The lift doors slid open with a slow mechanical groan, as if the building itself struggled to recover from the near purge. John carried Rita in his arms while Celine stepped out first, scanning the hallway with a tactician's instinct.
The upper floors were far too quiet.
No voices.
No movement.
No distant footsteps.
Just a heavy silence that made the air feel thick enough to cut.
Celine frowned. "This is wrong. The alarms should have drawn every security team to this level."
John adjusted Rita in his grip. "Unless someone told them not to come."
"And who would have the authority to do that?"
John stepped into the hall. "Someone who wants me blind."
As they moved, the emergency lights faded one by one, replaced by the standard overhead glow. Everything seemed normal. Too normal. The kind of normal that hid danger behind every corner.
Rita stirred slightly. "John, you do not have to carry me. I can walk."
"You nearly crushed your hands," John said. "You are not walking anywhere."
Rita opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again when she saw his expression. He was not in the mood for negotiations.
Celine stopped suddenly.
A small piece of folded paper lay in the centre of the hallway.
Clean. White. Placed with intention.
John froze. "Do not touch it."
Celine crouched and inspected it without making contact. "No residue. No explosive trace. No digital ink."
She lifted it with two fingers.
The message was handwritten.
One sentence.
You are late.
Celine's throat tightened. "They were here."
John's jaw clenched. "The Circle."
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the hall. Calm. Deliberate. Confident.
A young man stepped into view wearing an immaculate black suit and carrying a slim leather folder under his arm. His hair was golden brown, styled with precision. His face was clean and almost elegant, but his eyes were cold.
John shifted Rita slightly and faced him without blinking.
The stranger smiled politely.
"Good evening, Chief Raymond. I apologise for the silence upstairs. We were asked to remain out of your way."
John studied him. "Who asked you?"
The man bowed his head slightly. "The Founding Circle."
Rita tensed in John's arms.
Celine drew a quiet breath. "State your name."
The man did not look at her. His eyes stayed on John.
"My name is Adrian Holt. I have been assigned as your interim liaison."
John's tone sharpened. "I did not request a liaison."
Adrian smiled again, thin and insincere.
"No. But the Circle requested one for you."
John's rage simmered beneath his calm surface. "I do not take orders from the Circle."
"Of course," Adrian replied smoothly. "That is exactly why they sent me."
Celine stepped forward, voice low. "This is hostile. You have no authority to be on this floor."
Adrian finally looked at her, his face shifting into mild amusement. "Celine… It has been years. I am pleased to see you alive. The Circle assumed Harold disposed of you."
Celine's expression hardened. "Leave."
Adrian ignored her.
He looked back at John, adjusting the folder under his arm.
"The Circle congratulates you on capturing the Benefactor," Adrian said. "They are impressed by your efficiency. Surprised, but impressed."
John's voice was calm. "What do they want?"
"Only to observe." Adrian's smile widened slightly. "They wish to understand how you operate. You are an unpredictable element, and unpredictability threatens stability."
John stepped closer. "Tell the Circle this. I am not their piece to monitor. I am not their successor. And I am not their target."
Adrian held his gaze. "On the contrary, sir. You are all three."
Before John could respond, Adrian reached into his folder and handed him an envelope. "The Circle requests your presence at a private summit."
"That will not happen."
Adrian shrugged politely. "Declining is your right. But consequences arrive either way."
He stepped past them calmly, as if he were simply strolling through the lobby of a hotel rather than walking into the centre of an empire he planned to corrupt.
But before he passed John entirely, Adrian whispered a sentence meant for him alone.
"They know about the cube."
John's blood ran cold.
Adrian walked away without looking back.
Celine moved to John quickly. "We must secure the cube now. He is trying to unbalance you."
John shook his head. "He is doing more than that. He is warning me that someone in this building is leaking information."
Rita looked up weakly. "Someone close to you."
John nodded. "Yes."
He carried her down the hall, every step heavier than the last.
He had just saved his people from a purge.
He had just learned his father's last secret.
And now the enemy had sent an ambassador into his house, walking freely through his halls, studying his moves, watching his reactions, probing his weaknesses.
Celine spoke quietly beside him. "John. The Circle does not send someone like Adrian unless they believe you are becoming dangerous."
John tightened his grip on Rita.
"Then let them believe it."
He continued down the hall, his voice turning into a cold vow.
"Because they have no idea how dangerous I can be."