The message on the screens—"Long live the new order. - The Phoenix"—hung in the air like a threat while three thousand of the world's most powerful people watched the Drake family's coronation dissolve into chaos.
Alexander's mind was racing through possibilities, tracing connections, but something wasn't adding up. The Vanguard's methods, yes. But the targeting felt personal in a way that suggested someone with intimate knowledge of their family dynamics.
"Uncle Li," Alexander said quietly, his voice pitched below the crowd's murmur. "Pull up everything we have on Croft. Not just the recent payments. Everything. His full history with Interpol, his case files, his—"
