Chapter 63 BUSINESS RIVALRIES

Chapter 63 BUSINESS RIVALRIES

ADRAIN

“Who did this?!” Blade asked.

“How did they get access to Santiago’s inside ledger?”

“They didn’t get it from Santiago,” I said quietly. “They got it from us.”

“Our internal routes were compromised,” I continued. “Someone accessed our encrypted logs and traced two of our planned hits,past ones,not future. But that’s enough to start a war.”

“And the leak?” Kane asked.

I dropped the next bomb.

“It was sent anonymously to three rival groups. Santiago’s competitors. And they’re already responding. Two have pulled out of deals with him. One is preparing a hit on his supply line.”

“This is bad, Adrain.”

“Bad is an understatement,” I answered. “This is intentional. Someone wants the entire operation unstable.”

“And Santiago?” Viper asked.

“He doesn’t know yet. But when he finds out, heads will roll. Including ours.”

I leaned back, clasping my hands behind my head, trying to piece together the chaos.

Whoever leaked this wasn’t careless,they were calculated.

They took only what would hurt Santiago’s trust and drop suspicion on us. They didn’t expose everything. Just enough to spark rivalries and ignite fights.

A perfect seed for war.

Kane slammed his fist on the table. “So what’s the move? We strike first?”

“No,” I said sharply. “We need to know who planted the leak before we react. This wasn’t an outsider. Someone close had access.”

Blade frowned. “You think it’s an inside job?”

I didn’t answer at first. I didn’t want to.
But there was no point pretending.

“Yes. Someone in this room, or someone we trust, sold us out.”

Something wasn’t sitting right.

“We start by isolating access logs.”

“You think it’s one of us?” Kane pressed.

“Yes. Someone who knows the routes, the files, exactly how to hit Santiago without leaving fingerprints,” I said.

Blade shifted slightly.

That was all I needed.

I didn’t hesitate. “Blade. Stand up.”

Every head turned. The tension snapped.

“What?” Blade said, calm, too calm.

“I did nothing” He said with sincerity,but I couldn't be easily fooled.

I punched him hard on the side jaw. Everyone shouted.

“You’re it,” I said. “All access logs point to you. The timing. The precision. Your movements the past week. Don’t bother denying it.”

Blade’s jaw clenched. He opened his mouth, then closed it. No words came.

Kane froze mid-step. Viper’s pen dropped with a clatter.

“You really thought you could play this game and not get caught?” I continued. “All this planning… one slip. One traceable action. And it’s over.”

Blade’s hands flexed on the table, then stilled. I could see the calculation behind his eyes,he was weighing escape, deception, denial. None would work. Not against me.

“You underestimated me,” I said. “This ends now.”

I had the team move in. Phones, devices, personal drives,all locked down. Blade couldn’t hide. He couldn’t slip out unnoticed. Every exit monitored, every file scanned.

I watched him, steady, composed, but cornered.

Finally, he raised his hands slightly, a silent surrender.

“You’re… done,” I said.

He nodded once, slowly. No argument. No fight. Just the acknowledgment.

Kane exhaled. Viper muttered something under his breath.

I forced my gun out of my bag. And in an instant I did it.

I shot him.

Straight in his head.

He fell dead, everyone retreated backwards.

The leaked files? Traced back to Blade. The rival alerts? All his handiwork. The sabotage?

“Y’all see him. One by one. Any mistake,any slight suspicion. You will be worse. Your body won't be found.” I shouted at them all.

“Now pack the body,dispose of it. Any trace will be on you guys. You killed him,not me.”

That was the rule: any bloody murder wasn't on me. It was on my trainees.

“Shit! What the Fuck is This?!” Lila shouted,when she saw the pool of blood on the floor.

Blade lay there, unmoving. The moment I saw the hesitation in his eyes, I knew he had underestimated me and that had been his fatal mistake.

“Control yourself, Lila,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “This is what happens when someone betrays me.”

She shook her head, disbelief flickering across her face. “You… you killed him?”

I kept quiet. My gaze stayed fixed on Blade’s body. “He made his choice,” I said finally. “He thought he could play games. He was wrong.”

Kane, Viper, and the others moved fast. I began destroying everything connected to him.

No traces. Nothing left to connect him or anyone here to the leak.

“Pack him up,” I barked. “Dispose of everything. Every trace. If Santiago hears a whisper, you all go down with him. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Kane said, moving first. The others followed, hands trembling but trained enough to obey without hesitation.

Lila’s eyes stayed on me. “And you’re… calm?” she whispered.

I turned toward her, eyes cold. “ I will solve it.”
Her lips parted as if to speak, then she hesitated. She took a step back, her eyes scanning the room, my gun, the body.

“What did he even do to deserve this?” she finally asked.

“He leaked our plans,” I said simply. “Tried to collapse Santiago’s entire network. He put everyone in this room at risk. Blade knew exactly what his actions meant.”

I saw the fear in her face.

“And if it had been me?” she asked
softly, voice low, almost a challenge. “Would you have done the same?”

I took a slow step closer.“Depends,” I said. “Would you ever betray me?”