Chapter 21 — The Hidden Threat 🔥⚡
Smoke still curled from the shattered lights, the banquet hall thick with tension and the acrid scent of burning circuits. Guests clung to chairs, reporters fumbled with cameras, and CEOs froze mid-step, faces pale.
I pressed closer to Keifer, our hands locked tightly. Every fiber of my being screamed alert — this was no ordinary attack. Whoever this new figure was, they weren't here for show.
"You feel that?" Keifer muttered, eyes scanning the smoky hall. "Power… it's strong. Too strong."
I nodded, heart pounding. My own instincts flared, the same ones I used to control Crownveil's darkest secrets — my mafia side, hidden from everyone until now.
From the shadows, the figure stepped forward. Tall, broad-shouldered, cloaked in black, but the moment the dim light hit their face… my blood ran cold.
It was someone I had thought I'd left behind.
"Jasper Jean Mariano," the figure said, voice icy. "You've built an empire, but tonight, you'll learn how fragile it truly is."
Keifer growled, stepping protectively in front of me. "Not. One. Step." His eyes were fire incarnate, and anyone daring to cross us would know pain firsthand.
I smirked faintly, adrenaline surging. "You think you scare me? This is Crownveil — and you're about to learn why."
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Section E Chaos 🤯
Edrix ducked behind a table. "Jay… what do we do?"
"Watch and learn," I muttered, eyes fixed on the intruder. Every step they took was calculated, but they were underestimating me.
Yuri whispered, "She's… dangerous. I didn't expect—"
"SHUT UP," I snapped, earning startled glances. "This is my fight. Stay out of the way."
Josh, Mayo, Felix, and the others huddled together, eyes wide, but they trusted me — their friend, their classmate, the ghost CEO who just shook their entire world.
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Keifer's hand found mine again. "I won't let anyone touch you," he whispered, voice low but deadly.
I leaned into him, lips brushing his jaw. "I don't need saving… but I do like it when you try 😏."
He smirked. "Good. Because tonight, you're mine. Nobody else's."
Our eyes locked — the world outside could crumble, but in that moment, it was just us. Heat, trust, and unspoken promises thrummed between us like an unbreakable tethering
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The intruder lunged, fast — faster than anyone expected. Keifer intercepted, a collision of force that sent the man staggering. I moved alongside, agile and lethal, striking with precision. Guns were drawn, but I was faster — disarming one attacker before he could fire, twisting another's wrist with ease.
Section E gasped. Percy and Angelo flanked us, covering every angle. Percy's moves were smooth, deadly, like water flowing around rocks. Angelo was all brute force and unwavering defense.
Kaizer watched, jaw clenched, realizing my strength was far beyond what he'd calculated.
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Crisis Escalates ⚡
Smoke filled the hall further. Shouts, alarms, the chaos of a thousand panicked voices. But my gaze never left the intruder. This was no ordinary challenge — it was personal.
"Jay… who is he?" Keifer hissed, keeping a hand firmly on my waist.
I narrowed my eyes. "Someone from my past. Someone who thinks they can break me… and Crownveil."
The man advanced again, faster, stronger, more dangerous. I met him with calm precision, the combination of my CEO intelligence and underground mafia training guiding my every move.
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And just as it seemed we might hold our ground —
The intruder snapped their fingers. From the shadows, ten more figures emerged, moving in perfect formation, armed and deadly.
I felt Keifer tense beside me, Section E huddled closer, Percy and Angelo prepared. The room was a battlefield.
And my heart raced with exhilaration, fury, and… anticipation.
Because this was far from over.
And from the smoke, the intruder's chilling voice echoed once more:
"Jasper Jean Mariano… welcome to the real game. Let's see how you survive it."
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🔥 End of Chapter 21 — Hidden Threat
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Bye bye 👋
Love you all ❣️