Chapter 10: The Fracture Line
265 Words
The attack left half the outpost destroyed.
Dawn painted the sky red — like the aftermath of betrayal.
Liam stood over the wreckage, his knuckles bloodied.
Reyes approached with grim news.
“Command wants answers. They’re questioning your loyalty, Liam.”
“Let them,” he muttered. “I’ll give them the truth once I have proof.”
Amelia appeared, holding a bandaged arm. Despite the chaos, she looked composed.
“You saved my life again,” she said softly. “But that won’t save your reputation.”
“I don’t care about my reputation. I care about stopping him.”
“Specter?”
“And whoever’s feeding him from your father’s company.”
Her eyes flashed.
“You think my family’s involved?”
“I think someone is,” he said, his voice low. “And I think you already suspect who.”
She turned away, hiding the tremor in her hands. There was one name she couldn’t bear to speak — Vincent Laurent, her elder brother, heir to the Laurent empire, and once Liam’s closest ally.
“If Vincent is part of this,” she whispered, “then the world is already in danger.”
Liam took a step closer, his gaze steady and calm.
“Then we’ll take him down together.”
Their eyes met — two souls bound by duty, secrets, and something deeper neither dared to define.
Above them, a drone buzzed faintly — a new message flashing across Liam’s tablet:
“Iron Veil Protocol Activated.”
And below it, the coordinates — Geneva, Switzerland.
The next phase had begun.
- Writer
