She never knew why international shipping moguls, private military directors, and heads of central banks consulted me before moving billions across borders.
I was not just a businessman.
I was the founder and sole authority of the Aegis Sovereign Syndicate—a shadow infrastructure that managed global assets, sovereign debt, and high-level intelligence networks across four continents.
I had intentionally hidden that dark, terrifying world from Clara because I wanted her life to be filled with light, art, and innocence.
I wanted to be just Adrian, the man who made her coffee in the morning and read books beside her in the evening.
I had thought my secrecy would keep her safe.
It was the greatest, most arrogant mistake of my life.
I stopped three feet from Arthur Montgomery.
I didn’t raise my hands.
I didn’t scream.
I didn’t lose my composure.
I reached into my breast pocket, pulled out my encrypted satellite phone, unlocked the black obsidian screen, and typed six words into an automated command protocol:
Protocol Black. Execute every standing order.
I hit send.
Arthur let out a harsh, barking laugh.
“What’s that?
