Solomon Emmanuel の小説

SophiaI leaned against the city skyline from the penthouse window, my hand clenched around the stem of a wine glass. The amber liquid inside didn't much ripple, but my mind was far from still. The battle between Nathan and me had grown more powerful than business, more powerful than revenge. It was personal now.Bellion's voice echoed in my head. "Chloe's been exposed. Nathan hasn't moved yet."That was the problem.Nathan never remained still.I looked over at Alex, who was sitting on the couch, watching me. His suit jacket draped over the arm of the couch, his white shirt sleeves rolled up as he sipped a drink. He was just as tired as I was."He's plotting something," I said finally.Alex sighed. "Of course, he is."I set my glass on the table and folded my arms. "Then why do I get the feeling that we're still one step behind?"Alex stared at me with all seriousness. "Because Nathan is most dangerous when he is quiet. He is letting the world destroy Chloe first before he moves."I

SophiaI stood in the doorway of my office, looking out over the city I had fought so long to reclaim. The skyline burned gold in the early evening light, the glass towers creating the illusion of tranquility. But inside me, inside this war I was waging, it was anything but peaceful.Nathan had begun it, setting fire to the orphanage, and I had retaliated. A move for a move. A game of burn and destroy.But now we were past retaliating.This was no longer a battle.It was a reckoning.A gentle knock at the door snapped me out of my trance. Bellion entered, his face as serene as ever, but his eyes sharp. "It's done."I turned to face him, my fists curled around the edge of my desk. "And?"Bellion gave me a black leather folder. "The case is airtight. Offshore accounts. Illegal arms dealings. Bribes. This—" He tapped the folder. "—is what takes Nathan Carter down."I exhaled slowly, heart rate consistent. "Then we run it."Bellion hesitated, and that was so out of character that I notice

SophiaThe orphanage retained the scent of smoke. It clung to the walls, to the furniture, to the air that I inhaled, like a reminder of what had happened.I stood in the remains of what had been the children's library, my fists clenched at my hips. The bookshelves were burnt half-way, some scattered on the floor, their cracked and blackened spines gleaming. Ash swirled in the sun through the shattered windows, coating the desecrated remains of the world I'd built for them.For them.And Nathan had laid waste to it.I gasped hard through my nose, trying to suppress the anger raging hotter than the fire that had nearly consumed this structure.Behind me, Mrs. Peterson crossed her arms, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. "They could have died, Sophia. If we hadn't smelled the smoke in time..." Her voice broke. She took a shuddering breath, fighting to continue. "Whoever did this wanted to make a point. And we both know who that is."I already did.I turned around, my face c

SophiaI barely slept.Chloe's voice lingered in my mind like a dirge. Not the threat, but the words. Not the implication—that it was going to happen. But the finality of it."Tyler's going to steal something from you. This time, it's personal."She'd smiled when she spoke. Not with menace—but at last.And that frightened me.I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers tapping a restless rhythm against my knee. The city outside the hotel window was already awake, the skyline burning with streaks of early morning light.Alex remained sleeping on the couch, his shirt unlatched at the collar, his face serene in a way that did not usually happen when he was awake. He had remained sitting with me for the majority of the night, observing, waiting—aware I would never reveal to him what was really bothering me.Because I had no idea how to tell him.For the first time since this war began, I wasn't sure I was prepared for what lay ahead.Nathan's always played a game of power, a game of dominati

SophiaCity lights streaked across the car window, neon smudges against the black ink of night. The hum of the engine filled the silence between us, thick with all we had not said and tension that refused to disperse.Nathan had lost.But why did it seem like we were still caught up in his game?I curled my fingers around the detonator, its smooth edges cold in my hand. Its power should have been satisfying. The way Nathan's smirk had faltered, the way his shoulders had stiffened when he'd realized I'd outmaneuvered him.But his parting words gave me hesitation."You think you've won?"Alex was beside me, his form coiled in repressed anger, his amber eyes fixed ahead. His knuckles were white on his knee, his fingers twitching as though he was struggling not to pull a gun on the air itself.I exhaled slowly. "Say it."His head moved slightly, his jaw tight. "Say what?""That you think I should have let you kill him."Alex's mouth opened, then closed again. He inhaled through his nostri

SophiaThe moment the countdown stopped, the air in the warehouse shifted. Silence stretched, thick and unyielding, as if the universe itself had paused, waiting to see what would happen next.Nathan stood motionless, his smirk still lingering, but something flickered in his eyes—something close to frustration. He hadn’t planned for this. He hadn’t expected me to win.For the first time in this game we'd played, I saw the cracks in his perfect control.Alex still had the gun pressed to Nathan's temple, his breath steady, his grip tight. I could see the math in his eyes—whether killing Nathan here, now, would subtract from or add to our problems.I already knew the answer.It wouldn't be enough.It had taken Nathan years to construct his empire, ringing the city with his power like an impenetrable fist. Assassinating him would only make him a martyr to the citizens who still remained faithful to him.We had to dismantle him piece by piece.Destroy him in a way he could never recover fr