Chapter 20
The handwritten letter fell from Maya's fingers, fluttering onto the polished marble counter.
Marcus leaned over her shoulder, scanning the chilling words as his face turned ghostly white.
"Your grandfather... he's alive?" Marcus stammered, his voice cracking with absolute horror.
"And he's the leader of a global syndicate?!"
Maya did not answer; she stared out the front window into the darkening suburban street.
Two unlit black SUVs pulled up to the curb outside her front gate, their engines idling silently.
Four men in sharp black suits stepped out into the twilight, their hands resting inside their jackets.
The large flat-screen TV in the living room suddenly turned on by itself, displaying a live radar map of North America.
A red countdown timer appeared at the top of the screen, ticking down from sixty seconds.
'PRIMARY KEY DETECTED. SYSTEM OVERRIDE INITIATED.'
Maya looked at Marcus, then at the silver flash drive still hanging around her neck under her hoodie.
She realized with terrifying, absolute clarity that her father's arrest was not the end of her nightmare.
It was merely the opening move of a global war orchestrated by the man who built her entire world.
A sharp, rhythmic knock echoed against her front door—three slow, deliberate thuds that vibrated through the house.
Maya took a deep, steadying breath, her eyes turning cold, fierce, and unyielding once again.
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"Get your coat, Marcus," Maya commanded, her voice dropping into an authoritative whisper.
"We're going to war."
