Chapter 49
Monday Morning at Obsidian Peak
The city was already awake.
Traffic snarled sixty floors below like a metal river. Horns barked. Delivery trucks hissed. Somewhere, a jackhammer rattled concrete into dust. The air beyond the glass shimmered with heat and smog and sunlight fighting for space.
Inside Obsidian Peak, everything was silent. The air was thick with the smell of freshly cleaned soft carpet, polished glass, power and money.
Ares stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, hands clasped behind his back.
Still as a statue.
From this height, the city looked small. Controlled. Like something you could fold into your pocket.
His reflection stared back at him in the glass — dark suit, sharp shoulders, a man built from edges.
Below, people rushed to jobs they hated.
Up here, he decided which of them survived the week.
The door opened with a careful click.
“Boss,” Jack said.
His voice always dropped an octave in this office.
Like the walls listened.
“Clara tested positive for COVID. The doctor says two weeks’ isolation p>
Ares didn’t turn. He didn’t blink.
“What a coincidence,” he said.
Flat. No emotion. Just observation.
Jack shifted his weight. “We verified everything. Hospital records are legit. No interference p>
A low hum left Ares’ throat.
“Security for Friday’s opening?” he asked.
“All systems upgraded. New lenses. Night vision. Every corner covered. No grain on the CCTV clips, no blind spots. We’ll see everything p>
“Good p>
He turned then, slow and deliberate, and sank into the leather chair.
The kind that swallowed other men whole.
Shay’s kindergarten would be there.
Which meant the day couldn’t afford mistakes.
Not even small ones. Especially not small ones.
One Month After Discharge
Morning sweat clung to Lara’s skin.
Salt…she could taste it when she breathed.
The gym on the fourth floor still smelled like rubber mats and iron weights baking in the sun.
Her muscles burned — the good burn. The kind that meant she was coming back to life.
All the push-ups and the core drills, she did them again and again.
And like hell, her body ached.
But pain steadied her thoughts. Pain made sense.
Her reflection in the mirror surprised her sometimes.
Stronger shoulders. Leaner waist. A body carved by discipline instead of recovery.
She didn’t look fragile anymore.
Didn’t look like someone who’d just crawled out of a hospital bed.
Living between the Zuvel mansion and Norse mansion helped. Private chefs who prepared nutritious meals helped hasten her recovery.
She hasn’t visited Rocky’s gym, nor replied to the messages sent to her from an unknown sender.
Short messages. Strange hints.
Pieces of a life she couldn’t remember. The training sessions, a mission.
Mission.
The word felt heavy and important.
But every time she tried to remember, her mind slid off it like rain on glass.
That Friday morning, Shay woke up earlier than usual.
She was excited.
It was her first time joining a field trip. In the previous year, she feigned illness so she could not come.
The park smelled like sugar and butter, cotton candy and popcorn.
Staff tested rides for the hundredth time.
Music blasted from speakers that were slightly too loud.
Kids ran everywhere, shoes slapping pavement, voices shrill and bright.
Parents and nannies hovered with coffee cups and forced smiles.
The amusement park was a wonderland for children. The bump cars and the mini roller coaster were instant hits.
At the top floor in Obsidian Peak, Ares watched it all through surveillance screens.
Dozens of them.
But his eyes stayed on one.
Shay.
She was on the carousel, gripping the brass pole, wind whipping her hair across her face while she screamed like the world was ending.
There was no fear, just thrill.
Beside her, Lara stood still like a knight watching over his princess.
While other adults laughed and filmed videos, Lara watched exits, shadows, strangers’ hands.
Instinctive. Like a soldier who couldn’t clock out.
Ares noticed everything.
The way Shay relaxed when Lara stood close.
The way other kids drifted toward her without realizing.
Especially one boy, small, thin, orange band on his arm.
Too quiet for his age.
He stayed near Lara’s side like a stray cat that finally found someone safe.
Every time he froze in fear, she’d touch the top of his head.
It was a simple gesture —gentle, grounding.
“What’s his name?” Ares asked.
“Alexander,” Jack replied. “A Zuvel Foundation scholar. Parents died in an accident p>
Ares nodded slowly.
That explained the eyes.
Kids without homes always looked older than they should.
On screen, Shay finally got into a bump car.
She hesitated.
Then Lara leaned down, showed her the wheel, the pedals.
Seconds later—
Shay was slamming into other kids with zero mercy.
Three boys burst into tears, asking for their mommies. One of them was Ethan.
She laughed like a villain.
Ares almost smiled.
Good. Better fierce than soft.
“Boss, the board’s waiting. Meeting starts at 8:00 p>
He stood. But before leaving, he watched for one more second.
Shay laughing. Lara smiling down at her.
Something about that picture felt dangerously close to peace.
And peace made him uneasy.
At the amusement park, the children proceeded to Treasure Island.
The attraction looked cute from far away. Up close, it felt different.
To Lara it smelled danger. Too many blind spots. Too many corners.
A shallow man-made river wrapped around the area, water sloshing against fake rocks, turning it into an island. The air smelled damp and earthy, like wet soil and old leaves.
The treasure island was divided into four sections: the Earth Kingdom. Fire Kingdom, Water Kingdom. Air Kingdom.
The children were asked to hunt for treasures. The ones with the most treasure would win a prize.
To encourage the children to learn teamwork, they were allowed to form teams of up to four and at least two.
Shay and Sandro teamed up together, the others teamed up by fours.
In the Earth Kingdom, Sandro and Shay found a teepee, and inside they found aboriginal clothes and face paint.
Shay loved the clothes so much, she did not just want to put on the colorful robes over her clothes.
There was a small room inside where she could change so she took off her shirt and pants and put on the outfit of an Earth Kingdom treasure hunter.
She smeared her face with paint. On her wrist where her smart watch was, a beautiful beaded bracelet appeared.
There were a few groups of children from another school. Two of them, placed her backup beside Shay’s.
The bag looked similar. Their shirt and pants was the same color as Shay’s. They even have the same curly hair that stopped just above their shoulders.
Lara who was waiting outside beside Sarah, needed to go to the restroom.
Lara turned to Sarah. “Watch her. Don’t let her out of your sight p>
Sarah scoffed. “Relax. I’m not stupid p>
Bad answer.
Lara’s gut twisted.
But nature called. She hated leaving, but she had no choice.
The second she stepped away, a clean-cut guy slid next to Sarah.
He had an easy smile, cologne sharp enough to cut air.
He spoke too smoothly, too intentional.
Sarah laughed. She turned her body toward him.
He got her attention.
Kids started spilling out of the teepee.
Sarah scanned the kids briefly, glanced at a child with black curly hair, in pink shirt and blue pants. The logo of the school printed on the front of the shirt, orange backpack on her back.
Shay.
She followed the child absent mindedly while flirting back at the man.
Sandro waited outside the Teepee.
“Shay p>
Nothing.
He saw someone walk away with Shay’s backpack.
Something felt wrong.
It wasn’t Shay.
He scanned for Lara, but did not find her.
She looked for the nanny, but she was busy giggling at some guy.
Fine. He’d get her himself.
He pushed through the teepee flap.
Inside, he was met with silence.
Too quiet.
Thousands of motes hung in the stream of light that filtered through the teepee’s flaps.
One overturned chair.
A bag on the floor.
His heart slammed.
“Sh p>
Something heavy cracked against the back of his head.
Then, everything went dark!