The storm outside The Imperial Crest was getting worse. Rain hammered the windows with relentless force, and thunder rumbled across the clouds like warning drums. Inside the tower, alarm bells flashed quietly through the internal systems. Most staff did not notice the change, but the few who did moved faster, sensing danger creeping through the veins of the building.
John paced the executive suite with a controlled intensity, the kind that made the air vibrate. Morgan sat at the desk, fingers racing over the keyboard as he pulled live feeds from the building's infrastructure. Rita stood beside him, arms crossed, her eyes sharp and alert.
"Tell me you have something," John said.
"I have everything and nothing," Morgan replied. "The elevator Prosper is in has been taken off the main grid. It was shifted to a shadow line that only high clearance staff can access."
Rita narrowed her eyes. "Which means the Benefactor did not need to be inside the building to do this."
Morgan nodded. "He is controlling it remotely."
John clenched his jaw. "Then Prosper Mercy is no longer a threat, but a message."
Morgan finally located the override signature. His face went pale. "John, the command came from a server linked to Lionwell's offshore hub."
Rita exchanged a look with John. "Lionwell again."
John took a deep breath. "The Benefactor is cleaning his trail. Prosper knew too much."
"What do we do now?" Rita asked softly.
John looked at the storm outside the window. "We prepare for the next move."
Inside the trapped elevator, Prosper Mercy's screams echoed until his voice broke. He pounded on the walls, pressed every button, begged for the doors to open. Sweat rolled down his forehead. His heartbeat raced like a trapped animal.
The elevator lights flickered again. The small screen above the door changed.
"You failed the House of Shadows."
Prosper fell to his knees. Tears mixed with fear. "Please, you do not need to do this. I can help you. I can fix it. I can fix everything."
Another message appeared.
"The Crest was never yours."
Prosper sobbed. His hands shook as he tried to steady himself, but his body refused to listen. He whispered to the empty air, "Raymond will not survive you. You need me."
The final message appeared.
"You were never needed."
A loud click echoed through the elevator. Prosper covered his face. He knew what was coming.
The elevator dropped.
His scream was swallowed by the sound of cables snapping and metal grinding against steel. The fall lasted only seconds, but it felt like an eternity.
When the elevator hit the bottom, the building barely trembled. The silence that followed was absolute.
The Benefactor had erased another pawn.
On the top floor, Morgan's screen flashed red.
"John," he said quietly. "The elevator just crashed."
Rita closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself. "Then Prosper is gone."
John stood still for a moment, absorbing the weight of it. Not out of pity, but because he understood exactly what it meant. The Benefactor was done playing quietly.
He turned toward Morgan. "Seal off the basement. Lock it down and call internal security. No one gets in or out without clearance."
"On it," Morgan said.
Rita stepped closer. "This is the first time the Benefactor has taken a public action. He is escalating."
"He is pushing us," John replied. "Forcing us into a corner, so we react out of weakness."
Rita studied his face. "And you are not going to give him that."
John shook his head. "No."
He walked toward the window, his voice low and steady. "We hit him back. Harder."
In the basement, security teams were already swarming around the demolished elevator. Smoke and dust filled the air. Emergency lights flickered along the walls. One of the officers approached the wrecked doors, covering his mouth with a cloth.
Inside the twisted metal, Prosper Mercy's lifeless body lay crushed. One of the officers whispered, "What could have done this?"
Another replied, "This looks like an order, not an accident."
They did not know how right they were.
Meanwhile, across the city, a black limousine pulled into an underground parking lot beneath a luxury hotel. Two men stepped out, both wearing black suits, both silent. They opened the back door.
A tall figure emerged, dressed in an immaculate coat. His walk was calm. His presence alone commanded silence.
He entered the elevator without a word and rode to the penthouse level.
When he reached the suite, he removed his coat and handed it to an assistant. He walked to the window, looking out at the storm that painted the city in silver streaks of rain.
The Benefactor had arrived.
He spoke quietly to his aide. "Prepare the next move."
The aide asked, "What are your orders for Raymond?"
The Benefactor's lips curled faintly. "Let him breathe for now. Fear grows best in silence."
At The Imperial Crest, John, Rita, and Morgan relocated to the crisis control room. The walls were lined with screens showing security feeds, network traffic, and system diagnostics. Engineers worked in silence, the tension heavy.
Morgan stepped beside John with a tablet. "We found something else in the audit files. A set of coordinates hidden deep in Lionwell's private accounts."
Rita raised a brow. "Coordinates?"
"Yes," Morgan said. "The location points to a private compound outside the city. The files call it 'The Sanctuary'."
John's expression tightened. "The Benefactor's fallback base."
Rita looked at John. "If we go there, we will not come back without a fight."
John nodded. "We go anyway."
Morgan swallowed hard. "I knew you would say that."
John placed a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "Find out everything you can about the compound. I want blueprints, security systems, ownership records, anything."
Morgan nodded and headed toward the tech station.
Rita stepped closer to John. "When you face him, what will you do?"
John's eyes darkened. "I will finish what my father could not."
Hours later, Morgan rushed back, holding a printed document.
"John. Rita. You need to see this."
They gathered around the table as he spread out the blueprint of the compound.
Rita looked confused. "This design. I recognise this."
John did too. His voice was almost a whisper.
"My father used a similar layout for his early research labs."
Morgan nodded. "Exactly. The Benefactor built his sanctuary using your father's original concepts."
A cold silence filled the room.
John spoke softly. "Then this goes deeper than we thought."
Rita placed a hand on the table. "The Benefactor was involved with your father long before The Crest existed."
Morgan pointed at the central chamber of the compound. "This room is marked 'The Vault'. And according to the files, it contains something called The Raymond Project."
John felt the ground shift beneath his feet.
"My father never spoke of this."
Rita looked up at him. "Then the Benefactor kept it hidden for a reason."
John closed the blueprint slowly.
"We go to the Sanctuary."
Rita nodded. "Then we prepare."
Morgan whispered, "What if it is a trap?"
John's voice was calm, but lethal. "Then we walk into it with our eyes open."
He turned toward the window where lightning illuminated the sky.
"The Benefactor has taken another piece from our board, it is time we take one from his."
Across the city, in the penthouse suite, the Benefactor watched the storm.
His aide approached. "Sir, Raymond has discovered the Sanctuary."
The Benefactor smiled faintly. "Good. It is time he sees the truth."
He closed his eyes briefly, as if savouring the coming collision.
"The lion is walking into the house of shadows. Let us see if he comes out."