Chapter 189: An Unstoppable Force

 (Skylar's POV)

The Situation Room was in chaos.

Generals, intelligence officers, and senior officials barked orders, screens flashed with satellite images, and tension filled the air like a bomb waiting to explode.

But nothing hit me harder than the words I saw plastered across the classified military report on the table.

"U.S. DEPLOYMENT: 500,000 TROOPS EN ROUTE TO NIGERIAN BORDERS & COASTAL WATERS"

I gripped the edge of the table, my vision blurring. Half a million soldiers. This wasn't just a warning shot—this was full-scale war.

Chris stood at the head of the room, arms crossed, watching everything unfold like a general overseeing a battlefield.

I barely recognized him.

This wasn't the man I once knew.

This was the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world, and he had just unleashed a force that couldn't be stopped.

I stepped forward, my voice sharp. "You didn't even wait for me to find another way."

Chris turned, his blue eyes locking onto mine. "There was no other way."

I clenched my jaw. "You promised me a week."

"And in that week, how many more attacks would have happened? How many more people would have died?" His voice was calm, but his words were ice. "Nigeria made their choice when they allowed an attack on a U.S. minister. This isn't just about you, Skylar. This is about power, respect, and consequences."

I slammed my hand onto the table. "And you think sending half a million troops to their borders is the answer?!"

"It's not the answer," Chris said coolly. "It's the warning."

I stared at him, heart pounding. "This isn't just about revenge, is it?"

He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned to Ethan. "Status update."

Ethan, standing by the large digital map, nodded. "Carrier strike groups have arrived in the Gulf of Guinea. Airbases in Chad and Cameroon are fully operational. Ground forces are positioned along the Niger and Benin borders. We are combat-ready."

Chris nodded, then looked back at me. "Nigeria has 24 hours to comply. If they don't—" He let the sentence hang, the implication clear.

"Then what, Chris?" I demanded. "You'll invade? Bomb their cities? Turn millions of innocent lives into collateral damage?"

Chris's expression remained unreadable. "Nigeria needs to understand that attacking America has consequences."

I took a step closer, lowering my voice. "And what about you? Do you understand the consequences of what you're about to do?"

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes. Doubt? Pain? I wasn't sure.

But it was gone in an instant.

"I am the President," he said quietly. "And I will do whatever it takes to protect this country."

I exhaled sharply, knowing there was nothing I could say to stop him.

Chris had made his decision.

And now, the world was about to change forever.