The symbol didn't move.
A black crown.
Simple.
Silent.
But the moment it appeared on the screen, the entire room felt colder.
Luca leaned closer to the monitor, his fingers hovering above the keyboard.
"That's not possible," he muttered.
Adrian didn't respond.
He already knew what it meant.
Elara looked between them.
"What is it?"
Luca swallowed.
"That symbol…"
He pointed at the screen.
"That's the Consortium's mark."
Elara felt her pulse quicken.
"They hacked the system?"
Adrian shook his head slowly.
"No."
Luca frowned.
"What do you mean no? The system is literally—"
Adrian cut him off.
"They didn't hack it."
His eyes stayed fixed on the crown.
"They were already inside."
Silence fell across the room.
Elara felt a chill run through her spine.
"You mean…"
"…they've been watching us?"
Adrian nodded once.
"Yes."
Luca slammed his hand on the table.
"Impossible."
"This system is air-gapped."
"No external connection."
"No remote access."
"No satellite link."
Adrian's voice stayed calm.
"And yet the crown is on the screen."
That shut Luca up.
Elara's mind raced.
"If they were already inside the system…"
"…then someone had to put them there."
Adrian looked toward the corridor behind them.
"Exactly."
The emergency lights flickered again.
Somewhere deep inside the mansion—
A door slammed.
Luca grabbed his rifle instantly.
"Okay."
"Now I'm officially uncomfortable."
Elara stepped closer to Adrian.
"You think there's a spy in the house."
Adrian answered quietly.
"Yes."
"How long?"
"Possibly years."
Luca's expression hardened.
"Great."
"Fantastic."
"Love that for us."
The screen suddenly flickered again.
The crown disappeared.
New text slowly appeared beneath it.
ARES VALENTINO
YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED DEAD
Elara inhaled sharply.
"They know."
Adrian didn't react.
But his eyes darkened.
Luca whispered,
"…Well that's unsettling."
More text appeared.
PROJECT OLYMPUS WILL NEVER ACTIVATE
YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO KEEP IT
Elara looked at Adrian.
"What are they talking about?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
Instead he reached forward and typed several commands into the console.
Hidden security layers activated.
Encrypted firewalls locked down the system again.
Then he turned toward Luca.
"Check the internal cameras."
Luca started typing.
The security feeds returned across multiple screens.
Hallways.
Garages.
Elevators.
Exterior gates.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Luca frowned.
"Nothing."
Adrian spoke calmly.
"They wouldn't move openly."
Elara asked,
"So what do we do?"
Adrian looked toward the entrance of the control room.
"We wait."
Luca raised an eyebrow.
"You want to just… wait?"
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
"Because if they're already inside…"
"…they'll come for Olympus."
The room went quiet again.
Elara glanced at the locked server racks lining the walls.
"So Project Olympus is here?"
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
Luca exhaled slowly.
"Which means the Consortium is about to send someone."
Elara asked,
"Someone like Elias?"
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
"Elias was just a messenger."
Elara's voice lowered.
"Then who comes next?"
Adrian's answer was simple.
"Their hunters."
Almost as if summoned by the words—
The lights suddenly went out.
Complete darkness filled the room.
Luca cursed under his breath.
"Power's gone."
Emergency generators kicked in seconds later.
Dim red lighting returned.
But something was wrong.
Half the security feeds were now dead.
Adrian's expression changed instantly.
"They're inside."
Luca raised his rifle.
"You're kidding."
A soft metallic sound echoed from the corridor.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Approaching.
Elara's breath caught.
"Adrian…"
He stepped slightly in front of her.
"Stay behind me."
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
Then—
A calm voice spoke from the other side.
"Ares Valentino."
The voice was smooth.
Cold.
Almost amused.
"It's been a long time."
Luca whispered,
"Oh hell."
Adrian didn't move.
"Identify yourself."
The door slowly opened.
A man stepped inside.
Tall.
Perfectly composed.
Dressed in a dark suit like he had walked out of a corporate boardroom instead of a battlefield.
Behind him—
Four armed soldiers.
But their movements were different from ordinary mercenaries.
Precise.
Professional.
Elite.
The man smiled slightly.
"Adrian Valentino."
"So that's the name you use now."
Elara watched carefully.
"Who are you?"
The man looked at her.
Then back at Adrian.
"You didn't tell her?"
Adrian's voice turned cold.
"Say your name."
The man's smile widened slightly.
"Cassian Vire."
Luca froze.
"…No way."
Elara glanced at him.
"You know him?"
Luca whispered,
"That's not just anyone."
"That's the Consortium's top operative."
Cassian walked slowly into the room.
Completely relaxed.
Like he owned the place.
"I have to admit," he said calmly.
"I didn't expect to see you alive."
Adrian didn't react.
"You came for Olympus."
Cassian nodded.
"Of course."
"Did you think we'd let you keep it?"
Elara looked between them.
"What exactly is Olympus?"
Cassian answered her casually.
"Ares built the only system capable of exposing the Consortium's entire network."
Her eyes widened.
"You mean… names?"
Cassian nodded.
"Leaders."
"Governments."
"Financial backers."
"Every secret connection."
Luca muttered,
"So basically the nuclear button of global corruption."
Cassian smiled.
"Exactly."
He looked back at Adrian.
"And we cannot allow that to exist."
Adrian stepped forward slightly.
"You're too late."
Cassian tilted his head.
"Am I?"
He raised a small device in his hand.
Luca's eyes widened.
"Adrian…"
"That's a signal disruptor."
Cassian pressed the button.
The servers behind Adrian suddenly shut down.
The system went dark.
Cassian sighed.
"Project Olympus."
"Deleted."
The room went silent.
Elara stared at the dead screens.
"You destroyed it?"
Cassian nodded.
"Yes."
Then he looked at Adrian.
"You really thought you could hide from us forever?"
Adrian's expression didn't change.
But something about him shifted.
Something dangerous.
"You made one mistake," Adrian said quietly.
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Adrian's lips moved slightly.
"You assumed Olympus only existed in one place."
Cassian's smile slowly faded.
Luca grinned.
"Oh…"
"Oh that's good."
Cassian's voice sharpened.
"What did you do?"
Adrian looked directly into his eyes.
"I finished it."
Silence.
Cassian's soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons.
Elara felt the tension rising like a storm.
"What does that mean?" Cassian asked.
Adrian answered calmly.
"It means Olympus is already active."
Cassian's expression darkened.
"That's impossible."
Adrian nodded toward the dark screens.
"You should check your network."
For the first time—
Cassian looked uncertain.
Then suddenly his earpiece buzzed.
His hand moved to it instantly.
A voice shouted through the comm.
"Sir—global data breach detected."
Cassian froze.
"Multiple intelligence networks compromised."
"Financial databases leaking."
"Political records exposed."
Cassian slowly lowered his hand.
His eyes returned to Adrian.
"You…"
Adrian's voice remained steady.
"You should have stayed hidden."
Luca laughed quietly.
"Oh man."
"You just started a global war."
Elara looked at Adrian.
"Did you just expose the Consortium?"
Adrian answered softly.
"No."
The lights flickered again.
And outside—
Distant sirens began echoing across the city.
"I forced them into the open."
Cassian's calm mask cracked slightly.
"You have no idea what you've done."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Oh, I do."
The tension in the room felt explosive.
Because now—
The secret war was no longer secret.
And the entire world was about to see it.