The new "Olympus Tower" project was the pinnacle of Julian's career, a glass and steel monument that would redefine the Manhattan skyline. He stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, looking down at the bustling city below, caressing the miniature model of the building in his hand, with the satisfaction of an emperor on his face. This tower was his, through and through.

But he knew that in the deepest foundation of that building, wrapped under hundreds of tons of reinforced concrete, lay a secret that didn't belong to the tower. A ghost from the past, a man who should have disappeared forever.


It was Serafina's ex-husband, a brilliantly talented but laughably naive architect, and his former partner. Julian remembered that rainy night at the original construction site, when the two had a fierce argument over design concepts and equity distribution. That man, Alexander, accused Julian of plagiarizing his ideas and diluting his shares.

The argument turned into shoving, and finally, Julian grabbed a steel bar and smashed it violently against Alexander's back of the head. Warm blood splattered on his face, and a cold fear with a hint of excitement seized him. He didn't call the police, but instead made a decision that would change everything.

He dragged Alexander's body into the foundation pit that had just been half-filled with concrete, then ordered the workers to work through the night, burying the area completely with more concrete. Everyone thought Alexander had disappeared during his travels, but only Julian knew that he had forever become the first cornerstone of his empire.


Now, as the building was about to be topped off, the final inspection from the government and safety authorities was drawing near. Although the probability of discovery was extremely low, Julian couldn't tolerate even the slightest risk. He needed "that thing" to completely disappear, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Shifting his greedy gaze from the model, Julian pressed the intercom. "Have the construction supervisor come to my office in half an hour, with the latest foundation structural drawings. Zone A, Pile 7." His voice was calm and decisive, as if he were merely scheduling a routine work meeting.


Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, in Logan's command center, the air was filled only with the deep hum of servers and the crisp sound of keyboard strokes. The massive screen wall displayed the internal communication monitoring logs of "Thorn Capital" headquarters.

"He's making his move," said Serafina in a flat tone, looking at the words "Zone A, Pile 7" that had just been highlighted on the screen.

"Just as we expected," Logan replied without turning his head, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. "He's too arrogant, always thinking he can control everything and erase all traces." His screen switched to a detailed 3D geological radar scan, clearly marking an irregular shadow with abnormal density, coordinates matching exactly with the location Julian had mentioned.

"According to our inside source, he has arranged for the site to be cleared tonight, under the pretense of 'structural reinforcement testing'."

Serafina nodded, her heart completely unmoved. Since Julian had stripped her of everything using Elena's lies in court, she knew he wouldn't stop there. He would try to erase all traces of his past that posed a threat to him, and Alexander was his biggest concern.

"How much time do we need?" she asked.

"The core drilling and lifting equipment are already disguised as construction vehicles on standby nearby. The two-hour lunch break window at the construction site will be enough." Logan enlarged the image, and the computer instantly mapped out an optimal cutting path. "We won't damage the main structure, just take what he wants. Like surgery - precise and clean."

Serafina looked at his focused profile; this once lone wolf who had navigated the fringes of the network was now her sharpest blade. "Let's proceed."

Julian arrived at the construction site at midnight. The entire site was pitch black, with only the glaring headlights from the few construction vehicles he brought illuminating the area around Pile No. 7 in Zone A as bright as day. Several of his trusted subordinates had already cleared the area and were anxiously waiting for instructions.

"Begin," Julian took off his suit jacket, wearing only a white shirt, and personally directed the operation.

The massive hydraulic rock drill emitted a deafening roar, beginning to break up the concrete according to the precise location in his memory. As dust filled the air and debris scattered, Julian's eyes flickered with a feverish light mixing tension and anticipation. He seemed to return to that rainy night; this time, he would personally complete that long-delayed funeral.

An hour later, a huge concrete block was completely separated. The subordinates carefully chipped away the outer layer with crowbars and hammers, and everyone held their breath.

However, as the last piece of concrete shattered, what was revealed was not the skeleton they had anticipated, but a smooth, flat surface. It was completely empty inside.

The color drained from Julian's face instantly. He couldn't believe his eyes. He rushed forward and frantically searched inside the hollow with his hands, finding nothing but cold concrete powder.

"What's going on?!" He turned back in rage, roaring at his subordinates, "Where's the body?!"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment; no one could answer his question. A fear deeper than finding a corpse, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed Julian.

Just then, a sharp phone ringtone abruptly sounded in the dead silence of the construction site. The source of the sound was right at the bottom of the hollowed-out concrete void.

A subordinate tremblingly handed Julian the phone that appeared to have been deliberately left inside. The screen displayed an unknown number.

He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Good evening, Julian." Serafina's calm and clear voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of a smile, "Working so late, you must be exhausted. Are you looking for something you've lost?"

Julian's body suddenly stiffened, his fingers turning white from gripping the phone too tightly. He could almost imagine Serafina sitting leisurely somewhere, enjoying his predicament.

"Serafina..." he squeezed her name through gritted teeth.

"I see you've found the 'surprise' I prepared for you," Serafina's voice betrayed no emotion, yet every word felt like a needle piercing his most sensitive nerves, "I'm just keeping it safe for you. After all, such important 'assets' wouldn't be very secure left at a construction site, exposed to the elements."

"What do you want?" Julian's voice became hoarse with anger and fear.

"I don't want anything," I chuckled softly, "I just want to remind you that the rules of the game have changed. From now on, I'm in charge. The resting place of Alexander will be decided by me. And of course, your future as well."

I hung up the phone decisively, leaving only a busy tone.

Julian violently smashed his phone to the ground, shattering it on the concrete. He looked around at the construction site he had built with his own hands, this "Olympus Tower" that symbolized his power and glory, yet at this moment, it felt like a massive cage custom-made for him.

Returning to the empty office of "Thorn Capital," Julian felt a bone-chilling cold for the first time. He smashed the exquisite "Olympus Tower" model on his desk, with fragments scattered all over the floor, just like his shattered confidence at this moment. He had lost, lost completely, and on the battlefield he had been most proud of.

Meanwhile, at the secret storage location, Logan was making final checks on a huge sealed box made of temperature and humidity-controlled materials. He nodded to Serafina, indicating that everything was in order.

Serafina looked at the box, which contained Julian's deepest fear and also her most solid bargaining chip on her path to revenge. She was no longer a passive victim, no longer a lamb to be slaughtered.

From now on, she is the hunter. And Julian is the beast with a noose around his neck, only waiting for judgment. She will decide when he's sent to the electric chair, and before that, he must bleed his last drop of blood for her.

"What if I fail?" Serafina suddenly spoke, looking toward Logan.

Logan was silent for a moment, then took out a small USB drive from his pocket and handed it to her. "Madam, this is the 'final insurance' you asked me to prepare. It contains the contact information of someone in Europe who will appear when you need her."

Serafina took the USB drive, feeling its featherlight weight. Mother was right, someone from the Vanderbilt family would always return. Even if she died, the revenge would not end. That person whom she had never met, whose existence she had never even believed in, would be her final trump card.