The alarm at Infinite Corporation was not a typical system glitch. It was a digital scream.
The ICT department froze as their firewalls—engineered by the world's most elite hackers—shattered like glass. A single message pulsed in crimson across every monitor in the facility:
"Tell your boss we are coming for him. He poisoned our leader."
The signature was unmistakable: Assassin's Creed.
This wasn't just a mercenary group; they were a government-level ghost organization. It was whispered in the underworld that the nation's youngest president had once been saved from an assassination attempt by the mysterious head of this organization—a person whose face, gender, and name remained the most guarded secrets in global intelligence.
"Don," the Beast said, rushing into Xander's office, his face pale. "Infinite Corporation has been breached. The firewall was gutted, and they attached a photo of you and Madam. They've marked her as their primary target."
Xander's eyes went cold, his casual demeanor evaporating into something predatory. "Since when did I cross paths with them? I haven't even registered on their radar."
"The intel is verified, Don. They are already making their move."
"Increase security around my wife," Xander growled, his voice vibrating with lethal intent. "Make sure she is safe. If she loses a single strand of hair, you had better kill yourselves before I reach you."
"Yes, Boss," the Beast replied, bolting from the room.
Within minutes, the mansion was a fortress. Motion sensors, sound detectors, and armed guards were placed at every exit. Xander was determined to turn his home into a vault.
"Hey, what is the meaning of this?" Audrey's voice cut through the air, cool and sharp. She stepped into the hallway, her expression one of controlled irritation. "Mr. Xander, remember our agreement. I have a limited amount of time left here. Are you trying to keep me hostage?"
"No, wifey," Xander said, stepping forward. "I just want to ensure your safety. I can't let anything happen to you."
"I am a businesswoman, not a prisoner. I have duties to attend to," she countered, her gaze pinning him to the spot.
"It is for your safety," he insisted, not backing down. "And if you want to go anywhere, my men go with you. That is non-negotiable."
He turned and strode into his study, his mind racing. Who had leaked the photo from four months ago? He sat at his computer, his fingers dancing across the keys, attempting to hack into the Assassin's Creed database.
Suddenly, his screen went dark. A line of code crawled across the monitor: "Trying to invade us? Dream on."
The IP address didn't vanish—it sprawled across the globe, eventually pinning his own location: his study. Xander's blood ran cold. This isn't just a hacker; this is someone of my rank—someone from the elite core.
Meanwhile...
Audrey stood in the guest wing, a faint, amused smile playing on her lips. Lousy guards, she thought.
She had survived years in the wilderness. She had built a dark organization from the ground up, ranked as the second-best assassin in the world, and mastered the art of masking her non-human aura. Did this man really think a few motion sensors and perimeter guards could contain her?
With the fluid grace of a shadow, she bypassed the security grid. She didn't trigger a single alarm. In seconds, she had slipped out of the mansion and was heading toward the A&R Corporation.
At the office, she was a whirlwind of efficiency. She signed contracts, reviewed performance files, and personally wrote out checks for her employees. It was a day of rewards—promotions, bonuses, and gifts. The atmosphere in A&R was electric, and under her watchful, demanding eye, the research team was operating at peak performance.
Two hours later, back at the mansion.
"Boss, Madam hasn't left her room," the Beast reported.
"Good," Xander said, a flicker of longing in his chest. "Go tell her to come to my study. I want to see her."
The Beast knocked on the bedroom door. Silence. He knocked again, then pushed the door open. The room was empty.
"Don..." the Beast whispered into his comms, his voice trembling. "Madam... she's missing."
Xander didn't wait for a second invitation. He charged toward the Beast, his presence so suffocatingly cold that the air seemed to freeze. He grabbed the Beast by the collar, his eyes burning.
"What did you just say?"
"She's gone, Don. The room is empty."
Xander shoved him aside, his eyes scanning the empty suite for a clue. "You had a perimeter, you had sensors, you had guards at the door!" He leaned in, his voice a low, terrifying hiss. "If you don't find her in ten minutes, don't bother coming back. I'll make sure your heads are the only things left in this house."