Jax arrived at the club thirty minutes early.
The venue, which had been a throbbing, chaotic place of noise and wealth hours earlier, was now silent and dark. He was led to the small, discreet office off the service lounge, the same room where his encounter with Aria had begun. Only a single dim lamp lit the space.
Jax sat down, wearing his expensive business suit, a shield of corporate power. He felt the weight of his exhaustion, but his mind was sharp, focused on rage and a strange curiosity about Aria.
Precisely on the hour, the door opened.
Aria Thorne walked in. She wore dark, high-waisted trousers, heavy boots, and a black, heavy-silk blouse. Her long, dark hair was still pulled back, but a few strands were damp with sweat, showing she had just rushed. She smelled faintly of expensive soap and something sharp and metallic, like cold steel.
She did not offer a greeting. She looked at Jax, her eyes cold, darker than the room itself. Her beauty was there, but it was overshadowed by the sheer, focused danger she projected.
"You are punctual, Mr. Ryland," Aria said, her voice low and even. She remained standing, forcing Jax to look up at her. I suggest we skip the pleasantries. My time is extremely limited.
Jax leaned back in his chair, allowing a slow, challenging smile to cross his face. Limited? You are a shareholder, Ms. Thorne. You work for yourself. Unless, of course, your job is less about passive investment and more about putting out the corporate fires your brother started.
Aria walked to the table and placed a thin, metallic card on its surface.
"You froze the Eclipse album cycle," she stated, her voice flat, not a question. A massive overreach of your creative authority and a direct challenge to the financial stability of Vance Global. You used your fanbase as leverage against an acquisition. It was an impressive move, Mr. Ryland. Ruthless."
"I am glad you noticed," Jax replied, his smile hardening. I learned from the best. Specifically, from the woman who spent an hour in a service lounge with me, looking me in the eye, and then walked into my boardroom twenty-four hours later acting like I was a piece of furniture.
He sat forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. I want to know why. Why the lie? Why the cold shoulder? Are you Elias Vance's corporate spy, sent to vet the creative team? Did you sleep with me to gain information on my weaknesses?
Aria's jaw tightened. Her hands, resting lightly on the back of the chair, clenched, and he could see the muscles in her forearms briefly tighten. That question had hit her.
"You are making this personal, Ryland," she said, her voice a warning. This is business. Last night was a distraction, nothing more. It was meaningless. I was off duty, and you were a handsome, available target for a few hours of forgetfulness. Do not mistake a moment of heat for a declaration of war. That is childish.
"Childish?" Jax scoffed, shaking his head slowly. He couldn't believe her lie. You use words like 'distraction' and 'target.' You walk into a room full of strangers and choose me for a moment of forgetfulness? I do not believe you. You do not do anything without a reason, Ms. Thorne. Your movements are too deliberate, your control too absolute.
He pushed the metallic card back across the table toward her. I will unfreeze the project, but only when I understand who I am dealing with. Right now, I see a dangerous variable attached to Elias Vance. Why does the stability of Vance Global, and your brother's reputation, matter so much to a passive shareholder?
Aria looked down at the card. Her expression was pure ice, but Jax felt the heat radiating off her. He knew her hot temper was struggling to break through her practiced calm.
"My business with Elias is simple: I need his corporate visibility to solidify my own future," Aria explained, choosing her words with tactical precision. She did not need his money, but she needed the respect and the legitimacy. I need a clean corporate identity to launch my design company when I leave my current private career. Your action puts a massive spotlight on Elias and, by association, me. That attention is a risk I cannot afford, and a disruption I will not tolerate.
She finally sat down, leaning across the table, her dark eyes pinning his own. I gave you the terms for a peaceful resolution. You refused. Reverse the press release. Unfreeze the project. I will guarantee Elias will not interfere with Aether's artistic direction. That is all you need to know.
Jax looked at her, admiring her relentless composure even while he hated her lie.
"Your guarantee is not enough," Jax challenged, his voice softening slightly, a tactic to disarm her. You said last night, you felt like a fire that saved you. That was the truth, wasn't it? That woman—the one who needed saving—she is the one I want to talk to. Not the shareholder. Until she shows up, the album stays frozen.
Aria inhaled sharply. That hit her deep. That was the line he should not have crossed.
The small tactical watch on her wrist suddenly vibrated. The time was 01:15 AM. She had forty-five minutes until the mission.
Aria stood up with such sudden force that her chair scraped backward. Jax saw the mask crack completely. Her beautiful face was momentarily contorted by pure, unadulterated fury.
"You are crossing a line you do not understand, Ryland," she hissed, her voice barely above a whisper, yet vibrating with deadly seriousness. "You think this is a game of corporate leverage. It is not. I gave you the terms. You refused. Consider the next move a consequence of your pride.
She looked at him one last time, a look of cold dismissal mixed with something that might have been regret. Then, she turned and walked swiftly out of the office, disappearing into the dark service corridor.
Jax sat there for a long moment, listening to the silence, his heart pounding. He had only provoked her, and he knew he had just put himself directly in the path of a very capable, very dangerous person.
Forty-five minutes later, the Mission Commander was in her element.
Aria stood on a wet, oil-stained roof overlooking the dock warehouse. The smell of salt, diesel, and decay was thick in the midnight air. She was in full tactical gear: all black, lightweight, and engineered for silent movement. Her black hair was secured beneath a tight hood. Her team, code named Ghost, consisted of three elite operators, plus Elias, who was managing the secondary transport.
"Comm check," Aria ordered quietly into her mic. Her voice was steady, the boardroom fury replaced by the calm, lethal focus of the Commander.
"Ghost One, clear," came the immediate response.
"Ghost Two, clear."
"Ghost Three, clear."
"Asset Manager, transport clear," Elias confirmed from a kilometer away.
"Status of target?" Aria asked.
The assets are secured in the primary holding container, Sector Gamma. Three guards on the perimeter, two inside the command office. The target shipment of the smuggled goods is being prepared for movement, Ghost One reported.
"Confirmed. Move to digital infiltration. No physical engagement until full system override is established, Aria commanded.
She knelt, opening a small, hardened case. Inside was her custom-built hacking rig. She was a Harker, and she was good.
She bypassed the firewalls, located the power grid controls, and targeted the electromagnetically locked doors of the holding container. It was a silent battle won with code. She found a major security flaw in their old hardware and plunged a digital dagger into the system's heart.
Digital strikes in ten seconds. Prepare for full power drop, Aria whispered. Ghost One, take the east flank. Ghost Two, neutralize the main office. Ghost Three, provide hard cover on the dockside. Remember the priority: extraction, not elimination.
She typed a final sequence.
Five.
Four.
Three.
The entire dockside plunged into absolute, sudden blackness.
"Go, go, go," Aria ordered, dropping the rig and drawing her customized sidearm.
Ghost Three, positioned on a crane high above the warehouse, immediately reported Snipers on the south building. Two targets neutralized. Sector clear. Aria's team were highly skilled fighters.
Aria took the main entrance, moving low and fast. A guard, startled and blinded, fumbled for his gun. Aria didn't hesitate. She closed the distance in two strides. It wasn't a fight, but a sudden, violent action. Her right elbow smashed into the guard's stomach, knocking the wind out of his chest, and a quick, precise strike to his neck dropped him, unconscious, without a sound.
Inside, the warehouse was chaos. Ghost Two reported success: the two internal targets were down.
Aria sprinted toward Sector Gamma, the holding container. She reached the huge metal container and typed a rapid sequence into the control panel. The door clunked open.
Inside, huddled together in the stifling dark, were fourteen young girls, their eyes wide with terror, some weeping silently.
"We are soldiers," Aria said, her voice dropping all hardness, becoming calm and protective. We are taking you home. No one will hurt you again. Ghost One, secure the perimeter and start the movement.
The extraction was flawless. Ghost One and Two used silenced weapons to neutralize several enemies who tried to ambush them from the shadows. Aria, moving with a mix of fierce command and deep care, led the terrified girls toward the pre-arranged route, Elias's voice guiding them from the transport vehicle. Her team were good fighters.
Ten minutes later, the girls were secured in a transport van. Aria and her team made a clean break. The mission was successful.
Four hours later, Aria and Elias stood rigidly in a large, spare office at a private military installation far outside the city. The office belonged to Colonel Thaddeus Cole.
Aria and Elias stood at attention.
"Mission Commander Thorne, Field Operator Vance," the Colonel stated, his voice a low rumble.
Aria moved first. She snapped a perfect, rigid salute. Elias followed, his own salute equally sharp. It was a gesture of deep respect for the Colonel and the military.
"Sir," Aria reported, her voice clear and concise. Operation Dawn Watch is successful. Fourteen assets were recovered from the smuggling syndicate at the coastal docks. All assets were secure and transferred to UN humanitarian support. Resistance was minimal and neutralized non lethally. Zero casualties on the team. Extraction Complete.
The Colonel stared at her, a flicker of deep respect visible in his gaze.
"Commander Thorne," the Colonel said slowly. Your efficiency is, as always, unparalleled. You are the most precise operator this unit has ever had. Field Operator Vance, your logistics support was flawless.
"Thank you, Sir," Elias replied, deferring to Aria.
"You are authorized for forty-eight hours of rest and debriefing," the Colonel stated. However, I received a communication from the high command regarding an anomaly. Your external corporate life, the Vance Global acquisition, is causing unwanted media attention. It creates noise. Commander, I need you to clean up your noise.
Aria's face remained impassive. She knew exactly who the noise was: Jax Ryland.
"Understood, Sir. The situation is contained. I am already moving to neutralize the source of the disruption, Aria promised.
The Colonel nodded. "Dismissed."
Aria snapped another crisp salute. Elias followed suit. They turned and marched out of the office.
As they walked through the stark, concrete corridors of the base, they passed several other operatives. Many of the soldiers shot silent, resentful glances at the beautiful, young Mission Commander and her corporate CEO brother.
"Did you hear that?" one soldier muttered quietly. Thorne gets to go play corporate games while we're out here. And Vance is only here because of her.
Elias's jaw tightened, his protective instincts surging, but he said nothing. Aria, however, was already focused on the next problem.
"He is going to pay for this, Elias," Aria murmured, her voice flat with icy resolve. Ryland has no idea what it means to be a real target. He has interrupted the mission, compromised the disguise, and attracted the wrong kind of attention. He just used his passion project as a weapon against me. I will use his passion project against him.
"What are you going to do?" Elias asked, worried by the cold fire in her eyes.
Aria paused at the exit, pulling out her phone. She looked at a complex schematic of the Eclipse digital media venture from the Zenith Records website.
"He likes control, Elias. He likes to control the beat, the music, the narrative. But he has a weakness: his trust. He does not know I am a Harker. He does not know I can see his systems from the inside. Jax Ryland just gave me permission to treat his entire digital operation as a soft target.
She looked up at Elias, her Mission Commander persona firmly back in place. He challenged me to a war of integrity. I will show him exactly what happens when you challenge a high-ranking soldier. We will unfreeze the album by midnight tomorrow. And I will do it without his permission.
The car was waiting. Elias held the door open. Aria stepped in, her thoughts already consumed by the digital infiltration into the heart of Zenith Records. Jax wanted the truth. She was about to give him a very small, very terrifying piece of it.