Location; Sinclair Corporation – Central Office, Tavara
The morning sun filtered weakly through the high-rise windows of Sinclair Tower, but there was no warmth in Damien's expression. His suit was crisp, movements fluid, yet the fire in his eyes was unmistakable. Nora sat beside him in the executive conference room, her tablet open with surveillance reports, decrypted emails, and one name flashing like a silent curse.
"Graham Voss," she said, breaking the tense silence.
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Chief Strategic Officer."
"And your father's closest advisor after Aveline vanished from the official radar," she added.
Graham Voss had been a fixture at Sinclair Corp for over fifteen years. Polished, charismatic, always behind the scenes—never the one giving orders, but always there to implement them. He had mentored junior board members and navigated countless negotiations. He was trusted. Until now.
"He routed classified shipments through Aveline's dummy logistics firm, Trinox Global," Nora continued. "It's all here—signatures, encryption keys, personal authorizations."
Damien leaned back, rage held barely in check. "And he sat across from me every quarter… acting like family."
"He's been feeding her information about every board decision, project blueprint, and private move you made," Nora said. "Even during our trip to Geneva—he informed Aveline about our location."
"And likely the ambush outside the embassy," Damien muttered. "That's why it was too precise."
The door opened.
Eli, Damien's chief of internal security, stepped in. "He's here. Just got out of the elevator, heading to your office."
"Bring him here," Damien said, voice sharp.
Within moments, Graham Voss strolled into the room with his usual smile, adjusting his tie. "Morning, Damien. I heard there was an urgent—"
"Cut the act," Damien growled, rising to his feet. "Sit."
Graham's eyes shifted to Nora, then to Eli, whose hand rested near his concealed sidearm. He slowly lowered himself into the chair.
Damien tossed a folder on the table. "Your trail of betrayal is exhaustive. And clumsy."
"I don't know what this is about—"
"You smuggled military-grade tech to Aveline under proxy firms," Nora interrupted coldly. "You gave her access to Neuro-Aegis, allowed her team to duplicate Sinclair's private biotech vault, and worse—you approved the sabotage of our security grid during the board gala."
Graham's eyes glinted. "That tech doesn't belong to you, Damien. It never did. Your father built this empire on the shoulders of visionaries like Aveline—and me."
"He built it to protect the future," Damien shot back. "Not to weaponize it against humanity."
Graham's smile turned bitter. "Idealism looks good on you, Damien. But the real world doesn't run on virtue—it runs on leverage. And Aveline? She's the only one with the courage to push evolution forward."
Nora stood, voice calm but lethal. "You'll be arrested, Graham. And tried for high treason, terrorism, and conspiracy to commit mass bio-enhancement without global authorization. We have everything recorded. Don't try to run."
Graham's gaze flicked to the window. "I'm not the only one who believed in her vision."
"Doesn't matter," Damien said. "You'll be the first to fall."
Eli stepped forward. "Security escort is on standby."
As Graham was cuffed, he looked back at Damien. "You think locking me up stops her? You're wrong. You don't even know the real plan."
Damien didn't flinch. "I don't need to. I'll burn down every piece of it."
Once Graham was gone, silence fell.
Nora slowly sat again, rubbing her temples. "How many more, Damien? How many snakes are in your house?"
"Too many," he muttered. "But I'll flush every last one of them out. Starting with the Board."
Her gaze met his. "Then let's make the next move."
He reached for her hand. "Together."
She squeezed it. "Always."
Moments later, they stepped out of the conference room. Staff paused, watching them—a united front, both fierce and composed. Rumors were already spreading, but Damien didn't care. Let them know. Let them fear.
In the coming days, the Board would be purged, loyalists reassigned, and internal audits launched across every division. And behind the scenes, Damien and Nora would prepare for the inevitable confrontation with Aveline—this time, on their terms.
But they both knew the war was far from over.
Aveline had already moved her pieces. And the next phase was closer than they realized.