BLOOD CROWN

Chapter Six: Queen of Lies

Amara was exhausted from leading two different lives within the Syndicate. Every trick she created needed a second lie to keep it safe, and every secret truth needed three more to keep it hidden.

During another quiet, private supper with her father, the weight of it rested on the table. "You've been leaving the estate quite frequently lately," the Chairman said in a deceptively casual tone as he carefully and slowly filled their wine glasses.

Amara maintained her composure. "I've simply taken a sudden interest in our family businesses."

"Our businesses?" The Chairman put out a slight, amused smile. "You've never expressed a shred of interest before."

Amara met his gaze with a well-rehearsed smile of her own. "People change, Father."

"They certainly do." The Chairman’s eyes locked onto hers, analyzing her every micro-expression. "The real question is... who changed you?"

That parting question echoed in her mind long after the dinner dishes were cleared. Had he really solved the puzzle? Or was he merely pushing her limits? With a man as calculating as her father, she knew there was no difference between suspicion and certainty.

Amara sneaked out to meet Kade and Juno later that evening. They met high above the city inside a skeletal, unfinished luxury hotel overlooking the port. It was an ideal hiding spot—the property had been surreptitiously acquired by Marian Holdings six months before, concealed beneath layers of shell companies. "I think he suspects me," Amara whispered, the anxiety now showing in her voice.

Kade examined her, evaluating the threat. "How certain are you?"

"Not enough to openly accuse me yet," Amara responded. "But he is definitely watching."

Juno crossed her arms, her instincts quickly changing to operational security. "Then we freeze everything. We completely cease to meet.

"If we pull back now, he wins," Amara shot back, shaking her head. "We can't blink."

Kade stayed quiet, evaluating the variables. He knew her gut was true; the farther they got into this fight, the higher the stakes were. Every significant win required a commensurate risk.

Before going back out into the night, Amara slipped a large document over the table to Kade.

"What am I looking at?" Kade tapped the folder and asked.

"The names of every single public figure my father currently owns," she said.

Kade flipped the folder open. His eyes tightened as he scanned more than forty high-profile names: powerful judges, police commissioners, high-ranking military commanders, and strategic customs officials. It was a map of total systemic corruption.

"This isn't just a criminal Syndicate," Kade whispered, comprehending the horrifying breadth of their enemy.

Amara glanced out at the city lights, her words barely a whisper. "No. It’s a government."