Chapter 65 Reaching Out
"We're part of this family too."
Eva hugged her children a little tighter and spoke softly as she held them, a sharp edge of fear twisted inside her.
What if she couldn't keep them safe after all? Guilt bothered her as she remembered times when her decisions had put them in danger, even though she thought she was doing the right thing.
Eva felt as if her life were hanging by a thread. She wanted to protect her children but feared she might fail.
Eva hugged them a little tighter, her voice tender. "Ethan, remember this: you are both a very important part of this family. Our strength lies in supporting each other, especially during difficult times. Remember, facing challenges together is what makes our family truly strong."
Eva swallowed hard. "If I need help, I'll let you know. I promise."
She held her children close, feeling their warmth and trying to memorize the feel of their small bodies in her arms.
She would keep them safe.
She would protect them, no matter what it took or what it cost.
Even if she had to destroy everything else to do it.
That evening, Eva picked up the phone and made a call she never thought she'd have to make.
The phone rang three times before a familiar voice picked up.
"Eva." Victor Chen's voice sounded tired and older, as if the past weeks had aged him by years. "I wondered when you'd call."
"You know why I'm calling."
"The Architect paid you a visit. Yes, I heard." He let out a bitter laugh. "She loves making an entrance."
"I need information, Victor. About her. About the Consortium. About how to fight back."
"Fight back?" He laughed again, but this time it sounded desperate. "You can't beat her. The Architect never loses. She doesn't make mistakes. She's spent forty years building a network across countries, and she's gotten rid of anyone who ever threatened her."
"Then how did she stay hidden for so long? Someone that powerful should have left clues."
"She did leave clues. But anyone who found them disappeared." Victor's voice grew quiet.
"You don't understand what you're facing, Eva. She's not just a criminal or someone chasing power. She truly believes in what she's doing. She thinks she's building something huge, a new world with herself in control."
"That sounds insane," Eva said before she could stop herself.
"It is. But it works." He paused. "Do you know what happened to the last person who tried to stand against her?"
"What?"
"He was a Russian billionaire with his own private army and ties to the Kremlin. She took him down in six months. She didn't just kill him—she wiped out everything he had built. In the end, there was nothing left but ashes and a warning to anyone else who might challenge her."
A chill ran through Eva.
"So what? Are you asking us to surrender? To become her pawns?"
"Of course not. It's your choice—work with the Architect or go against her. I just want you to understand what's at stake."
"This isn't like Helena, who acted out of revenge and grudges. It's not like me to make choices for money and safety. The Architect is on a whole different level."
"Then help me understand her," Eva said firmly. "You worked with them for years. You must know something—a weakness we can use."
There was a long silence on the line.
"There is one thing," Victor said finally. "Something I've never told anyone."
"What?"
"The Architect has a son."
Eva's heart skipped a beat. "A son?"
"He's not involved in her work—or at least, he wasn't when I was in charge. She kept him separate and safe. But I know he's real, and I know she cares about him."
"He's the only thing in her life that seems more important than the Consortium. I once saw her give up a big deal just to make sure nothing threatened him." Victor's voice grew even quieter. "If you could find him and use him to reach her—"
The idea troubled Eva deeply, and her strong dislike for it showed her inner struggle.
Eva saw that the plan might work, but using an innocent person went against her beliefs, making her moral struggle even harder.
"I'm not threatening an innocent person to get to their mother."
"Then you've already lost." Victor's voice turned cold. "This is a battle, Eva. The Architect wouldn't hesitate to use your children against you. Why should you hold back?"
"Because I'm not her." Eva tightened her grip on the phone. "There has to be another way."
"There isn't. Not with someone like her." He paused for a long moment. "But if you're set on finding another way, there's someone else who might help. Someone who knows the Architect better than anyone."
"You know someone else? Who?"
"Don't get too excited. Be warned—he's not what you'd expect. He is smart, yes, but unpredictable. He always had his own plans and never hesitated to break rules when it suited him. The Architect may be ruthless, but he is the kind of person who changes the rules whenever he wants."
"Who is it?"
"Her former partner. They built the Consortium together years ago, but had a big fight. He's been hiding ever since, waiting for a chance to get back at her." Victor's voice turned wry. "The enemy of your enemy, as they say."
"Where do I find him?"
"I don't know. But Solomon Grant might. If anyone knows the Consortium's secret information, it's him."
Eva had a hard time taking in what she had just learned. The idea of a former partner—someone who knew the Architect's deepest secrets—offered a new, uncertain way forward.
The thought made her both uneasy and hopeful: if this person knew the Architect's weak spots, maybe she wasn't as unbeatable as she seemed.
Still, not knowing if she could trust this new person, along with the difficult moral choices, left Eva feeling hopeful, worried, and determined all at once.
It was a lead. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"Thank you, Victor."
"Don't thank me yet. You're heading into darkness, Eva. And it bites." He paused. "For what it's worth, I hope you succeed. The Architect's vision for the Consortium isn't what I built. Not what I wanted."
"What did you want?"
"I wanted profit and stability. A world where power worked in normal ways." He let out a bitter laugh. "But she wants chaos. She wants to change everything to fit her idea of power."
"For her, power means total control—watching over every part of society, whole groups of people changed to follow her will, no space for disagreement or doubt. She wants to rebuild the world with herself as the planner. Yes, that's a pun. Of whatever comes next."
"That sounds megalomaniacal."
"It is. But people like her, with money and patience, can do frightening things." Victor's voice dropped to a whisper. "Be careful, Eva. And don't trust anyone—not even me."
The line went dead.