The wall-sized monitor in Victor Hale’s private penthouse suite flickered, casting a sickly blue light across the marble room. Five names. Five mothers. Five living children scattered across the globe like secrets buried in shallow graves.

“Stand down, Mr. Hale,” the lead operative commanded, his voice muffled by a tactical mask. “Orders come directly from executive authority.”

“I am the executive authority!” Victor shouted, stepping in front of Evelyn and Sophie. “Who gave you this order?”

The operative didn’t answer. Instead, Marcus Vale stepped out from behind Victor’s tactical team, holding a encrypted tablet. His hands were no longer trembling. A cold, calculated smile touched the lawyer’s lips.

“I’m sorry, Victor,” Marcus said smoothly. “Your father was a visionary. He realized that a single heir to the Hale empire was a vulnerability. Project EOS wasn’t just a biological experiment; it was a legacy preservation program. Six genetically perfect children, raised across the world, ready to execute global dominance when the time was right.”

“You dragged innocent women into this!” Evelyn yelled, her body trembling with outrage. “You stole our babies!”

“We gave your empty lives purpose, Ms. Ward,” Marcus sneered. “And now, Victor’s interference threatens to expose the entire apparatus. The board has voted. Victor is to be removed. The children will be consolidated.”

A deafening gunshot echoed through the room.

Marcus gasped, dropping the tablet as a crimson stain bloomed across his chest. Behind him, Victor’s personal driver and lifelong friend, Thomas, lowered a suppressed pistol.