The room fell silent once more after the voting results were announced. All eyes were now on Andrian, who slowly rose from his seat withposure. His sharp gaze swept across the board members seated around the meeting table-some clearly disying expressions of frustration and dismay, yet unable to do anything but ept the oue.

    “Thank you for the trust you’ve given to this project,” Andrian said, his voice calm but full of conviction. “I understand some of you may still have doubts or disagreements. But I assure you, this decision will take Titan Group in a much better direction. I won’t let your trust go to waste.”

    Some members gave stiff nods, while most remained expressionless. Randall, Linda, Peter, and Edward looked visibly upset, their faces tense with frustration after being forced to yield to Bianca’s pressure.

    Bianca stood tall beside Andrian, concealing her satisfied smile beneath aposed fa?ade.

    Leonard Whitmore, who had been sitting with his usual cynical expression, leaned closer to Charlotte, his voice a sharp whisper.

    “I can’t believe Andrian won this way. We all know there’s something dirty behind it.”

    Charlotte remained calm, but the sharp glint in her narrowed eyes betrayed her own irritation. She replied in a low, calcting voice.

    “Rx, Leonard. There’s no use protesting now. Clearly, they yed dirty. Let Andrian enjoy his little victory-for now. I’m sure it won’tst long.”

    Leonard furrowed his brows, puzzled by her confidence.

    “What do you mean?”

    Charlotte gave a subtle, knowing smile.

    “Trust me, Leonard. We don’t have to get our hands dirty. Titan Group’s business partners will surely oppose this project-especially Ethan Zavier. I’m certain Andrian won’t stand a chance against his own father-inw.”

    Leonard slowly grinned in agreement. He leaned back in his chair with a quietly satisfied expression, waiting for the perfect moment to witness the downfall of the very project Andrian had just celebrated.

    Elsewhere, after several hours of travel, the car carrying Aliana finally arrived near the apartment building where Julian was staying. Her face was nowpletely hidden behind a nano-fiber mask-the signature mask of Nyx. Not far from the location, Rafe’s ck car was already parked at the roadside.

    Aliana approached and entered quickly. As soon as the door shut, Rafe handed her a small tablet disying theyout and current status of Julian’s

    apartment.

    “Julian is in the top-floor unit, guarded by six armed men,” Rafe exined tersely, his eyes serious. “I’ve been monitoring them since morning. They rotate shifts every two hours, but the surveince is still tight.”

    Aliana studied theyout carefully, her gaze sharp and calcted. She nodded slowly.

    “There’s a blind spot at the rear of the building,” Rafe continued, pointing to a spot on the map. “We can enter through the emergency balcony. I’ll disable the cameras and monitor from here. We have fifteen minutes before they notice the breach in security.”

    “Okay,” Aliana replied curtly. She opened the door and stepped out without hesitation. “I’ll move fast.”

    Rafe nodded and began his tasks. Aliana crept around the building’s rear, silently ascending the fire escape. Her movements were swift and silent, like a shadow slipping through the darkness.

    Once she reached the top floor, Aliana paused behind the wall. Her breathing was steady, heart calm despite the tension. She peeked around the corner -two guards chatting and smoking. Wasting no time, Aliana lunged forward.

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    With one seat move, she struck the first guard’s neck, knocking him out instantly. The second reached for his weapon but was met with a sharp kick that drepped him unconscious without a sound.

    *First watch neutralized,” Aliana whispered into her earpiece.

    Please be careful, Miss. I’m still monitoring,” Rafe responded.

    With remarkable efficiency, Aliana took out each of Julian’s guards one by one. None had time to react or raise the rm-everything happened swiftly

    and silently.

    Finally, Aliana stood before Julian’s apartment door. She pulled out a small device, and within seconds, the lock clicked open. She entered with steady steps, eyes sharp, ready for anything.

    Inside, Julian lounged on the sofa sipping wine, unaware of the danger. When he saw the ck-d figure with the familiar mask, his face turned pale. The wine ss slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

    “Nyx!” he gasped in disbelief and fear. “How did you find me here?”

    Panicked, Julian called for his guards-but no one came. Only silence answered. Aliana stepped forward, her voice icy and threatening.

    “They’ve all been taken care of. No one’sing to help you.”

    “Damn it!”

    Julian grabbed a pistol from a drawer, but Aliana was faster-her small de flew and struck his hand. The weapon ttered to the ground, and Julian stumbled back, clutching his bleeding hand.

    “You’ll regret this, Nyx!” he snarled, charging at her in desperation.

    But Aliana was far faster and more precise. She dodged his strikes with ease, countering with swift, calcted blows. Within minutes, Julian copsed, beaten and breathless, eyes filled with terror and hatred.

    “What do you want from me?” he rasped weakly.

    “You’ll find out soon enough,” Aliana said coldly,nding one final blow that knocked him unconscious.

    She stood over Julian’s motionless body, breathing steady once again. She activated herms and signaled Rafe.

    “Julian’s in our hands. Pick me up-now.”

    “I’ll be there shortly,” Rafe replied curtly.

    Less than two minutester, Rafe arrived at the apartment door. He entered, swiftly lifting the unconscious Julian and carrying him out without saying a word. Aliana followed close behind, ensuring no trace was left behind.

    They left the apartment in silence, with Julian nowpletely in their custody.

    Aliana sat calmly in the backseat of the car, eyes locked on the unconscious Julian. Beneath her nano-fiber mask, her gaze gleamed with resolve. This time, she would make him speak about his involvement in Alicia’s death.

    After a while, the car arrived at their designated destination-a rundown restaurant on the outskirts of Zenith, owned by a member of the Corvo family. From the outside, it appeared ordinary, but within, it concealed numerous secret rooms-one of which was a secure underground storage designed for covert operations.

    As soon as Aliana stepped out of the car, a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man greeted her respectfully. His battle-scarred face reflected years of experience in the underground world.

    “Wee, Miss Aliana. I’ve been expecting you,” he said in a deep voice, ncing at Julian slung over Rafe’s shoulder. A subtle, knowing smile crept onto his lips. “Mr. Gabriel told me about this man. I’m d you caught him without much trouble.”

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    20 Aug

    “He was less troublesome than I thought,” Aliana replied coolly. “Is this ce secure enough to hold him?”

    The man nodded confidently. “Don’t worry. No one will find him here. We’ve prepared a special room-one even the best teams would have trouble

    discovering.”

    He then turned and called out, “Lucas! Come here, now!”

    Momentster, a young man around 19 appeared from inside the restaurant. His build was solid, but his face showed evident nervousness. His eyes flicked toward Aliana, a mixture of awe and fear in his gaze-he knew the reputation of Nyx well among the Corvo family.

    “Yes, Father?” Lucas answered cautiously, stealing quick nces at Aliana.

    “Take this man to the hidden chamber below. Make sure he’s tied down properly. Don’t let him escape,” his father instructed firmly.

    “Yes, sir.”

    Lucas nodded quickly, moving forward with clear apprehension. He took Julian from Rafe’s shoulder and gave a timid nod to Aliana.

    “N-nice to meet you, Miss Aliana,” he stammered. “I didn’t expect to meet you in person…”

    Aliana’s piercing gaze remained silent behind her mask. Rafe, standing just behind her, gave a subtle smile at the young man’s nervous admiration.

    “Lucas, focus,” his father snapped. “Do your job.”

    “S-sorry, Father.” Lucas bowed hastily to Aliana and carefully carried Julian toward the back door leading to the hidden basement.

    Once Lucas disappeared, the older man turned back to Aliana respectfully.

    “I’ll make sure there are no problems here. If you need anything, don’t hesitate.”

    Aliana nodded slightly. “Thank you. I know I can count on you.”

    “Of course, Miss. I’m always ready to serve the Corvo Family.”

    After ensuring all was secure, Aliana walked to the back door to follow Lucas. Her steps were steady andposed, with Rafe trailing closely behind as always.

    The old man-known as Emilio-gave a brief nod of respect before returning to the front to resume his role as a restaurant owner, maintaining normalcy and avoiding suspicion.

    Downstairs, in the dimly lit underground chamber, the atmosphere was chilling. The damp brick walls added a biting coldness to the air. In the center of the room, Julian sat slumped in an old wooden chair, tightly bound, his face bruised and pale from the earlier fight.

    Lucas stood at a distance, clearly ufortable with the scene. He wasn’t used to this type of confrontation-especially not in the presence of Nyx.

    The young man swallowed hard before nervously asking Aliana,

    “Sh-should I get some water to wake him, Miss?”

    Aliana gave no response. Silently, she approached Julian.

    Without a word, she kicked the chair hard, tipping it over, and roughly grabbed Julian by the hair, yanking his head back.

    Lucas flinched, eyes wide at the brutality of her actions. He had never imagined the fearsome Nyx he admired could be so cold and ruthless.

    “Aghh!” Julian jolted awake with a loud cry, groaning from the sharp pain. His eyes opened in panic and confusion as he tried to grasp his surroundings. When he saw the masked figure standing over him, he froze in horror.

    “Y-you?! Where am I?! What are you doing to me? How did I get here?!” Julian’s voice trembled.

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    Aliana moved closer, her icy eyes burning into his. Her voice was low and threatening as she whispered:

    “You can’t keep hiding from me, Julian. It’s time to talk.”

    Lucas instinctively stepped back, visibly shaken by the cruelty hidden beneath Nyx’sposed demeanor.

    Rafe, meanwhile, remained silent. He watched the situation unfold with calm detachment-he had seen Aliana like this before. And he knew: once she

    started, nothing would stop her until she got what she came for.

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    nu, 28 Aug