Charles sat in the chair without ever losing his smirk, and Stephen felt his anger surge. "I don't remember telling you to sit," Stephen said with a voice like ice.Charles leaned back in his chair and said, completely undaunted, "Cool off, Stephen, we're all chums here, aren't we?"Stephen was opening his mouth to respond when Marianne broke in with her calm, courteous tones, "Charles, would you care for something to drink or eat?Stephen chuckled to himself. When did Marianne become a hostess to uninvited guests? He pushed the thought aside and focused on Charles. "Let's cut to the chase, Charles. What's with the visit?"Charles sighed, his eyes drifting to his black cat, now purring contentedly as Yuna stroked it. "I came to discuss some business, Stephen."Stephen's eyes turned hard. "Business? In my cabin on any yacht, and in the midst of family?Charles shrugged. "Sometimes business can't wait. And besides, I thought you'd appreciate a little company."Marianne laid a light palm
Enoch sat in his office, trying to help the documents from his table not to be blown away by the fan. He tried, but some fluttered to the floor and scattered like fallen leaves. He muttered to himself, "Damn office. Since morning I have been here attending to these requests and issues. Running an empire isn't easy. Stephen is trying," he whispered, shaking his head with anger tempered by respect for the colleague.This was broken by his phone suddenly starting to ring. "Who's calling me now?" he growled, ignoring the call as it cut off. Turning back to the papers with a sigh, he slumped into his office chair, etching weariness all over his face. "If only I could just fix all this," he said in exhaustion.Suddenly, he looked up to find a figure standing in front of him. The presence was suitably quiet; the man was dressed in some type of uniform. "Who are you?" Enoch inquired, his voice laced with suspicion.The man advanced, quite calm in demeanor. "Do you need a little help?" He pick
Clarke's eyes gleamed with a hunting light. "Many people don't know about the system, Enoch. Your surprise is understandable, but I'm not here to watch you be surprised. I need you to tell me what you know about the system."Enoch ignored him, standing to his feet and opening the door, indicting that Clarke should leave his office. "Get out," he said coldly.Clarke didn't flinch. "How did you control the system?"That question made Enoch stop. "What do you mean, control?"He suddenly remembered back at the courthouse when he had somehow managed to seize control of the system. He looked at Clarke while closing the door so that nobody would hear their conversation. Now he seemed interested, eager to know more. "How did you know about the system that I could control?"Seeing his surprised face, Clarke added, "I'll return with whatever help you need, plus a free bonus on top of it."Enoch raised an eyebrow. "What could that be?""I'll help you get Stephen out of the way," said Clarke, smi
Stephen stood at the edge of the dock, looking out over the sea, dark and calm. A strange glow emanated from the glints of moonlight on the water, eerily reflecting his troubled thoughts. Had it all been a setup, as Charles said? Or was Charles leading him astray? Either way, it got under his skin. He pulled out his phone to call Enoch again; again, no answer. "Where are you?" he muttered desperately, his chest tight with anxiety. He hoped that nothing wrong would come about their sailing back to the city. The vacation was ending, and he spent treasured moments with his daughter, Ariane. There shouldn't be any danger, yet that feeling seemed to niggle away at him. Perhaps it was a mistake in the system.Ariane and Yuna were inside the cabin. Ariane was fiddling with her tablet, but after some time, she felt bored. She looked at Yuna. "I'm bored. Let's explore the yacht."Yuna shook her head. "Your dad said we shouldn't leave the cabin."Ariane made a face. "But it's boring in here. My
Stephen stormed toward the office of the captain. He had to find Ariane. He had to make sure that she was safe. The captain, an older and grizzled man with years of experience etched into his weathered face, looked up as Stephen burst in."Captain, we have a situation," Stephen said urgently. "My daughter, Ariane, has been kidnapped by some men. Their plan is to hijack the yacht."The captain's eyes widened. "Taken? Hijack? Are you sure?""Yes, I'm sure," Stephen replied, his voice tight with desperation. "They have her in the storeroom. We need to find her now."The captain rose and reached for the radio on his desk. "All crew, be on alert. We have a possible hijacking. Search the yacht for a young girl named Ariane. Any sign of suspicious activity, report immediately."He turned to Stephen again. "We will do everything in our power to find her, Mr. Stephen. I promise you that."Stephen nodded, clenching his jaw. "Do whatever it takes."When Stephen emerged from the captain's office,
Stephen was pacing up and down the narrow hallway of the yacht. His anxiety was a living, breathing entity chasing her all over the yacht. A few of the crew members and the seasoned captain of the seas followed behind. The search seemed to be unending as the yacht was huge. With every second, Stephen's heart was pounding out an insistent rhythm as some fear for Ariane clawed at his insides."Captain, we have to find her. We have to find Ariane," Stephen urged on, his voice taut with desperation.The captain nodded his weathered face, creased with lines of worry. "We've scoured every room, but there's no sign of her. It's as if she vanished."Stephen clenched his fists. "We'll find her. I don't care what it takes. Just make sure she's safe."The captain nodded solemnly. "We're doing everything we can."Stephen started back down the hallway with crew members close behind. Night was starting to creep in around the dimly lit yacht, long shadows stretching out across the floor. He remember
Shaking, Stephen picked up the single-foot slipper that lay beside the note. It was unmistakably small, child-sized, and he could smell the familiar scent of lavender in his nostrils, Ariane's favorite. The full impact of the fact hit him then with the force of a sledgehammer: Ariane had been here recently, but the kidnappers moved her only minutes ago. Panic surged in him like a tidal wave.He balled the note in his fist; the words barely had time to register on his mind as he tried to lock onto the crisis at hand. His mind was racing with finding Ariane before it was too late. The corridors of the yacht made a disorienting maze, every turn and every shadow seeming to mock his desperate search. He bolted out of the room, the weight of his responsibility pounding in his heart.The water level on the yacht was high, sometimes ankle-deep. Stephen splashed through growing puddles as his flashlight beam cut through the murky blackness. It creaked in the structure of the yacht under the pr
Stephen returned to the control room, his clothes soaked and his expression grim. The captain was in the middle of a tense meeting with several crew members; their faces showed worry. The captain looked up as Stephen came in."Mr. Stephen," the captain said, waving him into the group, "we are trying to get the engine repaired. The yacht is taking on water, and we need to avoid sinking."One of the crew added, "The signal line to call for help has been disconnected. We're effectively cut off."Stephen's eyes locked onto the captain's. "Have you found my daughter?" he asked, his voice strung taut with anxiety.The captain shook his head. "Not yet, but we will. Right now, we need to stabilize the yacht. If we sink, everyone's in danger."Stephen's face darkened. "So, my daughter's safety isn't a priority?"The captain sighed again as his eyes met Stephen's. "That is not what I mean. The lives of everyone on board are at stake. We first have to wrest back control of the yacht. After that,
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late. The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late. The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen. Stephen did not sa
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late. The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late. The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen. Stephen did not say an
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late. The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late. The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen. Stephen did not say an
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late.The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late.The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face."Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen.Stephen did not say anythi
Stephen stood by the door, watching as Victor’s car grew smaller in the distance. The rumble of the engine slowly faded, leaving nothing but the usual quiet that hung around the small neighborhood. He let out a breath, resting his hand on the doorframe. The last two months had been tough—tougher than he ever imagined.Without the system—the network of contacts and favors that once made his life easy—Stephen had to figure out a way to survive on his own. And it wasn’t glamorous. Every day was a grind, a constant scramble for enough money to cover the basics. Work wasn’t easy to come by, not when you’d burned as many bridges as he had. But he’d managed to find some odd jobs here and there—just enough to scrape by, though never enough to truly get ahead.He closed the door softly, the sound echoing through the small room. Glancing around the cramped space, he couldn’t help but think of the penthouse he once called home. The stark difference between his old life and this one weighed on hi
Stephen stood in the door and watched as Victor's car dwindled to a dot on the horizon. The rumble of the motor died out, leaving only the silent night air hovering over the little neighborhood. He exhaled a breath, his hand falling to rest on the doorframe. The last two months had been rough-tougher than he ever imagined.No system to fall back on now-the network of contacts and favors that oiled his life-Stephen was forced to scrounge some means of survival for himself. Not quite glamorous, the daily fight, the eternal hustle just for the real basics. Jobs were not easy to find, not when one had burned bridges as he had. But he'd been able to find odd jobs here and there, enough just to scrape by, never enough to get any further ahead.He closed the door behind him with a quiet click. The softness echoed inside the tiny room. Glancing around at the cramped quarters, his mind strayed to the penthouse he once called home. The stark dissimilarities between where his life used to be and
Two months later, Victor stared at the address on his phone, then at the small, run-down building in front of him. It didn’t look like a place Stephen would be living. The paint was peeling off the walls, and the grass in front was overgrown. This was far from the sleek, modern apartment Stephen used to own.Victor killed the engine, stepped out of his car, and walked toward the house. It was a self-contained unit—cheap, cramped, and barely enough for one person. He checked the address again. Room number 9. It matched. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.When he reached room 9, he knocked hard. The wood felt thin under his knuckles, like the door could break if he wasn’t careful. He knocked again, louder this time.After a moment, the door creaked open. Victor’s eyebrows shot up. Standing in front of him was Stephen, but he was almost unrecognizable. His hair was longer, his face covered with a scruffy beard, and he’d gained weight—his old sharp features now s
Standing beside Ariane's bed, his mind was spinning as he stared down at the screen of the system on his phone. His fingers trembling, he hit the icon for healing skills. He muttered under his breath, "Why can't this work on her? Why can't I save her?The system kept mum-no explanation, no solution. The shallow breathing of his daughter echoed in the room; every weak breath made him helpless. Stephen swallowed hard as his throat went dry. He could fix deals, he could manipulate numbers, but here in this hospital room, he was powerless.The door creaked open, and Stephen turned to see Enoch step in. Gone was Enoch's usual smug expression, replaced with a concerned frown. "What are you doing here?" Stephen's voice was low, edged with suspicion.Enoch shrugged, glancing over at Ariane. "Heard she was sick, so I decided to come by. How's she doing?"Stephen stared at him for a long moment, unsure of how to reply. His mind flashed back to his earlier doubts. Ariane wasn't his daughter, at
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