Six years ago, a woman vanished without a trace—and a powerful man was left believing she had abandoned him.

The storm outside unleashed a torrent of fury as the Sullivan tactical squad breached the perimeter fence of the North Point Waterworks. Rain pounded against the cracked asphalt like lead shot, washing away the footprints of the six-man assault team moving silently through the shadows.

Matthew moved with tactical precision, flanked by Marcus and two heavily armed operatives. Night-vision optics cast the world in ghostly shades of green and black.

They approached the secondary intake portal on the eastern wall of the facility. The heavy iron door was secured by a magnetic keypad lock.

Marcus stepped forward, attaching an electronic deciphering module to the terminal. The device scrolled through thousands of encrypted alphanumeric combinations in seconds before letting out a soft beep.

ACCESS GRANTED.

The heavy hydraulic door slid open with a muted hiss, revealing a dark, cavernous hallway descending steeply into the earth. The air inside was thick with the stench of stagnant water, decaying rust, and industrial oil.

"Thermal imaging shows four heat signatures on Sub-Level 1," Marcus whispered through the tactical comms. "Two patrols on the catwalk, two guarding the main elevator shaft. Sub-Level 3 is flooded with two feet of water already."

"We move silently until we secure the stairs," Matthew ordered. "Do not allow them to alert the central control room."

They descended the concrete stairwell like wraiths. On the landing of Sub-Level 1, Matthew spotted the first guard leaning against the railing, an automatic shotgun slung across his chest, smoking a cigarette.

Matthew gave a hand signal. Marcus moved forward, covering the guard's mouth from behind while driving a tactical blade into the neuromuscular junction of the neck. The guard went down instantly without a sound.

At the end of the catwalk, the second guard turned, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye. Before he could raise his weapon, Matthew fired two suppressed rounds through the metal grating. The guard collapsed onto the steel platform.

They cleared Sub-Level 1 in less than ninety seconds.

As they reached the heavy blast doors leading to Sub-Level 2, Marcus suddenly stopped in front of the secondary terminal. He examined the digital access logs on the screen.

"Sir," Marcus muttered, his brow furrowing in deep suspicion. "Look at this clearance code."

Matthew stepped beside him and glanced at the monitor.

The system had logged an authorized entry code just twenty minutes prior. The code was an internal executive security cipher from Sullivan Global: SG-EXEC-009.

Matthew’s eyes narrowed into slits of ice. SG-EXEC-009 belonged to only one person in his entire conglomerate:

Arthur Pendelton.

The Chairman of the Sullivan Board of Directors, Matthew’s mentor, and the man who had supposedly funded the private investigation to find Anne six years ago.

"Arthur..." Matthew hissed, the full scope of the conspiracy unfurling in his mind.

Julian Vance had not acted alone. He couldn't have. Julian had been the attack dog, while Arthur Pendelton sat in the boardroom, orchestrating the betrayal from the inside, ensuring that every search team Matthew sent out hit dead ends, keeping Matthew isolated, childless, and vulnerable.

"Arthur wanted control of the board," Matthew whispered, his voice vibrating with absolute fury. "With Anne gone and no heirs, if I died, the entire Sullivan estate defaulted to the trust controlled by Pendelton."

"They planned to eliminate you tonight at the hospital," Marcus realized, his jaw tightening. "They thought you’d come alone, get ambushed, and Julian would take the offshore funds while Arthur took the corporation."

"They underestimated one thing," Matthew said, slamming the magazine of his weapon back into place.

"What's that, sir?"

"A father’s wrath."