Chapter 225After paying Richard a visit and spending quality time with Alisha, Liam left the hospital and drove home, looking forward to a good rest after the day. But on his way, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was one of his top workers."Hello, what's up?" Liam answered."Hello sir, it's Carter Comb. The building is on fire!" The worker's voice was filled with panic."What?!" Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you sure? How bad is it?""It's not a small fire," the worker continued, his voice trembling. "You need to come down right away. The fire department is on their way, but it's spreading fast."Panic and terror gripped Liam. "I'm on my way," he said, ending the call abruptly. He pressed down on the gas pedal, driving as fast as he could towards Carter Comb.As he drove, he dialed another number, calling Kai Nakamura. "This is Liam. Have you heard about the fire at Carter Comb?""Fire? No," came the reply. "I'll be heading there now. Do you ha
Chapter 226Liam made his way towards the two firefighters, his heart heavy with worry.Mr. Carter," the chief firefighter greeted him, his voice calm despite the situation. "We need to talk.""What’s going on here?" Liam demanded, struggling to keep his voice steady. "Why did you call me in?"The chief nodded towards the control center. "The fire is mostly contained to the security unit and control center. We believe it was deliberately set."Liam's eyes widened. "Deliberately set? By who?""We don't have all the details yet, but we found some suspicious materials that suggest arson," the chief explained. "We need your cooperation to ensure the safety of everyone trapped, secure all data and to help us understand who might have done this."Liam felt a surge of anger and determination. "What do you need from me?""First, we need to secure any important documents or sensitive information that might be targeted," the chief said, pointing towards the control center of Carter Comb. "Then,
Chapter 227When Liam arrived at the scene, Williams and Morris got the news and realized their plan was proceeding smoothly.Williams initiated the third step of their plan: bring Liam inside, make him open the control center, change the password, steal crucial data, force Liam to reveal everything he knew about their operation at EMC, and then eliminate him by throwing him into the fire, claiming he was a victim of the blaze.Williams approached the Carter Comb staff member who was in charge and helping his colleagues put out the fire. "Hey, I need you to bring Mr. Carter into the building," he said, keeping his tone urgent but calm. "The fire is about to ravage the control center, and we need him to give us the password to prevent further damage."The staff member nodded, not suspecting anything, and quickly went to fetch Liam. It wasn’t long until Williams saw a trembling Liam Carter walking towards them, wearing a safety jacket and goggles. The fear was evident on his face, but s
Chapter 228James and Gregor were hurrying out of the burning Carter Comb when they saw someone hurl another person into the flames and shut the door. James wasn't able to make out who had hurled their opponent into the flames, but he could clearly see that they were wearing firefighter uniforms. He couldn’t quite understand why a firefighter, someone meant to rescue and protect people, would throw someone into the fire.Although they were trying to make it out of the building and get to safety, his curiosity got the better of him. He asked Gregor, "Did you see what just happened?"Gregor nodded, eyes wide with disbelief. "Yeah, I saw it. What the hell is going on?"Without a second thought, James rushed towards the scene to see for himself what was really going on, even though he knew it might jeopardize his identity. He and Gregor were disguised as junior staff workers at Carter Comb, a ruse they had adopted to gather information.They had come, coincidentally like Williams and Mor
Chapter 229Kai Nakamura was practicing Kung Fu in Liam's gym after a long day of work. Liam had asked him to accompany him to visit Richard Carl at the hospital, but Kai had refused, preferring to stay back and train.As he executed a series of precise moves, his phone rang, interrupting his focus. It was Liam, and his urgent tone conveyed panic. Liam told him that Carter Comb was on fire.Kai was stunned. He couldn’t quite grasp how Carter Comb, one of the most secure and safest companies in Emerald Falls, could be up in flames. “What? How is that possible?” he asked, but the line was already disconnected.Quickly, he dashed to his wardrobe, throwing on some clothes. His heart pounded as he hurried outside, hopping into one of the sports cars. He started the engine and sped towards the company, his mind racing with questions and a growing sense of unease.As he drove, his thoughts kept circling around the cause of the fire. It didn’t make sense. Carter Comb was designed to be nearly
Chapter 230Kai Nakamura mixed with the tension-filled crowd, skillfully concealing himself from the police. He quickly took off his jacket and cast it aside, then put on his face mask. His eyes scanned the chaotic scene: staff members were yelling and desperately trying to put out the blazing fire, while others ran helter-skelter, trying to escape through the congested gate.As he approached the security guard manning the gate, the guard was frantically trying to manage the flow of people evacuating the premises. "What caused the fire?" Kai demanded.The security guard, recognizing Kai from outside the gate, greeted him respectfully. "Sir, I have no idea what caused the fire. It's a big one, though. People say it's catching up to the security unit of Carter Comb."Kai was shocked. He had overseen the protection of Carter Comb's security systems personally. "Open the gate for me," he ordered.The guard complied, letting him in respectfully. Once inside, Kai began commanding people to
Chapter 231James immediately sprang to his feet, his eyes locked on Williams, who smirked and mirrored his actions. Both men assumed fighting postures, teeth gritted in determination. Without warning, Williams lunged at James, initiating a fierce fight.James dodged and rolled to the opposite side, but Williams quickly recovered, delivering a powerful kick aimed at James' groin. James managed to block the kick and shoved Williams backward, sending him a few feet away.Williams swiftly rebounded and launched a punch at James, which landed on his jaw with a sharp crack. The force of another kick from Williams to James' back sent pain shooting through his body. Realizing the strength of his opponent, James decided to make for the door to rescue whoever was trapped inside.Williams, anticipating James' move, blocked his path with lightning speed. James attempted a kick, but Williams caught his leg in mid-air and delivered a series of brutal punches to James' nose. The third punch was nar
Chapter 232Kai reached a corridor where he saw the two firefighters—or rather, the imposters—standing near the control unit's entrance. Liam was with them, looking confused and alarmed. "Liam!" Kai shouted, trying to get his attention.Liam turned, his face lighting up with a mix of relief and confusion. "Kai? Thank goodness you're here."Kai didn't have time to explain. "Liam, these men are not who they say they are. They're here to sabotage us. We need to get you out of here, now!"James and Gregor turned towards Kai, their expressions hardening. "What?" Gregor replied, his hands raised in a bit of a surrender.“No, Kai. These guys just saved me from—” Liam said but was interrupted by Kai."Liam, come with me!" He moved forward, ready to fight if necessary.Just that moment, Williams and Morris were running towards their direction. They saw Liam, James and Gregor and began to attack them once more.Williams lunged at Liam's but James blocked his path and they crashed into each othe
Chapter 397Morning broke with a dull glow, illuminating the quiet safe house nestled deep in the woods. Inside, tension hung thick in the air. Williams was standing near the window with a phone pressed to his ear, speaking in a calm but calculated tone.“We’ve got your son, Charles,” he said, his voice steady. “But we haven’t located Jaxon.”On the other end of the line, Mr. Sterling’s voice cracked with emotion. “Charles? Is he safe? Are you sure?” Relief flooded his tone, but it was quickly shadowed by anxiety. “What about Jaxon? Did you find him? Is there anything—anything—leading up to him?”Williams let out a quiet sigh, one that sounded more like practiced patience than genuine concern. “That’s all we could manage,” he replied. “The men who took Jaxon still have him, and from what we’ve gathered, they plan to kill him if there’s any interference.”Mr. Sterling was silent for a beat, processing the grim news. Then, his voice rose, tinged with panic. “What do I do now? How do I
Chapter 396James and Gregor stepped out of their concealed position in the underbrush as the taillights of the SUV disappeared into the darkness. The cool night air was eerily silent now, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the muffled sounds of wildlife in the distance. The ground beneath their boots crunched softly as they moved toward the aftermath of the chaos they had just witnessed.Gregor’s eyes scanned the scene, his face expressionless as he took in the lifeless bodies sprawled across the area. Three of them, including Ben they once held, lay motionless, their weapons discarded and their blood staining the dirt beneath them.Gregor crouched beside one of the bodies, briefly checking for a pulse, though he already knew there was none. Standing, he shook his head and muttered, “Well, that’s the life they’ve chosen for themselves.”James, standing a few steps behind him, remained silent for a moment, his sharp eyes darting around the scene. The faint glow of the moo
Chapter 395The shadows of the dilapidated bunker stretched long under the moonlight as Williams and his team lay in wait. They had taken up position hours earlier, tucked inside Jaxon’s sleek sports car, the dark, polished metal blending seamlessly into the night. The air inside the vehicle was stifling, thick with tension and the faint metallic tang of gun oil. Every man was armed and ready, their nerves wound tight, waiting for the right moment to strike. Williams sat in the driver’s seat, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel, though his eyes never left the rearview mirror. Beside him, Kane sat rigid, one hand gripping Jaxon’s arm firmly while the other rested on the stock of a shotgun lying across his lap. In the cramped sports car, Tom and Dorian crouched uncomfortably in the trunk, their weapons at the ready, waiting for Williams’ signal.The silence inside the car was shattered when headlights cut through the darkness. A single car approached, its rumbling engine e
Chapter 394The dense canopy of the forest loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the makeshift campsite where James and Gregor had been holed up for days. The air was damp, thick with the earthy scent of moss and pine, and the distant call of nocturnal creatures echoed through the stillness.Gregor sat cross-legged on the damp ground, his eyes glued to the small tablet in his lap. A blinking red dot pulsed steadily on the screen—the nano tracker they’d planted on Ben’s phone.For three grueling days, they’d followed that dot from one hideout to another, staying just far enough away not to be detected. They’d spent their nights in the car or in the bush, catching only brief moments of sleep between shifts of surveillance.Tonight was no different, and Gregor’s tired eyes burned as he watched the screen, hoping for any sign of movement.James lay stretched out on the ground beside him, his jacket pulled over his face to block out the faint moonlight filtering through the trees. Hi
Chapter 393Jack paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, his gun laid out on the table as he meticulously assembled and armored it. Each metallic click echoed in the stale air, punctuating the tense atmosphere.They had to switch hideouts when Ben rejoined them, in case he was being tailed. Jack carefully considered the situation and concluded that bringing him back into the operation as an additional resource would be a wise decision, just in case they encountered any unexpected challenges but he made sure they switch hideout from time to time. But their main exchange point was still the old bunker because it has a lot of escape routes and underground tunnels.Ken was nearby, double-checking their supply of ammunition, while Denver and Ben lounged on an old, battered couch, their excitement barely contained.“Finally, we’re getting out of this shithole with a bundle of millions,” Denver said to Ben, leaning back with a smug grin. He flicked a discarded cigarette butt into the cor
Chapter 392The evening sky was a dusky orange, streaked with long trails of purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. Williams parked the sleek, black car that Mr. Sterling had secured for him—a high-profile Lamborghini that was both remarkable and practical for what was about to go down.The tinted windows gleamed faintly in the fading light as he stepped out, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. He adjusted the baseball cap on his head and pulled it lower to obscure his face further.Kane was already waiting near the edge of the gravel lot, leaning casually against a rusted lamp post that barely flickered to life. His stance was relaxed, but his eyes darted around, sharp and alert. A few paces away, Tom and Dorian lingered by the entrance to the abandoned warehouse, their conversation low but punctuated with short laughs.Williams approached Kane with purposeful strides. Without a word, he gestured for Kane to follow him a short distance away from the others.“They ready?” William
Chapter 391Andrew’s pen hovered over the page. “Eric Wood? The CEO of EMC?”“Yes,” Sterling said, his voice steady now, laced with conviction. “He’s had a vendetta against my family for months. He’s jealous of our success, our influence. And now, with everything happening at EMC, I wouldn’t put it past him to stoop this low. My two sons were kidnapped in a sparse of a few weeks. Is it not strange?”Andrew tilted his head, his expression skeptical. “That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Sterling. Do you have any evidence to support this?”Mr. Sterling sighed heavily, as though burdened by the weight of his own claim. “Not concrete evidence, no. But think about it. He has the resources, the motive. And I heard through some… private channels that he’s been meeting with unsavory characters lately. People who could easily pull off something like this.”Andrew jotted a few notes, his pen moving quickly. “I see. I’ll look into it. But you understand we can’t act on hearsay alone.”“Of course, of
Chapter 390As soon as Mr. Sterling ended the call with Williams, he hurried to his closet, throwing on a sleek navy suit and matching tie. His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted the knot, but he steeled himself, taking a deep breath.This wasn’t just a favor for Williams; it was a calculated move to get his two sons back. Grabbing his keys, he rushed out of his mansion, the elevator ride to the ground floor feeling agonizingly slow.When he finally stepped outside, the cool morning air bit at his face, but he paid it no mind. His black sedan waited at the curb, and he climbed in, starting the engine with a growl. As he sped toward Sky Suite, he rehearsed the lies he might need to tell to retrieve Jaxon’s car.The towering Sky Suite hotel loomed ahead, its modern glass facade gleaming brightly under the early morning sun. As Mr. Sterling approached the entrance, his stomach tightened. The sight of two patrol cars parked near the lobby entrance made his pulse quicken. Uniformed off
Chapter 389As soon as Kane received the message from Tom that Jaxon had finally broken under the pressure and confessed, he immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Williams. His tone was sharp, clipped, and direct as he relayed the crucial information.“He finally talked,” Kane said without any preamble. “He’s given up Jack’s location—some bunker near the old docks.”Williams, on the other end of the line, didn’t respond right away. The faint sound of tapping, likely his pen against his desk, filled the silence. “Good,” Williams finally said, his voice steady but tinged with calculation. “Did he say anything about how many men Jack has with him?”“Yeah,” Kane replied. “Three, including Jack himself. He said one of them ran away. It’s a small crew.”Williams let out a low hum of approval. “That’s manageable. We’ve got the numbers, four to three. Here’s the plan,” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “You’re going to prep Jaxon to lead you straight to the bunker. He’s our key. Ma