Max refused to sit back and let Graves rewrite history.The world might have turned against him, but that only meant one thing—he had nothing left to lose.Standing in the ship’s dimly lit control room, he watched the encrypted data stream across the monitors as Molly worked her magic.“Find me something, anything, on Graves.” Max’s voice was steel.“I don’t care if it’s buried under a hundred layers of security. Rip him apart.”Molly, her fingers flying over the keyboard, smirked.“I thought you’d never ask.”Elliot leaned against the wall, arms crossed.“I still say we put a bullet in his head and be done with it.”Max didn’t even glance at him.“And what happens next? You think cutting the head off the snake kills it? No. This thing grows another head before the body hits the floor.”Elliot scowled but didn’t argue. He knew Max was right.Red Fang stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with something dark.“Then what’s the plan? Because I don’t do waiting around.”Max exhaled, his mind

The moment the first gunshot rang out, the entire room descended into chaos.Billionaires, diplomats, and military officials scrambled for cover as security teams flooded the ballroom. Some of the elites realized they had been manipulated, their loyalties shifting in real-time. Others, still loyal to Graves, rushed to defend him, barking orders to their private bodyguards.Max didn’t waste time watching it unfold. He had exactly five seconds before the next bullet was fired.Graves, standing untouched at the center of the madness, simply smiled.Then he lifted his hand.With a single motion, his hidden security forces moved into position.From the balconies above, snipers took aim.“Move!” Elliot barked as he grabbed Max’s arm, yanking him behind cover.Gunfire erupted, sending glass shattering across the marble floors.Red Fang was already in motion, slamming an elbow into a guard’s throat before grabbing his rifle.“Max, we need an exit—now!”Max scanned the room, heart pounding. Ev

The explosion tore through the event hall just as Max and his team lunged out of the collapsing building. The blast wave sent them sprawling, debris crashing down around them. Smoke filled the air, choking, blinding.Max hit the pavement hard, pain jolting through his ribs. His ears rang, his vision blurred, but his mind was clear—Graves was getting away.A strong hand gripped his arm, yanking him to his feet. Reginald. His father’s expression was unreadable, but his voice was firm.“This was just a test, Max.” Reginald scanned the wreckage behind them. “The real war begins now.”Max clenched his jaw, shaking off the pain. “Then let’s end it before it starts. Graves is running scared. He’s weaker than ever.”Elliot stumbled over, blood dripping from a gash on his temple. “Weak? The bastard just set off a bomb in Monaco and still managed to slip away. He’s not weak. He’s desperate.”Red Fang cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. “Which makes him unpredictable. Desperate men do stupi

The war room was silent. The weight of the impossible choice loomed over Max like a noose tightening around his throat. Save Emily, or stop the Council.Elliot stood across from him, arms crossed, frustration flickering in his eyes. “You know this is a setup, Max. Graves wants you to come alone. You walk into that, and you’re dead.”Max’s jaw tightened. “Then I’ll make sure I take him with me.”Red Fang slammed his knife into the table, the blade sticking deep into the wood. “This is stupid. We don’t split up. Not now.”Molly, pale and tense, barely looked up from her screen. “The Council is already initiating Omega Protocol. We have minutes before they crash the global economy. If we don’t stop them now, the world burns.”Max exhaled. His mind was a battlefield, every thought colliding like soldiers charging into war. Emily’s face flashed in his mind. He had never doubted his decisions before. Until now.Elliot’s voice cut through the haze. “Let me lead the mission. You go after Emil

Max barely felt the pain anymore. His body had been beaten, broken, and pushed to its limits—but none of that mattered. Not now. Not when Emily’s life was on the line.Graves’ voice still echoed in his ears, smooth, confident, filled with amusement.“You’ve fought so hard to uncover the truth, Max. But power? Power was never meant for people like you.”Max had heard those words before. People like you.They had told his father the same thing before they locked him away. Before they stripped him of his name, his empire, his legacy.Max was done listening.His fingers curled around the small, concealed blade hidden in his sleeve. He barely moved, barely breathed, waiting for the moment when Graves leaned just a little too close.Then, with a flick of his wrist, he struck.The blade sliced deep into Graves’ forearm.Graves let out a sharp snarl, stumbling back, blood dripping onto the cold steel floor. His smug demeanor shattered.Max didn’t give him time to recover. He surged forward, d