?Chapter 1416:


    Kolton lowered the window, irritation clear in his expression. “What’s the holdup? Why didn’t you open the door?” Rain hammered relentlessly against the car, each drop echoing like a drumbeat.


    The driver’s silence, however, was colder than the storm itself — enough to send a shiver down Kolton’s spine.


    When the driver finally turned around, terror had contorted his face. His voice trembled. “Mr. Cooper… something happened. Everyone’s copsed.” He swallowed hard, already at the edge of panic, bracing himself as he shielded Kolton from whatevery outside. “Please stay in the vehicle. It could be an ambush.”


    “What?” Kolton’sposure shattered instantly.


    The calm fa?ade he always wore dissolved, reced by a crawling, primal fear. Never had he imagined anyone would dare infiltrate the Cooper Estate.


    Rain streaked down the windows, twisting into distorted shadows that wrapped around his gaze.


    “All our guards are down,” the driver whispered, drawing a pistol and flicking off the safety. “I don’t know if they’re dead.”


    Kolton clenched his jaw and pulled out his phone, dialing the covert operatives. The screen’s cold glow lit the dark interior, casting his features in an even frostier light.


    The wait felt endless.


    In those few short seconds, Kolton ran through countless possibilities. Had he not reassigned his covert operatives to Harmony za earlier, no one could have breached the premises — which meant the attackers possessed critical intelligence. Only a select few knew of it. Was it Kiley, or someone else?


    He dismissed the thought. If the intruders understood the situation well enough to know he wasn’t home, what was the point in attacking the estate?


    Then a sudden chill raced across his back. Their target wasn’t him.


    He lowered the window again. “Check the dungeon. Now.”


    The driver hesitated, then ran out into the rain.


    The moment he left, a suffocating dread surged through Kolton. Could this be another setup? He shut the window immediately and locked the doors.


    Silence fell, broken only by his uneven breathing.


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    The limousine was bulletproof — even a sniper round wouldn’t prate on the first shot. Still, Kolton crouched low. You never knew what weapons an enemy might bring. An anti-materiel rifle could punch through tank armor.


    The rain intensified, pounding like fists on the roof. He gripped his phone tightly and waited.


    A lifetime of losses had made him cautious — paranoid, even. He trusted no one. Not Kyle, his eldest brother. Not Zoey, that unhinged woman. Everyone wanted something. Everyone wanted control.


    Then his phone rang. The sound made his heart jump. He answered.


    “Mr. Cooper, the dungeon door has been forced open. All guards are down.” The driver’s voice came in ragged bursts over the line. “Every cell is empty, and there’s blood everywhere.” Wind, rain, and the driver’sbored breathing blurred together across the connection.


    Kolton narrowed his eyes.


    Just as he had suspected — someone hade for udius.


    What surprised him, though, was that anger didn’t strike him first. Calm did. A strange, cool satisfaction settled over him, and he even smiled. The rain tapping against the window sounded almost like apuse.


    He exhaled slowly, feeling something close to pride for his son.


    udius had prepared for this. He’d known imprisonment was inevitable and had arranged a team to wait for the perfect moment. Excellent. This was his son — someone who trusted no one, not even his own father.


    Darkness settled into Kolton’s gaze, heavy as the storm outside.


    This was the rule of survival. People had grown soft, forgetting the shadows of old wars. But he never had.


    udius might hate him forever. Yet that was the final lesson he could give his son. udius knew nothing of the covert operatives’ origins, nor of how terrifying Thomas truly was. Kolton, as head of the Cooper Group, was merely a piece on a board controlled by global giants. But in Wront, he was still king. He would never let the Cooper legacy crumble.


    A sudden knock on the window snapped his attention. Kolton looked up sharply. A covert operative stood outside, rain sliding down his tense face.


    Kolton lowered the window. “Find udius. He’s injured — he won’t get far. He’s likely seeking medical help.”


    “Understood.” The operative vanished into the storm like a shadow.


    Meanwhile, rainshed winds swept across the airport runway as Cade, the private investigator, finally stepped off the ne. His stride was steady but urgent.


    Behind him descended an imposing elderly man with steel-gray hair. His sharp gaze and medal-covered military coat radiated authority. Soldiers lined both sides of the ramp in a strict, ceremonial formation.


    The old man ced a firm hand on Cade’s shoulder, his voice deep andmanding. “Let’s go. Take me to Maia.”


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