A few months had passed, and Victor woke up in his new mansion. It was a gift from Enoch, his elder brother. The place was enormous, too big for one person, but it had everything Victor could ever need. He poured himself a cup of coffee, sipping it slowly as he relaxed on the couch. The sun shone brightly through the large windows, casting warm light across the room."Perfect day," he muttered to himself, but the sense of satisfaction faded quickly. Every day felt the same—waking up, doing the same routine. Life felt empty. "I need something to break this monotony."As if on cue, his security guard entered. "Sir, there's a visitor here to see you. She calls herself Mrs. Marianne."Victor's face darkened at the name. "Great," he sighed, setting down his cup. "Just what I needed. Let her in."The guard nodded and left. Victor stood, staring at the door, bracing himself for whatever drama Marianne was about to bring. Moments later, the door opened, and she stepped in.Victor crossed his
Victor looked at Marianne, dumbfounded. He felt her words were a blow to his stomach. "My daughter?" He repeated, still heavy with incredulity in his voice."Yes," said Marianne in a low, unwavering tone. "I didn't tell you because. I didn't want to ruin your life. But now. it's about Ariane's life."Victor began to pace the room, his fists clenched. He didn't believe her. She was a liar; she manipulated situations. Why should this be different?"Why are you expecting me to believe you now?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "After all this time, you show up and drop this bomb on me? You think I'm stupid?"Marianne stood, desperate now. "I'm not lying, Victor! I can take a paternity test if that's what you want. But we don't have time for that. Ariane's getting worse, and the doctors say her only hope is a transfusion."Victor shook his head. "This is all too convenient. Why now, Marianne? Why not tell me years ago?"I was scared," she admitted, her voice shaking. "I didn't know how to ha
Victor stared at Marianne, his mind spinning. Her words felt like a punch in the gut. "My daughter?" He repeated, the disbelief still thick in his voice."Yes," Marianne said, her voice low but steady. "I didn’t tell you because... I didn’t want to ruin your life. But now... it’s about Ariane’s life."Victor paced the room, his fists clenched. He didn’t trust her. She had lied before, manipulated situations. Why should this be any different?"Why should I believe you now?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "After all this time, you just show up and drop this bomb on me? You think I’m stupid?"Marianne stood, desperate now. "I’m not lying, Victor! I can take a paternity test if that’s what you want. But we don’t have time for that. Ariane’s getting worse, and the doctors say her only hope is a transfusion."Victor shook his head. "This is all too convenient. Why now, Marianne? Why not tell me years ago?""I was scared," she admitted, her voice shaking. "I didn’t know how to handle it. But
Stephen bent further forward, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to better study Enoch. The poor light within the room hid much of the expression on Enoch's face in deep shadow, feeding off the tension. Stephen had had much said to him over the years in his line of work, but this? It was too much for even him."So what you're saying," Stephen continued after a moment, his voice low, controlled, "is that the system can't be unplugged or shut down?"Enoch sat back in his chair, crossing his arms, staring at Stephen with that impenetrable expression again. He was silent for a while, then finally spoke."Yes," Enoch said, his voice grave. "Once you're connected, it's with you until death. And even then, it doesn't disappear. It's transferred to another host."Stephen rubbed at his temples, frustration brewing inside him. He had been through enough, but this-this was a whole new level of madness. "That's insane. Who designs something like this? Who decides one person's fate is supposed to be
Stephen leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he studied Enoch. The dim light of the room cast deep shadows across Enoch's face, highlighting the tension between them. Stephen had heard a lot of things in his line of work, but this? It was too much, even for him."So what you're saying," Stephen began, his voice low, controlled, "is that the system can't be disconnected or deactivated?"Enoch sat back in his chair, arms crossed, staring at Stephen with that same impenetrable expression. His silence dragged on for a moment before he finally answered."Yes," Enoch replied, his tone grim. "Once you're connected, it's with you until death. And even then, it doesn’t disappear. It’s transferred to another host."Stephen rubbed his temples, frustration simmering beneath the surface. He had been through enough already, but this—this was a whole new level of madness. "That’s insane. Who designed something like this? Who decides that one person’s fate is tied to a system they didn’t ask for?"E
Enoch leaned back in his chair, releasing a deep sigh as the glow of the television danced across his weary face. The news anchor's voice was like drones speaking to a room filled with grim tidings from the crashing world markets. His eyes followed the red numbers ticking down across the screen: stock prices plummeting, economies teetering on the edge of collapse.He hunched forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his temples. It wasn't the crash in and of itself that bothered him, but what it meant for him: the gold his empire produced was losing value. Everything he had worked for, all the power he had built seemed to slip right through his fingers. He could not afford to lose control now. Not with the system in play. Not with Stephen unraveling.The jingle of a commercial break tore him from the reverie. Enoch clicked off the television, and in an instant, the room fell silent. He stood and strode across to the window, staring out onto the city skyline. The lights twin
Enoch sat back in his chair, exhaling deeply as the glow from the television flickered across his tired face. The news anchor’s voice droned on, filling the room with grim updates about the recent global market crash. His eyes followed the red numbers ticking downward across the screen—stock prices plummeting, economies teetering on the edge of collapse.He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, rubbing his temples. It wasn’t just the crash itself that bothered him; it was what it meant for him. The gold his empire produced was losing value. Everything he had worked for, all the power he had built, seemed to be slipping through his fingers. He couldn’t afford to lose control now. Not with the system in play. Not with Stephen unraveling.The sound of a commercial break snapped him out of his thoughts. Enoch turned the TV off with a sharp click, plunging the room into silence. He stood up and moved to the window, staring out into the city skyline. The lights twinkled below, bu
Stephen sat cross-legged on a soft mat, his eyes closed to focus on the calm voice of the guru. The air around him was scented with burning incense; a low hum of chanting echoed softly from the walls. He had called in the guru in a last-ditch effort to clear his mind, escape the relentless pull of the system. It had started to devour him, bit by bit, till it was all he could think of, all he could perceive.He was losing his grip, and he knew it.The guru's voice came, calm: "Breathe in. breathe out. let your thoughts flow like water. Do not cling to them."Stephen sucked in an enormous breath, then let it slowly out again, as if to expel everything at the same time: the market crash, the system, the deals that went right past him. The tension between him and Enoch was endless. He'd gotten pulled into something so much bigger than he was that he couldn't possibly control it himself, and however hard Stephen fought his way free of it, he felt ensnared.Then, though, as his breathing st