Hong Kong never slept.
It only pretended to.
Neon lights flickered like tired eyes, rain sliding down skyscrapers as if the city itself were sweating secrets. Somewhere between the financial district and the forgotten alleys, power was being traded—not in cash, not in blood, but in code.
And at the top of that invisible war sat Vito Genovese.
Vito leaned back in his custom-made billionaire chair, fingers steepled, eyes half-closed as if bored by the world he owned. The chair was ridiculous—Italian leather, gold trim, built-in holographic screens—but Vito loved it. Power should be uncomfortable for everyone else, he believed, not him.
Behind him, the massive glass wall of his penthouse office displayed Hong Kong's skyline. Below that skyline were banks. Under those banks were servers. Inside those servers was the future.
An AI system.
One card-sized device capable of accessing, manipulating, and draining an entire city's banking infrastructure in under sixty seconds.
Vito smiled.
"Bring him in," he said calmly.
The doors slid open.
Dominic stepped inside.
Tall. Athletic. Sharp-eyed. Dressed in black tactical clothing that screamed professional criminal—but his posture was pure law enforcement. Disciplined. Alert. Controlled.
Vito noticed everything. He always did.
Dominic stopped three steps from the desk and nodded once. Respectful, but not submissive.
"You called for me, boss."
Vito turned his chair slightly, studying him. "Dominic. My favorite ghost."
Dominic didn't smile. "You don't keep favorites."
Vito chuckled. "True. I only keep assets."
A holographic map appeared between them, rotating slowly. A city blinked into focus—Shenzhen.
"There's movement," Vito continued. "Banks. Skyscrapers. Tech firms pretending to be clean. One of them is hiding something I want."
Dominic folded his arms. "AI?"
Vito's smile widened just enough to be dangerous. "You're learning."
The map zoomed in on a sleek tower.
"Your mission," Vito said, "is reconnaissance. No noise. No blood unless necessary. I want eyes, routes, weaknesses."
Dominic nodded. "Backup?"
"Oh, of course," Vito said smoothly. "I'm not reckless."
He didn't mention that the backup had already been assigned.
Dominic turned to leave.
"Dominic," Vito added casually.
Dominic paused.
"Trust no one in Shenzhen," Vito said. "Especially the ones who look like allies."
Dominic glanced back. "I never do."
The doors closed behind him.
Vito exhaled slowly… and tapped his desk.
"Now," he murmured, "send in the other half."
Virginia Hill hated elevators.
Too slow. Too quiet. Too easy to die in.
She leaned against the mirrored wall of a different high-rise, twirling a suppressed pistol around her finger with casual expertise. Her black hair fell loose over one eye, and her sleeveless combat dress hid enough weapons to make airport security cry.
The elevator chimed.
Top floor.
The doors opened to the same penthouse—but from a different entrance.
Vito Genovese didn't turn around this time.
"You're late," he said.
Virginia smirked. "You didn't say it was a date."
Vito laughed softly. "Still funny. That's why you're alive."
She walked forward, boots clicking. "What's the job?"
A hologram activated—the same tower Dominic had just seen.
Virginia's eyes narrowed. "Shenzhen?"
"Yes," Vito said. "Recon mission. Same building. Same objective."
Virginia raised an eyebrow. "You usually don't double-book."
Vito finally turned, eyes cold. "This operation requires… perspective."
Virginia shrugged. "As long as I get paid."
"You will," Vito assured her. "Just remember—if you encounter interference…"
She finished his sentence. "Eliminate it."
Vito smiled like a man watching chess pieces move exactly as planned.
48 HOURS LATER — SHENZHEN
Rain exploded against glass as Dominic landed on the side of the tower, magnetized boots locking him in place.
"Visual confirmed," he whispered into his comm. "Thirty-two floors. Security drones on cycles."
He moved like a shadow, slipping through vents, hacking cameras, mapping routes.
That's when he felt it.
A presence.
Not a sound. Not movement.
Instinct.
Dominic froze.
Across the atrium, a figure dropped silently from the ceiling, landing in a three-point stance. Female. Agile. Armed.
Virginia.
She rolled behind a pillar just as a drone passed overhead.
Dominic watched from the shadows.
Another operative? he thought.
Virginia scanned the area, eyes sharp, movements precise.
Professional, Dominic admitted.
They moved independently. Efficient. Deadly.
Once—just once—their paths crossed.
Dominic turned a corner.
Virginia stepped out at the same time.
They collided—hard.
She reacted instantly, flipping him over her shoulder. Dominic twisted mid-air, landed, gun raised.
Her gun was already aimed.
They froze.
A heartbeat.
Masks obscured faces. Darkness swallowed details.
Then alarms blared.
They broke apart in opposite directions without a word.
Dominic escaped through the ventilation shaft, heart pounding.
Virginia vanished down a stairwell, adrenaline surging.
Neither saw the other's face.
Neither knew they had just met their spouse.
MONTHS PASSED
Missions overlapped.
Gunfights echoed.
Cities burned.
Each time Dominic reported success, Vito praised him.
Each time Virginia returned, Vito smiled wider.
And each time, Vito adjusted the board.
Until the final mission.
THE AI HEIST
The AI card was real.
Small. Black. Glowing faintly like it was alive.
Dominic breached the vault first.
Virginia entered from the opposite side.
They met again.
This time—no hesitation.
Bullets screamed.
Steel clashed.
Virginia moved like lightning, flipping over cover, firing mid-air.
Dominic countered with precision shots, tactical rolls, calculated strikes.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" he shouted.
"Someone who's finishing this job!" she snapped back.
Cops stormed the building.
Sirens howled.
Virginia cursed. "Damn it!"
She fired.
The bullet hit Dominic's left leg.
He went down hard.
Virginia grabbed the AI card and ran.
Police surrounded Dominic.
"Hands up!"
Dominic grimaced, pulled out a badge.
"I'm law enforcement," he growled. "Undercover. Call this building."
The officers hesitated—then stepped back.
Dominic limped away.
THAT NIGHT
Dominic opened the door to his apartment.
The smell of food hit him first.
Virginia stood at the stove.
"Hey," she said warmly. "You're late."
Dominic forced a smile.
Then she looked down.
At his leg.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…What happened?"
Dominic swallowed. "Accident."
Silence.
Virginia smiled.
But her eyes said something else.
Liar.
Outside, thunder rolled.
Above them, Vito Genovese toasted himself with wine.
The game was only beginning.