President Yusmairoubis was in his office, thinking of what President Dmitry could possibly want to discuss with Ss.


    He felt that it was either one of two things: recruiting him or seeking an alliance with him.


    After considering both, he felt the second option was more likely. As for the first option—recruiting Ss—he felt it was beyond impossible. There was no way Ss would agree to work under a powerhouse when he was already building himself into one.


    As for the second option, he felt that Ss wouldn''t agree to it either. Though Yusmairoubis wasn''t close to Ss, he understood him well enough. Ss hated working with people, especially those that might be able to restrict him, and Russia was one of those powers.


    He also knew Ss would have already weighed the pros and cons of an alliance with Russia—and would likely reject it.


    In truth, Yusmairoubis was very pleased with how things were developing. The ck Hand Organisation, filled with old fogeys, power-hungry, hoarding hounds, was now trembling in fear due to Ss''s show of power.


    Yusmairoubis''s thoughts drifted back to the first day he''d heard about Ss from Andrès. Looking back, he felt like going to the old man''s grave and offering his thanks.


    Yusmairoubis smiled when he thought of everything that had happened since then. He had gone from nearly bing an enemy of Ss to a…


    He couldn''t quite find the word for it. But if he had to define it, he knew the right word to use would be servant.


    He wasn''t bothered by this, though. Instead, it brought more smiles to his face, and he couldn''t help but envision what the future would look like going forward.


    Now that he thought about the future, it was time to start gathering the things Ss had ordered him to prepare before he arrived with his family.


    He chuckled. This was the reason he was confident that Ss would never agree to work for anyone.


    ***


    Oand.


    Inside William''s room, he sat on his sofa, looking at the crescent moon hidden behind the clouds.


    He seemed deep in thought, as various ideas shed in his head, making it difficult to concentrate on just one.


    A few minutester, he stood up from his seat and walked toward the window. He stood in front of it, continuing to watch the moon.


    "Fiona, I hope you''re watching from there? Your daughters are all grown now, and they''re beautiful, beyond beautiful. I know I told you I''d do my best to raise them, but raising kids… it''s hard. Even harder when they''re two beautiful girls like them.


    I want to protect them. To shield them so they won''t have to experience the cruelty and harshness of the world—but that''s impossible."


    William continued to gaze at the crescent moon for a few more moments before he decided to go to bed.


    As he walked toward his bed, anyone watching him would''ve noticed his legs trembling.


    His conversation with Chloest night was what left him feeling so unsettled and confused. He remembered when she first told him about the strange dreams she was having.


    The first time she mentioned it, he''d told her she was probably stressed or not getting enough sleep. He suggested she get enough rest and exercise, but even after a week, the dreams continued.


    At that point, he decided to take her to the hospital for an MRI scan and other tests to figure out what was wrong. He''d worried she might have the same illness as her mother—brain cancer—but after multiple scans and tests, nothing was found.


    William was overjoyed when he got the results. He was relieved he wouldn''t lose one of his daughters like he''d lost their mother.


    But his happiness didn''tst long, because a weekter, Chloe told him the dreams hadn''t stopped.


    The truth was, Chloe had never really told him the full content of her dreams or what her visions were about.


    That was, until a week before the school incident. One night after dinner, he''d asked her if she''d had any dreams, and she said yes. Seeing this as an opportunity, he asked her to tell him what her dream was about.


    He honestly wished he''d never asked because that was the day everything changed.


    William couldn''t believe what Chloe told him that night. What did she mean by saying there were groups of people with superpowers called Phenomenals?


    He didn''t want to believe it, but his daughter provided evidence to back up her previous dreams that had alreadye true.


    He wanted to deny it, but how could he ignore the multiple pieces of evidence she''d given him? The only thing he could do then was wait and see what would happen next.


    That was a week ago, and just yesterday, he''d seen shocking news on TV—a report that aligned with Chloe''s visions.


    As if that wasn''t enough,st night she told him that a war wasing and that the safest ce they could be was by Ss''s side.


    He hadn''t fully understood what she meant at first, but then he saw the news showing Ss running at an inhuman speed.


    William was still reeling from it all, and try as he might, he didn''t really know what to do.


    As he got into bed, he could only hope things would work out as his daughter said they would.


    ***


    Mr. Brandon was fiddling with his phone, finding it difficult to fall asleep. It was already veryte, but sleep still eluded him.


    The past few months had been some of the best of his life. After Ss had kept his promise andpensated him, his life had truly changed for the better.


    He''d quit his job and gone into trading, making even more money. Now, he was so wealthy he didn''t know what to do with it all.


    He wasn''t a billionaire, but he was worth over $200 million, which was huge for someone who''d been scraping by onmissions not so long ago.


    But despite his new reality, he wasn''t satisfied. The truth was, he craved something more exciting, something that would get his blood pumping.


    It didn''t have to be extremely dangerous or life-threatening, but it needed to be thrilling.


    He''d already decided what to do and had ns to pursue it during his uing vacation—until he saw the news. When he saw Ss''s speed, he knew that was the kind of excitement he craved.


    "Come on, Brandon. There''s no way Mr. Ss has forgotten you. Just give him a call and exin yourself. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance," Brandon said to himself, determination lighting up his face.