Chapter One Hundred and Fifty TwoThe grand hall buzzed with energy as the auction resumed. Billionaires in tailored suits sipped on expensive champagne, their conversations punctuated by laughter and subtle power plays. But in one corner of the room, Henry stood silently, his presence understated yet commanding. His face was calm, but his eyes betrayed an unshakable resolve.Across the room, Stella returned with Stefan, who was nursing the red mark on his cheek. His earlier bravado was gone, replaced by a simmering frustration that boiled beneath the surface. Stella’s icy silence was deafening, but Stefan’s arrogance wouldn’t allow him to back down completely.“Don’t think this is over, Henry,” Stefan muttered under his breath as they passed by him. “You’ve been playing games all night, and I’m going to find out who you really are.”Henry didn’t respond, but his eyes flickered toward Stefan briefly. His indifference was more cutting than any retort, and Stefan’s face flushed with ang

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty FourThe whispers in the grand hall didn’t die down even after Henry and Jasmine left. Stefan slumped into a chair, his face pale and his hands trembling. Stella stood frozen in place, her mind racing as she tried to piece together the shocking events of the evening.“How… how did this happen?” Stefan muttered under his breath. “How is he more powerful than me?”Stella turned to him sharply, her voice dripping with bitterness. “You’re asking me? You’re the one who made a fool of yourself in front of everyone. And now my sister and her husband—her husband—own more of your company than you do!”Stefan glared at her, his confidence trying to claw its way back. “This isn’t over. I’ll find out what he’s hiding. Nobody just walks in and takes over my life.”Stella crossed her arms. “You’d better do something, Stefan. Because right now, you’re looking like a pathetic fool.”Stefan’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, a man in a sharp suit approached the

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty SevenThe car sped through the dark city streets, its engine humming steadily. Jasmine sat silently in the passenger seat, her mind racing with questions. She glanced at Henry, who was calm and focused, his eyes locked on the road ahead. It was as if nothing had just happened—no masked men, no threats, no cryptic messages. But the tension in his jaw and the quiet grip on the steering wheel betrayed his thoughts.“Henry,” Jasmine said softly, breaking the silence. “I need answers. You can’t keep me in the dark anymore.”Henry’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re safer not knowing everything.”Jasmine turned to him, her voice trembling. “They already know about me. They know who I am. How does keeping me in the dark help protect me? Please, Henry. I need to know.”Henry sighed deeply, his eyes flickering to her for a moment before returning to the road. “I wasn’t always… the man you know now,” he admitted. “Before I met you, before I became your husband

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty NineThe air inside the safe house was thick with tension as Henry stared at the blank monitor, his mind racing. Jasmine stood a few steps behind him, her trembling hands clutching the edge of the couch. The ominous message—“Checkmate”—seemed to hang in the air like a taunt.“What does it mean, Henry?” Jasmine whispered, her voice cracking. “Are they coming now?”Henry didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he sat at the desk and began typing furiously, accessing encrypted systems and hidden files. Lines of code scrolled across the screen, and his jaw tightened as he scanned the data.“They think they’ve trapped me,” Henry said finally, his voice low but controlled. “But this isn’t checkmate. It’s their opening move.”Jasmine frowned. “What do you mean? They’ve frozen your accounts, threatened me, and now they’re saying it’s over.”Henry’s fingers paused for a fraction of a second before resuming their frantic work. “That’s what they want us to think. But th

Chapter One Hundred and SixtyThe command center buzzed with static and the low hum of screens resetting after the ominous transmission. Jasmine stood frozen, her heart pounding as Stella’s terrified face replayed in her mind. The masked figure’s voice echoed in her ears: “Now, the real game begins.”“Henry…” she whispered, her voice trembling as she turned to the monitors. “They have her.”Henry’s footsteps echoed as he strode back into the room, his face calm but his eyes burning with quiet fury. His tactical suit was dusted with dirt, his knuckles bloodied from the fight above.“They’re trying to bait me,” he said, his voice low and measured. “It’s a trap.”Jasmine stepped toward him, desperation in her voice. “But it’s Stella! They’ll kill her if you don’t do something.”Henry’s jaw tightened. He walked to the central console, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “They won’t kill her yet. Not until they think I’ve made my move. She’s leverage.”Jasmine grabbed his arm, forcing