Vortiger Tower – Private Vault, 10:12 A.M.**
Cassien hadn’t opened the vault in two years.
It was concealed behind biometric glass in a private suite accessible only to three people: him, his CFO, and the woman he once trusted more than anyone else, Selene Morane.
That fact alone should have raised his suspicions long ago.
Now, as he stood before the steel case, the retinal scan hummed faintly, confirming his identity. Cassien felt a chill that was unrelated to the room's temperature. The air inside the vault was cold and metallic, maintained by a silent climate system that kept everything at a precise degree. It was the kind of cold that reminded him of sterility—secrets frozen in time.
Click.
The vault door opened.
Inside were relics of a man he barely remembered: files, awards, a
