Chapter 619: The Black Knight’s Gambit
In the heart of the city's golden district, beneath chandeliers and velvet curtains, the elite gathered for the Midnight Auction.
Antiques.
Diamonds.
Secrets.
Everything was for sale if the price was high enough.
And tonight, the prize was more dangerous than gold — a hard drive containing the dirty secrets of the most powerful families.
Aiden was there, smug, his hand wrapped around a crystal glass of champagne.
He thought he owned the night.
He didn't know Jayden had already rewritten the script.
Disguised as a lowly server, Jayden moved through the crowd.
Invisible.
Patient.
Cold.
Tonight wasn't just about taking back what was his.
It was about sending a message:
> "I'm still alive.
And I'm coming for everything."
---
Across town, Matilda sat in a rusted sedan, engine idling, watching the glittering tower of the Auction House.
Next to her sat a man with a scar under his left eye.
A spy.
An old friend of Jayden's father.
A traitor.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked, passing her a small vial.
Liquid fire inside.
Enough to bring down the Auction House's security systems for twenty minutes.
Matilda nodded, swallowing the knot in her throat.
> "Jayden's plan only works if they believe he's still weak," she said, her voice a whisper.
"We have to burn down the illusions first."
But part of her knew...
Once she crossed this line, there was no turning back.
Not for her.
Not for Jayden.
---
Midnight struck.
A flicker of lights.
The chandeliers dimmed.
Security panicked.
A moment of chaos — and in that breathless window, Jayden struck.
He seized the hard drive, moving like a shadow, disappearing into the fray.
But as he fled through the back corridors, he froze.
Standing before him, wearing a silver mask, was someone he had buried long ago:
> Gloria.
Her voice, soft and cruel, pierced the air:
> "Miss me, Jayden?"
Behind her, armed guards appeared.
Trapped.
Outnumbered.
Betrayed — again.
But Jayden only smiled, a slow, dangerous smile that didn't reach his eyes.
He dropped the hard drive into his jacket.
Straightened his cuffs.
And said:
> "Checkmate, sweetheart."
With a roar, the fire alarms screamed as Matilda's vial shattered below.
Smoke poured into the corridors.
Jayden vanished into the chaos, leaving Gloria coughing and cursing behind him.
---
Outside, Matilda waited, heart hammering.
Jayden stumbled into the alley, blood dripping from a shallow cut across his side, the hard drive clutched in his hand.
He didn't say a word.
Neither did she.
She just opened the car door, and they drove into the night.
Two ghosts.
Two broken souls.
Racing toward a future written in blood and fire.
And as the Auction House burned behind them, Jayden whispered, almost to himself:
> "Let the real war begin."
---