Chapter Nine: No Mercy Again

The cold wind slashed across Amira's face as the black car came to a halt in front of the gates. Her expression was unreadable. She didn't blink, didn't flinch, didn't breathe deeper than necessary. She was here for one reason—to bring her mother home alive.

The steel gates slowly parted, revealing a long, desolate road flanked by pine trees and security drones floating silently overhead. A faceless guard in black motioned for her to step out.

Amira adjusted the collar of her trench coat and stepped out without a word. Black boots crunched against gravel as she walked forward, her head held high. Not a trace of fear in her posture.

Two men approached. They held scanners, their eyes narrowing as they circled her.

"No weapons. Empty your pockets," one demanded.

She raised a brow. "Search me. You'll find nothing but confidence."

They did. They found nothing.

They didn't know her contact lenses were transmitting live feeds. They didn't know the matte-black wristband on her arm held two micro-blades laced with paralytic poison. They didn't know her heartbeat was synced with Lucas's system back at the control van, and if it ever spiked or stopped, hell would be unleashed.

One of the guards nodded. "Follow me."

The compound was silent. Too silent. No staff. No noise. Only concrete, shadows, and the quiet hum of high-grade surveillance. The place reeked of secrets.

She was taken down an underground corridor, sleek and clinical, with motion-sensor lights flickering to life ahead of her steps. It led to a heavy metal door.

The guard stopped. "He's inside."

Amira didn't hesitate. She walked in without knocking.

And there he was.

Kaiser Varros.

He stood by the windowless wall, dressed in a sharp grey suit, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other swirling red wine in a crystal glass like it was a meeting in a luxury lounge instead of a kidnapping cell.

"Amira Bennett," he greeted without turning. "You're even more beautiful than your father described."

She didn't blink. "Then you already know I didn't come here to play games."

Kaiser chuckled and finally turned to face her. His eyes were like sharpened steel. "Oh, I'm counting on that."

Amira crossed her arms. "Where's my mother?"

Kaiser tilted his head. "Alive. For now. Whether she stays that way depends entirely on how cooperative you are."

"Cut the theatrics. You dragged my mother into this because you're too much of a coward to face my company head-on."

He smiled slowly. "On the contrary. I admire your company's defense systems. Sophisticated. Impressive. Too good to be left in the hands of a half-blood heiress born of a vampire and a water queen."

Amira's gaze sharpened, but her face didn't twitch. "You seem confused. My bloodline doesn't make me weak. It makes me dangerous."

Kaiser's eyes gleamed. "Then let's test how dangerous you are. Shall we discuss your empire?"

"I don't make deals with terrorists."

"Oh, darling," he said, laughing softly. "Everyone makes deals when the stakes are high enough."

She stepped forward. Her voice was calm. Too calm. "Then you've clearly underestimated me."

Kaiser walked to the table and tapped on a button. A screen behind him lit up, showing a live feed of a restrained woman, unconscious, hooked to IVs.

Amira's stomach turned, but her face remained stone. Her mother looked pale, frail… but she was alive.

"That's all you wanted to see, right?" Kaiser said. "Proof of life. Now, let's talk terms—"

"No." Amira's voice sliced cleanly through the room. "Now you listen."

Kaiser raised a brow.

Amira's lips curled into a chilling smile. "You wanted to rattle me. Use my mother to get control of Bennett Corp. But you made one mistake."

"And what's that?"

"You didn't cover the cameras in this room."

His brows furrowed. "What?"

Amira tapped her earpiece. "Lucas, did you get all that?"

"Crystal clear," Lucas's voice echoed in her ear. "Streaming worldwide. Every word, every threat. You just went viral, Varros."

Kaiser's face darkened.

And Amira leaned in slightly, whispering like the devil himself was watching. "Now tell me… do you still want to negotiate?"

Kaiser's expression turned stormy. The arrogant calm in his eyes flickered. He took a step back, not in fear, but in caution. For the first time, he wasn't in control—and he knew it.

"You were streaming me?" he said tightly, voice sharp.

Amira didn't bother to hide her smirk. "Everything. Your threats, your demands, your face. Do you know what the board of global investors does to corporate terrorists caught on camera?"

Kaiser's jaw clenched.

She walked to the glass decanter on the side table, casually poured herself water, and took a slow sip before turning back to him. "Let me explain what's going to happen. You're going to hand over the keycode to the lower medical bay where my mother is. Then you'll call off your men. If you don't, I'll let the cyber unit drop your coordinates in every black-op bounty market from Moscow to Singapore."

He slammed his fist on the desk. "You think threats work on me?"

"No. But exposure does." Her voice never rose. It didn't need to. "The world doesn't fear you anymore, Varros. They pity you. That's worse."

Before he could speak, the door burst open.

It was Lucas—fully geared, eyes scanning, weapon raised.

"You have sixty seconds," Lucas said, his voice dry and focused. "No sudden moves, no clever speeches. Give us the code."

Kaiser's lips curled in disgust. "You'll never get out of this building alive."

Amira stepped forward until they were face to face. "I built my company on fire, betrayal, and blood. I've had knives at my throat since I was fifteen. You think you scare me?"

She tapped her watch. "Thirty seconds."

Kaiser hesitated, but he knew he was outnumbered. Not just physically—he was outclassed. Outplayed.

He walked to the console on the wall and punched in the sequence.

"Bay access unlocked," the system announced.

Amira didn't thank him. She didn't blink. She turned to Lucas. "Secure the target."

Lucas nodded and vanished through the door.

Kaiser chuckled bitterly. "You win today. But you've just started a war."

Amira turned one last time, her expression colder than steel. "Then I'll end it the same way I ended you—publicly, painfully, and with no regrets."

She walked out without giving him another glance.

The moment she entered the hallway, Lucas's voice crackled in her ear. "Target is alive. Weak but responsive. We're stabilizing her now. ETA to extraction: four minutes."

Amira exhaled—barely. Relief was a luxury she couldn't afford yet.

She reached the elevator, pressed the override, and rode down alone. As the doors slid shut, she checked the notification on her phone.

[Trending: KAISER VARROS EXPOSED – CEO KIDNAPS WOMAN TO FORCE HOSTILE TAKEOVER]

[Bennett Corp shares surge 18%]

[Investors back Amira Clark after leaked hostage video]

She smiled, just once.

Her enemies tried to bury her by hurting the only person she had left.

But they forgot—Amira Clark wasn't raised to kneel.

She was built to conquer.

Amira didn't wait to be updated. The moment the elevator stopped, she stepped out, heels clicking with purpose as she strode toward the medical bay. The scent of disinfectant hit her nose, but it couldn't mask the burning rage in her chest.

Two guards bowed their heads and stepped aside as Lucas approached from the sliding doors.

"She's stable. Vital signs are holding," he reported quickly, walking beside her. "But her body's been under stress for too long. She needs full ICU care."

Amira nodded tightly. "Prep the chopper. Take her to the penthouse infirmary. I want her where I can see her every hour."

Lucas hesitated. "There's something else."

"What?"

He handed her a tablet. Onscreen was a blurred security feed showing a woman in nurse scrubs entering the ward—forty-eight minutes before they arrived. Amira zoomed in.

Daphne.

"Access was granted using your personal security clearance," Lucas said. "Someone inside your network authorized her."

Amira stared at the image, her jaw locked. "So that's why my mother's vitals crashed an hour ago."

Lucas nodded grimly. "There's more. Ethan's been in and out of Varros Tech HQ for the past week. Every time your firewall spiked, it was when he accessed something. He's your mole."

Amira didn't blink. "Get me a room. Private. Glass walls."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "You're confronting them?"

"No." Her eyes turned cold. "I'm giving them a burial."

Within fifteen minutes, they were seated.

Daphne walked in first, trying to smile. "Amira, thank God your mother's okay—"

"Sit."

Daphne blinked at the tone but obeyed. Ethan followed, looking smug as ever.

Amira didn't waste time. "I have evidence that you both betrayed me. You accessed my secure server, leaked our medical lab protocols, and tried to sabotage my company through Varros."

Ethan scoffed. "That's ridiculous. You think I'd do that to you?"

"Your face was recorded walking into Varros Tech. My server logs show a breach from your device, tied to your IP address."

He paled.

Daphne's face crumbled. "It was a mistake—"

"Mistake?" Amira leaned forward, eyes dark. "You tried to kill my mother. You nearly crashed our shares. You thought I wouldn't find out?"

"You don't have proof it was me!" Daphne snapped, standing.

Amira tossed the tablet on the table. "I do now."

Both stared at the screen. Their own voices played back, recorded from an internal bug she'd planted a week ago. Every scheme. Every insult. Every admission.

Daphne lunged forward, hand flying toward Amira's face.

Big mistake.

Amira caught her wrist mid-air and slammed it down on the table. "Try that again, and I'll break every bone you used to type those betrayals."

Ethan stood up. "You can't threaten us! We were friends!"

"We were nothing. Now you're enemies."

She turned to Lucas. "Take Daphne to the holding floor. I'll deal with her later."

Daphne screamed as she was dragged out.

Ethan backed away. "Amira… please…"

She took a step toward him. "You're fired. Blacklisted. And by this time tomorrow, your accounts will be frozen. Your name will be redlined in every tech consortium."

His lips trembled. "You wouldn't…"

"I already have."

She pressed her tablet. Ethan's phone buzzed. He looked down.

ACCOUNT FROZEN.

ACCESS REVOKED.

SECURITY NOTIFIED.

He dropped the phone.

She walked up close, face inches from his. "The next time you think of stabbing someone in the back, make sure they haven't built the knife you're holding."

Amira didn't look back as Ethan collapsed into the chair, humiliated and powerless. Her heels clicked against the marble floor like gunfire—calm, steady, lethal. The war was far from over, but she had drawn the first blood.

She returned to her private office, glass walls shielding her from the chaos beyond. The skyline of the city blinked in the distance, unaware that its most feared lioness had just bared her fangs. She dropped her bag on the table and took a breath.

"Time to rebuild," she muttered.

Lucas entered without knocking. "We froze all their accounts. Ethan's access has been wiped clean. Daphne is being held. But there's something you need to see."

He handed her another tablet. The data on it made her eyes narrow.

"The board."

Lucas nodded grimly. "Five members are threatening to vote you out. They're claiming this scandal proves you're unstable. That your judgment is clouded. Ethan and Daphne were just the start."

Amira scoffed. "I see. The roaches are crawling out now that the lights are on."

"They're trying to push a hostile takeover. They've been quietly negotiating with Varros Tech and Fairstone Holdings."

Her fingers tapped against the glass table, calculating.

"They think I'm vulnerable. They think without my mother awake, I'm just a name in a leather chair."

Lucas shifted. "What's the plan?"

Her voice was sharp, resolute. "Call an emergency board meeting. Thirty minutes. I want all of them in the conference hall. No excuses."

He nodded and disappeared.

Thirty minutes later, the board members sat around the long oval table, fake smiles plastered across their faces, their suits more expensive than their loyalty.

Amira stood at the head, not bothering to sit.

"I'll be direct. You've all lost sight of who runs this empire. You allowed rats to eat away at our foundation, hoping the building would collapse so you could sell off the rubble."

One of them, Mr. Hanley, cleared his throat. "We're only looking out for the company's best interest—"

"Save it," she cut him off coldly. "You were looking out for your pockets."

She tapped her tablet. Behind her, the large screen lit up. Video recordings. Audio files. Every shady meeting, every whispered deal they made with her competitors.

Gasps echoed around the room.

Amira leaned forward. "You all signed confidentiality and loyalty agreements. These betrayals? They're criminal. But I'm feeling generous."

They shifted nervously.

"I won't press charges—if you resign tonight, quietly, and surrender all Clark Dynamics stock options."

"You can't do that!" Mr. Calloway shouted.

"I just did."

Silence.

She dropped a legal folder in the middle of the table. "Sign it. Or you'll be in court so long your grandchildren will graduate before you see daylight."

One by one, the pens scratched across paper. By the end, five chairs were empty. Only the loyal ones remained.

Amira exhaled. For the first time in days, the weight on her chest lightened.

But just as she turned to leave, Lucas entered again—this time with a worried look.

"What now?" she asked.

"There's a new press leak. A blog just released an anonymous article saying your mother's condition is worse than the public knows. That you're hiding a breakdown."

Amira clenched her jaw.

"So this is how they want to play it…"

She smiled slowly, darkly.

"Then I'll give them something to be afraid of."

The media storm ignited faster than wildfire.

Amira stood in front of the press podium at the Clark Dynamics headquarters. A sea of cameras faced her. Journalists whispered, pens twitching. They had expected a nervous CEO scrambling to control damage. What they got was a queen in command.

She wore black. Sharp. Her hair was pulled back, and her eyes were steady—cold, calculated, and burning with unspoken war.

She took the mic.

"To those who have made a business out of selling lies," she began, her voice crisp and unforgiving, "let me remind you: this company wasn't built on scandals. It was built on legacy. On power. On truth. And I am that legacy."

Flashes erupted. Reporters leaned forward. Every word hit like bullets.

"There have been rumors about my mother's condition," she continued. "Let me confirm the truth myself: yes, my mother remains in a coma. And no, I'm not hiding that. But if anyone dares to question my capacity to lead, let me ask you—who else could've dismantled two snakes inside my company in less than seventy-two hours?"

Cameras kept flashing.

She wasn't finished.

"Ethan and Daphne—names now synonymous with betrayal—are gone. Their accounts are frozen. Their influence erased. As for the board members who plotted behind my back? Their resignations are public record. You can fact-check it."

She scanned the room, letting the silence grow thick.

"And to the anonymous coward who leaked that ridiculous blog post about my mental health—I hope you're watching this. Because I'm not broken. I'm not hiding. I'm not backing down. I'm rebuilding—and this empire will rise louder than your whispers ever could."

She stepped back.

Not a single question came.

No one dared.

Amira turned and walked off the stage as the world processed her declaration. Her stride was unbothered. Her message had been sent. Loud, clear, and impossible to ignore.

Lucas met her backstage with a stunned look.

"That was… legendary."

She gave a short nod. "I'm not done."

He blinked. "What's next?"

Her answer came instantly.

"Find out who wrote that leak. I want names, IP addresses, timestamps. I don't care if they're hiding in a cave in Antarctica—drag them out."

Lucas cracked a grin. "Consider it done."

Her phone buzzed. A text. From a private hospital.

She glanced at the screen. Her pulse skipped.

MOTHER'S CONDITION: RESPONSE RECORDED.

Amira froze. Eyes wide.

Lucas noticed. "What is it?"

"She blinked."

He stared. "She what?"

"My mother. She blinked today. Voluntarily. The nurse recorded it. There's brain activity again."

Emotion punched her in the chest. But she didn't cry. She inhaled sharply, exhaled slower.

"Schedule a private visit. No press. No one else."

As Lucas moved to arrange it, Amira sat down for the first time in hours. Her body was exhausted, but her soul was sharper than ever.

They had tried to burn her name, sabotage her power, and question her sanity.

They failed.

Now she had control.

And soon—she'd have vengeance.