of Shanghai, looking toward the docks at crates being loaded off the large ship. The air was heavy with the smell of saltwater and diesel, the hum of machinery in the air as Victor's sharp eyes scanned the activity around him.How many crates is that?" he asked; his voice showed steady, though a hint of suspicion was not absent in the tone.The man standing beside him-the one in the ill-fitting suit that strained against his bulk-wiped the sweat from his brow. "Twenty-five thousand crates, worth about thirty million dollars.Victor grumbled, while he was not happy. "It is not about the money," he said to me, eyes fixed on the workers. "I just hope it's not like last time. I was short by nearly five thousand crates. That kind of mistake just cannot happen again.The man laughed but his face fell serious. "I still do not understand how that happened. We checked the numbers. Everything was right on paper."Yeah, well, it's

Enoch sat opposite a businessman, tension between them now replaced with agreement. The man slid the paper across the table, and Enoch grabbed the pen in his firm hand and signed his name."It's nice to be in business with you," the businessman said calmly but firmly.Enoch gave a slight nod, extending his hand. They shook them, firm grips. As they did, there was the flash of cameras popping in the background to capture the moment for the press. Enoch straightened his suit, adjusting his tie-all neutral for the cameras. But inside, his mind was already moving to the next task.The instant the photographs were taken, Enoch turned and went toward his office. His gait was measured and sure, as if all that was around him was already accounted for. The din of the press was dampened behind him as he swung the door open to his office, softly closing it behind him.Inside, the room was in silence. Enoch let out a deep breath, relaxing into his chair. He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling