Elsa Jefferson walked into the boardroom of Elaris Luxe not like a CEO—but like a general marching into hostile territory. Her team stood as she entered, eyes tracing her every move. The power in her steps was unmistakable. Unapologetic. Her silence, louder than thunder.
She dropped a folder onto the table.
"Effective immediately, we're freezing all ongoing asset transfers tied to shell firms. Internal audit. I'll need full cooperation."
There was a brief pause before someone cleared their throat.
"Isn't that a little... drastic, Ms. Jefferson?" asked Carmichael, the risk consultant she'd never fully trusted.
Elsa's eyes found his with the calm intensity of someone sharpening a blade. "Only if you have something to lose."
Silence. The air turned cold.
She turned to Zara, who was already pulling up files on the projection table. A dozen names surfaced—companies linked to Aeris Holdings, embedded deep in their logistics chain. Elsa's voice dropped to a steely whisper.
"I want them cleaned. Every last one. If it breathes like Aeris, we cut it."
"Even if it means destabilizing operations?" another executive asked nervously.
Elsa stared at him. "We don't build empires on borrowed bones."
Elsewhere — Velmora's Eastern District
Silas Kade adjusted his cufflinks as he stood atop the rooftop of a new acquisition—a luxury fashion brand Chess had once invested in.
He looked down at Velmora's skyline, the city glittering beneath him like a thousand diamonds begging to be stolen. His phone buzzed.
Unknown Caller.
He answered with a smirk. "You better be calling with good news."
A voice replied, cold and clinical. "The leak you planted in Elaris Luxe has been discovered."
Silas went still. "Elsa found it?"
"Yes. And she's started hunting shadows."
Silas chuckled darkly. "Perfect. That means she's afraid. That means... she's predictable."
There was a pause on the line.
"She's not the one you should be watching."
Silas's smile faded.
"What do you mean?"
The voice dropped. "Chess is moving. Quietly. He's cut off Milo's old channels. And word is... someone is cleaning house inside Aeris Holdings."
Silas closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then smiled once more.
"Well then, let's see how Golding likes a little chaos."
Chess Golding's Private Suite – Black Tower
The luxury penthouse was too quiet for most men. But for Chess, it was music.
He stood by the window, sipping tea from a ceramic cup that cost more than some cars. Dressed in black silk, barefoot, relaxed. The world burned beneath him—and still, he was calm.
Iroh Vaen entered, carrying a device wrapped in cloth.
Chess turned, raising an eyebrow.
"The blade," Iroh said. "The one she found in the Jefferson vault. She doesn't know what it really is."
Chess set the cup down, slowly unwrapping the cloth.
Inside was a dagger forged from an obsidian-black alloy that shimmered faintly with ancient symbols. His fingers traced the edge.
"She's awakened it," he murmured. "Her bloodline answered. That confirms it."
"Should we retrieve it?" Iroh asked.
Chess smiled slightly. "No. Let her keep it. That blade will call her where she needs to go."
"And Silas?"
"He's building noise. Good. The louder he gets, the easier he is to trap."
"And Elsa?"
Chess's eyes darkened with an emotion he rarely wore.
"She's beginning to move like a queen. Not just a piece."
Later That Night — Elaris Luxe Rooftop Garden
Elsa stood in the moonlight, alone—except for the wine glass in her hand and the whisper of city wind brushing past her hair.
Her world was shifting.
Silas had reappeared in ways that made her skin crawl.
Her company was more infiltrated than she'd thought.
Her husband...
No. The man she married.
Was something else entirely.
A vibration at her waist.
A new message.
"You're closer than you think. – C"
She didn't reply. Instead, she whispered to the wind:
"Then come out of hiding… or I'll burn the shadows down myself."
And as she walked away, fireflies blinked to life around her, flickering like sparks in the dark.