VEIL OF DECEPTION

The city never truly slept. Beneath its polished skyline and glittering towers, the undercurrent of power, greed, and betrayal moved like an unseen tide. Ethan had spent years navigating those waters, but now, something had changed.

He wasn't just swimming in them anymore.

He was hunting.

—

Penthouse Suite – The Regal Towers

Ethan leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city that had once mocked his existence. Now, it whispered his name in cautious curiosity, waiting to see how far he would go.

The flash drive Vincent had given him sat untouched on the marble table behind him. He didn't trust gifts. Not without understanding the price.

Dominic sat on the leather couch, casually flipping a knife between his fingers. "Are we actually gonna look at what's on that thing, or are we just admiring it?"

Ethan exhaled slowly. "Vincent is a businessman. He doesn't sell information without knowing what it's worth. That means whatever's on this drive… he's already calculated the fallout."

Dominic stopped spinning the knife. "So you think it's a trap?"

"Not a trap." Ethan finally turned, picking up the drive. "A message."

He walked to his laptop, plugged it in, and watched as encrypted files flooded the screen. With a few keystrokes, he decrypted them.

Lines of numbers. Offshore accounts. Wire transfers.

And then—a name he wasn't expecting.

Astrid Laurent.

Ethan's pulse slowed.

Dominic frowned. "Who the hell is that?"

Ethan didn't answer immediately.

Because he already knew.

A name whispered in the darkest circles. A woman with no official existence, yet her influence stretched into places even billionaires feared to tread.

Some called her a ghost.

Others… a puppet master.

"She's the one pulling the strings," Ethan murmured, scrolling through the files.

Dominic's brows lifted. "And here I thought Elias was your biggest problem."

Ethan stared at the screen.

Elias was small-time compared to this.

If Astrid was involved, then this wasn't just about revenge anymore.

This was war.

—

Somewhere in the City – A Private Estate

A woman in an elegant black dress stood on a balcony, watching the city with a knowing smile.

Her phone buzzed.

She answered. "So, he found my name."

A voice on the other end chuckled. "Took him long enough."

She sipped her wine, eyes gleaming. "Ethan Cross thinks he's ready to play. Let's see if he can survive the game."

She ended the call, slipping her phone onto the marble railing.

Below her, the city pulsed with life.

And in its veins, the blood of kings was about to spill.