Selene didn't throw the tablet.
She never did.
That alone told her assistant how serious the situation was.
The screen in front of her displayed a clean, minimal report:
CROWN COMPLEX
Owner: Tyler BrooksRecent Activity:
– Secured private funding
– Unauthorized renovation attempts blocked
– Logistics oversight detectedName flagged: Jonah Reed
Selene leaned back in her chair, fingers steepled.
"…Interesting."
Her assistant shifted nervously."Ms. Vale, should we initiate a pressure sequence?"
Selene's lips curved—not into a smile, but something colder.
"No."
She tapped the screen once.
"They expected pressure."
She stood and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Upper District.The city glowed beneath her like a chessboard.
"He didn't just buy property," Selene continued."He recruited a spine."
Her assistant frowned."Jonah Reed was blacklisted. He shouldn't—"
"That's why he's dangerous," Selene cut in calmly."Men like him don't bend. They break systems instead."
She turned.
"And Tyler Brooks just proved something very important."
The assistant swallowed."…What?"
Selene's eyes sharpened.
"He's not drunk on money."
Silence.
"That means he won't make stupid mistakes," she said softly."And that means we can't rush him."
She reached for another tablet.
"Prepare a City Notice."
The assistant blinked."Which department?"
"All of them."
The City Tightens
The Crown Complex felt different the next morning.
Not hostile.
Not attacked.
Just… heavy.
Jonah noticed it first.
"They're slowing approvals," he said, staring at a terminal."Not denying. Not approving. Just… freezing."
Mira crossed her arms."That's legal?"
Jonah snorted."Welcome to the city."
Tyler stood by the railing, looking down at the atrium.
The System pulsed gently.
[City Pressure Detected]
Type: Bureaucratic SuppressionThreat Level: RisingRecommendation: Do not escalate yet.
"Selene," Tyler murmured.
Jonah glanced at him."You know her."
"Not personally," Tyler replied."But I know the type."
Jonah nodded."She's not trying to crush you."
Mira frowned."Then what is she doing?"
Jonah's expression hardened.
"She's checking if you'll crack."
The System chimed again.
[Hidden Objective Detected]
Survive City Suppression PhaseDuration: UnknownFailure Consequence: Forced Asset Liquidation
Tyler exhaled slowly.
"So this is how power fights."
No fists.
No guns.
No threats.
Just walls closing in quietly.
Jonah turned to him.
"If you panic, you lose. If you overreact, you give her justification."
Tyler met his gaze.
"And if I do nothing?"
Jonah smiled grimly.
"Then she'll push harder."
Mira clenched her fists."So what do we do?"
Tyler straightened.
"We don't fight her."
Both of them looked at him.
"We expand sideways," Tyler continued."Quiet acquisitions. Low visibility. People, not headlines."
The System responded instantly.
[Strategy Alignment Confirmed]
New Path Unlocked: Shadow Expansion
Jonah's eyes lit up.
"…You're not trying to win the city," he realized."You're trying to make it depend on you."
Tyler smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Far above them, in her glass tower, Selene received a new report.
No explosions.
No scandals.
No defiance.
Just a strange pattern.
Tyler Brooks was growing—
but never where she was looking.
Her smile returned at last.
"Oh," she whispered."Good."
This wasn't a warning anymore.
It was a game.
And the city was the board.