Chapter 899
“He missed the heart by an inch,” Alistair murmured. “A professional doesn’t miss by an inch unless he means to. He wanted you out of the way — a power vacuum, not a martyr.”
One hard blink.
“Arthur,” Alistair said. “He wanted Oracle leaderless so he could move in. With Richard still sedated in Switzerland, Arthur is the only Sterling left to claim the throne.”
Lucian held his gaze, intent and steady. He tapped the bed rail in a slow, deliberate rhythm. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“You want us to play dead?” Alistair asked.
One blink.
“If Arthur thinks you’re recovering, he’ll try again. But if he thinks you’re dying, he’ll get careless. He’ll make a move.”
Lucian managed a weak, lopsided smile.
“Let’s give him a show,” Alistair said. “I’ll handle the press.”
𝗕𝖾 𝘱𝗮rt о𝘧 𝘰𝘶r со𝗺m𝘂𝗇𝗶t𝘺 о𝗇 𝘨a𝗅𝘯о𝘷𝖾l𝘴.со𝘮
In the Oracle command center, tension had reached a breaking point.
Parker sat in a wheelchair with his bandaged leg elevated, jabbing a finger at Travis Tate. “It was you!” Parker shouted. “You’re the only one who knew the security rotation at the construction site. You leaked it!”
Travis looked terrified. “I didn’t! I swear! I was monitoring the dark web, exactly like Skye asked!”
“Liar!” Parker tried to wheel forward and winced sharply.
“Enough!” Julian barked. “We don’t turn on each other.”
“He’s a rat, Julian!” Parker yelled. “Look at him — he’s sweating like a —”
“I’m sweating because you’re threatening me!” Travis squeaked.
Skye walked in. She took in the scene — the chaos, the distrust, the fracturing of the team. This was exactly what the enemy wanted. She caught Julian’s eye. He gave a microscopic nod.
It was time for the performance.
“Julian,” Skye said calmly. “Did you vet Travis’s logs?”
“I did,” Julian said, meeting her gaze. “They’re clean.”
Skye looked at Travis. The boy was shaking.
“Parker is right,” Skye said coldly. “We can’t take risks. Travis, get out.”
“What?” Travis gasped. “Skye, please —”
“Get out.” Skye pointed to the door. “I’m terminating your contract. If I see you near Oracle again, I’ll have Felix remove you.”
Julian’s expression shifted to convincing outrage. “Skye, you can’t be serious. My family has supported this operation from the beginning.”
“I am serious,” Skye said. “And if you choose to side with a liability, Julian, then perhaps the Vance family should reconsider its alliance with Oracle.”
The room went silent.
Julian stared at her for a long moment. Then he picked up his secure tablet and closed it with a deliberate, definitive snap. “Fine,” he said. “If that’s how you want to play it. Come on, Travis. We aren’t wanted here.”
He led the weeping boy out.
Parker stared at Skye. “You actually did it.”
“We have a war to win,” Skye said, her voice flat. “I don’t have time for weak links.”
But as she turned away, her hand trembled at her side.
She hoped Julian had understood. She hoped he had caught the signal. Because if he hadn’t, she had just driven away her best strategist — and handed the enemy exactly what they were looking for.