The night was thick with fear, and the air was heavy with the quiet before a storm. Aidan stood on the roof of a closed warehouse, gazing at the distant mansion where the deal was to be completed. The enormous house, which was one of Victor's private properties, was hidden away on the outskirts of the city and was guarded by tall walls, secret surveillance, and security personnel. It was the perfect place to conduct a secret business deal.
But tonight, as Aidan Pierce looked on, Victor's laboriously constructed empire would suffer its first serious blow.
Aidan had his earpiece adjusted for Jacob, who stood nearby, monitoring the communications among the security guards. They had spent days planning this, analyzing every scenario and exploiting every vulnerability in Victor's network. Now everything was where it should be.
Jacob's voice crackled through the earphone, "You're all set." "The security system is functioning normally. Victor's men didn't suspect anything. You're prepared to leave.
Aidan nodded to himself, his eyes still focused on the mansion. Victor was negotiating a huge, very significant deal tonight. A global coalition that would put millions in his pocket through illegal offshore accounts. Victor's power would increase even further if the deal was approved, making it very difficult for Aidan to attack the center of his empire.
There was no way to do that.
The plan was simple but dangerous. Going in full force wasn't Aidan's preferred approach. Instead, he would sabotage the financial transfers and communications to create the appearance that internal disloyalty was the cause of the arrangement's collapse, undermining the agreement from within. Victor would never think of it. His empire, built on the appearance of control, would begin to crumble piece by piece.
Jacob said through the earpiece, "Remember that we have a limited window." You enter covertly, infect them, and then depart before they even realize you're there.
Aidan smiled slightly. "You should not worry. They will not know what hit them.
Then he moved, slipping through the darkness with the kind of precision that came from years of training and practice. The hum of the city behind Victor was the only sound in the dark streets surrounding his house. Aidan knew that these dealings were always cloaked in secrecy, but he was also adept at exploiting the arrogance of men such as Victor.
He went to the back gate, where he had earlier in the day switched off the security cameras. Timing was everything. The guards would pass this area in their usual fashion in exactly two minutes, giving Aidan plenty of time to slip inside.
He dropped to his knees and quickly picked the lock on the gate with his deft fingers. When the lock clicked open, the gate quietly closed behind Aidan as he slipped inside. The layout of the vast estate grounds was something Aidan had memorized. He knew exactly where he was going.
As he moved through the shadows, he caught glimpses of the splendor everywhere: marble statues, well-kept gardens, and a huge fountain in the center of the courtyard. Victor led an extravagant lifestyle, allowing his illicit wealth to seep into the social nooks and crannies.
Aidan's lip curled in disgust. Soon, all of this would be gone.
He walked past the security guards to the estate's rear entrance with his usual ease. The door was unlocked, just as Jacob had said. Aidan slipped inside and walked through the narrow hallways without making any noise. He knew Victor wouldn't be here tonight because this was too big of a problem for him to handle personally. But it was enough that his most reliable lieutenants would be.
The server room was located on the second floor, in a secluded section of the mansion. Aidan strode there, his footsteps soft on the plush carpet. Working during his window of invisibility, he avoided the cameras because he knew Jacob had already looped the video.
When he reached the door, Aidan pulled out the small device he had brought with him—a bug that would allow him to listen in on the money exchanges that occurred during the transaction. Once planted, the bug would move the funds to a different account, making it look as though Victor's business partner had cheated on him. The outcome would be confusion, chaos, and mistrust—exactly what Aidan needed.
He slipped into the server room, where the soft hum of the machines filled the air. Aidan quickly found the main terminal and plugged the device in. The bug's LEDs were blinking green, indicating that the upload was active.
Into the earpiece, Aidan whispered, "Jacob, I'm in." "The bug is currently being uploaded."
"All right," acknowledged Jacob. "The anomaly will be discovered in the system records in about five minutes. Be sure to leave the area before then.
Aidan nodded and surveyed the room for signs of disturbance. The silence was excessive. The uneasy feeling persisted even after he ignored the thought. He was ready for anything. There was no turning back now.
The bug finished uploading, and Aidan quickly disconnected it from the terminal. The damage was already done. Within minutes, the transaction would start to unravel. The foreign partners would pull out, the money would disappear, and Victor's lieutenants would be left scrambling to explain why anything had gone so wrong.
When Aidan reached the door, a voice came through the security system as he turned to leave.
"The code is red! Red code! Someone has broken into the property! Each unit responds!
Aidan felt his heart pounding. He had been captured on the security feed, after all.
"Damn it." he murmured to himself. He put a finger to his earpiece. "Jacob, I have been made. They've got me covered.
Jacob's voice was sharp. "Get out of here. Now.
It didn't take two reminders for Aidan. He slipped quickly out of the server room and back into the corridor. As security guards gathered in the area, footsteps echoed throughout the estate. Aidan's mind was racing. He had to get out before they blocked the entrances.
Abruptly he turned down a side corridor toward the back door he had entered. But as he turned the corner, two guards seemed to block his path. Aidan's body moved instinctively before his mind could react. The first guard twisted his arm behind his back and was slammed against the wall. Aidan was faster, swerving under the blow and punching the second guard in the stomach when he lunged at him. The man doubled over as Aidan struck him with a slashing blow to the side of his skull.
The guards dropped to the ground, dumbfounded.
Aidan's breath came in short gasps and he didn't have time to catch it. He had to continue. The estate was teeming with more security, and they would eventually track him down.
He dashed down the hallway, searching for an alternate exit. He couldn't walk back the way he came because the soldiers would already be swarming the back gate. He needed a different way out.
As the noises behind him grew louder, Aidan forced himself harder. He turned a corner and saw a window at the end of the hall. It was narrow, but it would have to do.
Without thinking, Aidan ran to the window and threw it open. The cold night air hit his face as he clambered out onto the narrow ledge. The drop was steep and the stone courtyard was three stories below. There was nothing else to do, though.
Aidan took a deep breath and jumped.
He landed hard, rolling to absorb the impact. Even though his shoulder hurt, he gritted his teeth and got to his feet. He didn't have time to reflect on his level of hurt. He was still on the estate grounds, and the security guards would be on him in a few seconds.
Moving quickly around the edge of the mansion, Aidan ducked into the darkness. He could hear the guards shouting behind him, but they were going in the wrong direction. For now, he was secure.
He went to the far end of the estate, where a small maintenance gate opened into the street. Aidan slipped through the gate, taking one last look over his shoulder before disappearing into the night.
The first blow had been dealt. Victor's faith in his allies was shattered, his bargain was broken, and his dominion became unstable.
But this was only the beginning.
Aidan returned to his safehouse later that night, his body hurting from the fall but his mind racing with adrenaline. He had been successful. When the deal was broken, Victor's lieutenants would be scrambling to explain how millions of dollars had vanished into thin air.
Aidan collapsed into the worn couch in the corner of the room, panting. There were consequences even though he had taken action. Victor would not take this lightly. He would lose his temper, searching for the criminal, trying to regain control. But Aidan was prepared for that. He had been in the shadows for too long to be caught so easily.
As his phone chimed, Aidan glanced at the screen. It was a message from Jacob.
"It worked out well. It's a chaotic transaction. Victor's citizens are going crazy. What follows?
Aidan's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before typing his response: "Let him panic." My plan is more ambitious.
The next morning, there were rumors all over the city about the canceled sale. The media was not yet aware of the details, but there were rumors circulating among the city's elite. Victor Pierce had had a problem that had hurt his empire.
Aidan read the headlines with satisfaction, knowing that this was only the beginning. He would soon come out of the shadows, but he had come from the dark.
Aidan received an invitation to an exclusive gala event from one of the city's most influential aristocrats that evening as he was watching the city from his safehouse. The guest list included all of the city's powerful individuals, including media moguls, politicians, and businesspeople.
One of them is Victor Pierce.
As Aidan stared at the invitation, a slow smile spread across his face. The time for his victorious comeback has come. Even if the city had thought him dead, he would come back angry.
His unexpected arrival would totally destroy Victor's confidence, which would tremble the city. As the media pursued Aidan Pierce, the city's elites would be left wondering where he had disappeared to and what he planned to do next.
Most importantly, Victor would get nervous. He thought his nephew had been kicked out of the competition. And now Aidan would prove to him that he was back and that he was fighting for victory.
With the invitation in his pocket, Aidan glanced at the city one last time before disappearing again into the night. The next step was already underway.