"I asked you a question, didn't I?" Santiago spat.Lucas swallowed hard before responding, "The estimated amount that went missing is $1,000,000,000."Hearing the words of Lucas, the eyes of Santiago and his men in the living room widened in shock. The room fell silent after as Santiago just stood there, processing what he just heard, while Lucas knelt down there shaking with his head bowed down."This is a joke, right? Tell me it's a joke, Lucas. Tell me it's a fucking joke!" Santiago voiced out in anger, causing each and everyone in the room to flinch."I wish it was a joke, sir. But I'm afraid it isn't." Lucas muttered shakily.Santiago stretched forth both of his hands and grabbed his collar before yanking him up to his feet."How the hell did this happen??" Santiago demanded, his voice filled with anger, and his eyes locked on Lucas."I..I have no idea, sir. It was done by a highly skilled hacker. He hacked into the system and withdrew the money. I didn't know how he managed to

All heads turned to Zed as the middle-aged man walked towards him. Zed just stood there calmly with his hands casually tucked in his pockets, and his gaze fixed on the man approaching him.The man finally came to a halt directly in front of him. He glared at him for a few moments before shifting his gaze towards the computer screen where the notification could still be seen.He glanced at the computer's screen for a few moments before shifting his gaze back to Zed. He cleared his throat before speaking, "Congratulations on your win, sir." He said as he shook Zed's hand. "I'll be back shortly with your money." He added before walking away.Shortly after the middle-aged man left, a crowd of people swiftly surrounded Zed. They all begged him to tell them the lucky numbers he used to win so they could copy him and also win. Zed assured them that the same numbers might not work twice in a row, but he decided to tell them nevertheless. Who knows if they'll be lucky.A few moments later, th

Zed staggered backward as one of the thugs viciously kicked the briefcase from his grasp. His feet scrambled against the rough pavement as he fought to maintain his balance, finally coming to a halt a few paces away from them."Do I even stand a chance against these men?" The thought flickered through his mind as his pulse pounded in his ears. His gaze locked onto the thugs as they surged forward, their daggers gripped tightly in their hands. The dim streetlights cast eerie glints off the cold steel, making the weapons look even deadlier.As they reached striking distance, their blades slashed through the air in unison, aiming to carve into him. Zed barely reacted in time, leaping backward just as the daggers whooshed past, cutting nothing but empty space. He exhaled sharply, but before he could regain his footing, one of the thugs lunged forward, his fist swinging toward Zed’s face.Instinct took over. Zed sidestepped at the last second, narrowly avoiding the blow. The attacker’s mom

"You are making a mistake! I didn't do anything! I've been here all day! You can ask the people here!" Mr. Routledge spat, his face flushed with rage, his voice rising in anger. "Well, you don't really need to leave this place to commit a crime. You could easily make a call and hire people to do your dirty work for you," Chief Beckett remarked, his tone firm and unyielding. He lowered his pistol and tucked it back into his belt. "Take him outside," he ordered, and his men immediately began dragging the struggling man toward the door. "No, you can't do this! You can't! I didn’t do anything!" Mr. Routledge continued to protest, his voice growing desperate as he was hauled away. "You're making a huge mistake! You don't know who I am! You don’t know how many powerful friends I have! You will regret this!" His voice echoed down the hall as the officers forced him outside. Once outside, they shoved him into the back of the patrol car, slamming the door shut with a metallic clang. The of

Mr. Damien sat down on the couch beside her. He exhaled sharply before leaning forward, picking up a glass of whiskey. He moved the glass closer to his lips and took a sip."I couldn't sleep," he muttered, taking another sip."Why not?" Mia lowered her phone and asked, a slight look of puzzlement crossing her face."How can I sleep when my only chance of winning the test has been stolen from me?" Mr. Damien stated, grabbing the bottle and pouring more whiskey into his glass."You're talking about the auction earlier? The rocket engine that was bought by Zed Zimmerman?" Mia inquired, raising an eyebrow."Yes. That rocket engine was my only hope of winning. And now, it’s gone. And on top of it all, it was bought by the same man I threw out like trash." Mr. Damien’s grip on the glass tightened slightly as he spoke. "If it had been a CEO from a different company who bought it, getting it back wouldn’t have been too difficult. But it’s Zed—the same man we betrayed."He let out a deep sigh