Chapter 98 Verdict

Chapter 98 Verdict

Colin's voice tore through the room like a rusted iron hammer, smashing the last fragile shell of calm.

The world fell into a sudden hush, as if someone had cut the sound from reality itself.

I heard nothing—only the furious pounding of my heartbeat, a war drum hammering inside my chest.

The video... it was already out.

Everyone—the elders, the soldiers, the allies—had received it.

Slowly. Deliberately. I turned my head.

My gaze slid past Colin's fear-twisted face and found Arthur.

He stood there like a statue struck by lightning, frozen mid-breath.

The images from the video looped in my mind, each replay cutting deeper.

The cold gleam of the syringe.

The desperate eyes of Arthur's father.

The flatline on the monitor.

And Arthur's face—void of humanity, carved in stone.

He had killed his own father.

For power. For the title of Don. He had ended the life of the man who gave him his own.

And I... I had been foolish enough to think we were allies, fighting side by side.

Maybe I was beyond saving. Maybe I was the kind of fool who deserved what came next.

I looked at him—the man who had held me close just hours ago, skin to skin, tangled in the heat of desire—and I couldn't believe it.

"Boss..."

Colin's voice trembled. The way he looked at Arthur was no longer pure loyalty or awe. Fear had taken root. And suspicion—the kind that grows when betrayal feels inevitable.

A man who could kill his own father... what wouldn't he do?

Who wouldn't he betray?

Arthur didn't look at Colin.

His amber eyes locked onto mine, cutting through the space between us.

He was watching my reaction.

Waiting for judgment.

My thoughts were chaos. The stranger's voice slid into my mind like venom threading through the seams.

"Open your eyes, Sophia. See what kind of man you've trusted."

"You think you chose a savior?"

No.

I had chosen a devil who murdered his father.

I should have screamed. I should have stepped back. I should have run.

But that voice came again, slithered into my mind like a snake.

"She loved the white jasmine blooming in the garden today..."

No.

I couldn't run.

If I ran, what would happen to my mother?

The man in the shadows—today he could destroy Arthur with a video. Tomorrow he could destroy me with one.

I couldn't hand my fate to anyone.

Not Arthur. Not that phantom enemy.

Only myself.

Cold clarity flooded through me, freezing every useless fear solid.

I lifted my head.

I was Sophia—Asteria City's most ruthless crisis strategist.

And right now, I was staring down the most dangerous battle of my career... and my life.

I drew in a deep breath. With both men staring in stunned silence, I crossed to the desk, each step landing with the weight of a verdict.

I didn't spare Arthur a glance.

My eyes locked on Colin, my voice cold as steel.

"How was the video sent? Encrypted email? Instant messaging?"

Colin blinked, caught off guard.

"It was... an anonymous encrypted cloud link. Sent through mass text."

"Can you trace the cell tower? Where's the server? Is there any way to cut it off right now?"

The words came fast. My mind was a machine, stripping emotion away, running on sheer calculation.

This wasn't the time to decide who the murderer was.

This was the time to contain the damage.

To control the fire that could burn the Russell family to ash.

"I..." Colin faltered, glancing at Arthur for guidance.

"Do what she says."

Arthur's voice was hoarse, but carried the kind of authority that didn't need volume.

He looked at me, and in those deep eyes I saw surprise, shock... and something close to respect.

"Kill all external network connections to the estate. Physically sever them. Lock down every exit. No one comes in or out."

His tone wasn't loud, but it steadied the air in the room.

"Compile a list of everyone who received the video—especially the family elders. I want their locations, and I want to know every person near them."

"And the docks..." He paused, a flash of lethal intent crossing his gaze. "Send the most reliable men. Whatever it takes, I need to know exactly what we've lost."

"Yes, Boss!"

Colin straightened, as if he'd found his anchor again. He nodded hard and left at a near run.

The door shut with a heavy thud.

The world was back to just him and me.

The air was thick with the kind of stillness that comes before a storm.

I could feel his gaze on me, hot as forged steel.

I didn't look away.

I turned to face him.

"They're smart," I said, my voice calm enough to surprise myself.

"A perfect feint—hit the docks, then use the video to fracture loyalty inside your own walls. A clean one-two punch."

I spoke like an observer, dissecting the hunt laid against him.

"Your authority, your credibility... the moment they saw that video, it was already collapsing."

I walked toward him.

The carpet muffled my steps, but each one landed like a weight.

I stopped in front of him, tilting my face up to meet the storm in his eyes.

"Right now, to them, you're a patricide. A usurper. A tyrant who could remove anyone for gain."

"They'll fear you. And then, they'll move to take you out."

He said nothing. Just looked at me.

His face was ashen, drained of color.

I felt the sting of betrayal again, sharp in my chest.

But I shoved it down.

This wasn't the moment for weakness.

I reached out—neither to strike nor to soothe.

My fingertips pressed lightly against the black silk of his shirt.

Through the thin fabric, I could feel his heartbeat hammering.

Just like mine.

"Arthur," I said, each word deliberate, cold and reckless all at once. "You're going to tell me exactly what happened in that video.

"No lies. No excuses. No pretty words for fools.

"I want the truth.

"I want to know what story my enemy just showed me.

"And then, you're going to tell me how we write a better one—one they'll believe, and one that wins everything back."