Joey stared at the stack of files in front of him, but they didn’t make any sense. The information was there, but his mind kept circling back to one thought: This is all part of something bigger. Samuel’s release, the high-profile supporters, the silence from people who should have been talking. Nothing about it added up.He leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. There was a knock at the door.“Joey?” The voice belonged to Sarah, and it was unmistakably calm—almost too calm.“Come in,” he replied, his tone more clipped than he intended.Sarah entered without hesitation, her posture as confident as always, her eyes scanning the room as if it were her domain. She closed the door behind her and took a seat across from him. Her gaze was steady, but Joey could sense that she was waiting for him to speak first.“What’s going on, Sarah?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Samuel’s release. It’s not just a coincidence, is it?”Sa

Joey sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The city stretched before him, neon lights flickering in puddles along the streets, the distant hum of traffic merging with the weight of his own thoughts. He had parked outside an old diner, one he used to visit when his biggest concern was a pile of unsolved cases and too much bad coffee.Now, things were different.His phone buzzed on the passenger seat, Samuel’s name flashing on the screen. Joey hesitated. It was always like this now—his old instincts battling against his new reality.He had been a cop once. A damn good one. Back when the law had clear lines, when criminals were the enemy, when he still believed in justice. Then Samuel happened.It hadn’t been overnight. At first, Joey told himself he was just gathering intel, playing a long game. He could get close to Samuel, see how deep his operation ran, and then take it apart from the inside. But that plan had dissolved somewhere along the

Madeline had always admired Gideon from a distance, first as an untouchable figure of influence, then as something more—something that made her pulse quicken in a way she couldn’t afford to acknowledge. He was calculated, brilliant, always three steps ahead of the world. And she wanted to be part of that world.At first, it had been simple. She had helped where she could, subtly inserting herself into his plans. But the more time she spent in his orbit, the more tangled she became in his machinations. And the more tangled she became, the harder it was to remember where Gideon’s ambitions ended and her own choices began.She wanted to prove herself to him.She just hadn’t realized how much it would cost.The first real mistake came on a cold evening in November. Madeline sat across from Gideon in his office, the flickering candlelight casting shadows along the bookshelves. He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, watching her as she laid out the information she had gathered.“It’

They had entered Samuel’s world like a shadow slipping through cracks in the pavement—silent, sudden, and impossible to ignore.Their name was Vincent Hale, a fixer, a broker of secrets. No allegiance except to the highest bidder, no history that could be traced without running into dead ends. They were the kind of person who could make or break men like Samuel, and they knew it.Vincent exhaled slowly, letting the tension settle in the room before finally speaking. “I have something you need.”Samuel lifted his gaze, eyes dark and unreadable. “That so?”Vincent slid a small USB drive across the table. It stopped just before Samuel’s fingers. “On there is everything you need to rip Arthur apart from the inside. Connections he’s kept hidden, favors he’s traded with men who would burn if their names were ever tied to him. Corrupt politicians, CEOs, judges—every dirty deal, every handshake in the dark.”Samuel stared at the drive but didn’t reach for it. He had learned long ago that noth

Arthur knew this was his last chance. He sat at his desk, the dim light of his office casting long shadows over stacks of documents, news clippings, and confidential reports. His campaign against Samuel had been going on for months, but he had underestimated the man. Every attempt to expose him had backfired. Every whisper campaign, every investigative piece he had leaked to the media had only strengthened Samuel’s hold.That was going to change.Arthur leaned forward, watching the news anchor on the screen in front of him."New allegations have surfaced against businessman Samuel Caine, with sources claiming ties to illicit financial dealings and political corruption."The reporter’s voice was calm, professional, but Arthur could hear the tension behind it. The media had been cautious about taking him on, but Arthur had forced their hand. He had supplied them with carefully curated evidence, enough to create doubt, to plant the seeds of Samuel’s downfall.It wasn’t enough.Arthur gra