Chapter 133

Chapter 133
Marcus's POV

I stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Donovan estate's study, my fingers lightly tracing the rim of a whiskey glass as I gazed through the glass at the city's silhouette swallowed by darkness. The amber liquid swirled in the lamplight like molten gold—just like the power I was about to seize.

Felix's footsteps broke the silence behind me. I didn't turn around, merely waited quietly for him to speak, savoring the anticipation surging through my veins.

"Boss, the latest intelligence on the Sullivan family." His voice carried a barely concealed excitement. "According to our source inside the manor, Isabella suffered a miscarriage due to emotional trauma and remains in a coma. Gabriel has transferred her from the hospital back to the estate and has been at her bedside constantly for days, completely neglecting family business."

I turned slowly, my gaze settling on the folder Felix handed me. The cover was marked with the words "URGENT" in red pen, the ink still wet, clearly just delivered. I took the file, casually flipping it open and scanning the densely packed intelligence summaries on the first page.

"Just like that, he collapsed?" I asked slowly, my gaze locked on Felix's face. "Because of one woman and an unborn child... he just fell apart?"

Felix nodded, his tone certain. "According to our operative planted inside Sullivan manor, Gabriel genuinely hasn't handled any family affairs these past few days. All decisions have been delegated to Quincy and Aiden, including responses to Kozlov's territorial grabs and the Petrov brothers' incursions—they're handling everything. Gabriel himself..."

He paused, weighing his words. "They say he's completely changed. Empty eyes, completely detached from external matters. It doesn't look like he's pretending."

I walked back to the desk, spreading the documents across its surface, my fingers tapping lightly on the key information points. Isabella's miscarriage, her coma, Gabriel's mental breakdown, his abandonment of business—everything looked so perfect. So perfect it instinctively triggered a hint of wariness in me.

"Gabriel isn't the type to break so easily." I murmured to myself. "He pulled the Sullivan family back from the brink of collapse. A man like that... would he completely lose control over one woman?"

Felix seemed prepared, immediately adding, "I had the same doubts, which is why I had our operative verify from multiple sources. According to their observations, Gabriel has indeed been staying in Isabella's room these past few days. Even his meals are brought in by servants. The manor's doctor goes in twice daily for examinations and comes out shaking his head each time. Moreover..."

He pulled another document from his briefcase. "These are intercepted Sullivan family internal communications. Quincy and Aiden's conversations explicitly mention phrases like 'Boss is in bad shape' and 'we need to hold the pressure.' All of this indicates Gabriel's condition is deteriorating."

I took the communication records, scanning them rapidly. The dialogue did reveal signs of Gabriel losing control—one section even had Quincy complaining to Aiden that "Boss threw everyone out of the room, only letting the doctor in." I stared at those words, imagining Gabriel holding the unconscious Isabella, his eyes dead and empty.

Could it be real?

But the intelligence was right here. The operative's reports, the intercepted communications—all evidence pointed to the same conclusion: Gabriel had genuinely collapsed.

"Boss?" Felix's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Do you think... this is real?"

I didn't answer immediately, instead taking a slow sip of whiskey. The liquid burned down my throat, but couldn't dispel the unease coiling in my chest like a serpent.

"Test him again." I finally spoke, my voice low and firm. "Have the operative try to obtain Gabriel's North District dock defense layout. If he's truly broken, his strongholds should be poorly defended as well."

Felix's eyes flickered with hesitation. "Boss, won't that alert them? The defense layout is Sullivan family classified information. If our operative requests it rashly—"

"Precisely because it's classified, it's the best verification." I cut him off, setting the glass down heavily on the desk. "If Gabriel has even a shred of clarity left, he would never let defense layouts leak. But if he's truly lost control, the entire family's defensive system will show cracks. Go. Tell the operative I'm giving him three days."

Felix nodded and turned to leave. I watched him go, then returned my attention to the documents on the desk, running through every possibility in my mind until the whiskey glass sat empty and the city lights beyond the window gradually lit up one by one.

The following evening, Felix appeared at the door again, this time unable to hide his excitement.

I looked up, my gaze sharp. "This fast?"

"Yes." Felix placed a document on the desk. "Our operative says the Sullivan manor's security system has been in chaos these past few days. Quincy is busy dealing with external threats, Aiden is handling internal personnel transfers—no one has time to update core stronghold security protocols. He took the opportunity to copy this defense layout from the archives."

I picked up the USB drive, turning it over in my hand. The cold metal made my brow furrow slightly—in just one day, the operative had obtained the Sullivan family's most critical defense layout? This either meant Gabriel's defensive system was truly riddled with holes, or...

"Have you verified its authenticity?" I looked up, my gaze sharp on Felix.

"Not yet. I wanted to report to you first." Felix paused. "But the operative swears this defense layout is genuine. He personally watched Quincy place the file in the archives and specifically verified the encryption markers while copying it."

I inserted the USB drive into my computer, opening the encrypted file. A detailed defense layout immediately appeared on screen—every guard post at the North District dock, every patrol route, every surveillance blind spot clearly marked. I enlarged the image, carefully examining the details.

The layout's drawing style did match Sullivan family habits, even the encryption method consistent with documents I'd previously intercepted. But precisely because of this, my doubts only deepened.

"Gabriel isn't a fool." I said slowly, my fingers tapping the mouse lightly. "His defenses have always been tight. Even if Quincy is busy, he wouldn't casually leave such important documents in the archives. And..." I paused, my gaze sweeping across every detail on screen. "How could our operative so easily obtain copying privileges?"

Felix fell silent for several seconds, then tentatively said, "Perhaps... Gabriel truly has no mind for management anymore? According to our operative, Quincy and Aiden have been supporting the entire family almost single-handedly these past few days. Many decisions can't wait for Gabriel's approval—they have to decide themselves."

I stared at the screen, my mind rapidly weighing the options. If this was a trap Gabriel had set, why would he use a real defense layout as bait? But if it wasn't a trap, that meant the Sullivan family had truly reached the brink of collapse.

"Send someone to test it." I finally made my decision, closing the computer screen. "According to the surveillance blind spots and patrol gaps marked on the defense layout, have our people attempt to infiltrate the dock. If the layout is real, they should be able to enter and exit smoothly. If it's fake..." I smiled coldly. "Then that proves Gabriel hasn't lost his mind."

"Understood." Felix nodded. "I'll arrange our most elite squad to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Remember—this is just a test. Don't alert Sullivan's people." I emphasized. "I want to verify the layout's authenticity, not prematurely expose our intentions."

Felix acknowledged and left. I remained at the desk after he'd gone, staring at the cursor blinking on the darkened screen, weighing risks against rewards until dawn light crept across the estate grounds.