Chapter 1453
The blood-red font looked as though fresh crimson was slowly seeping into the
screen.
Piercing.
Macabre.
Arrogant beyond measure.
Jasper slammed his fist onto the solid wood desk. “Son of a bitch! This is a blatant provocation! Who the hell does he think he is, challenging us like this p>
The polite smile had been completely wiped from Julian’s face, replaced by a terrifying, arctic wrath. “Obsidian Sun wants to use Whitecliffe Harbor—a completely lawless zone-to corner Serena and steal Grandma’s legacy in one swoop p>
It was a naked, unapologetic trap.
The Raven had served the exact coordinates of Whitecliffe Harbor on a silver platter.
He had provided the precise docking time for Project Zero-Transit.
He had even explicitly named Aria Wynn.
This was p>
“An invitation to the slaughter,” Nicholas said, his striking eyes devoid of any warmth as he stared at the raven crest. “The Raven is certainly bold p>
The enemy had placed all their cards on the table.
They never cared about the Sinclair family or any of the expendable pawns they had sacrificed.
From the very beginning, their sole objective had been the core data of Aria Wynn.
And their ultimate prize was the granddaughter Aria had personally mentored— Serena Lancaster.
Whitecliffe Harbor was a notorious dead zone.
No laws, no jurisdictions, no mercy.
Obsidian Sun chose to dock Project Zero-Transit there specifically to bait her into an inescapable cage.
Through it all, Serena remained utterly silent.
She stared at the invitation, her gaze locking onto the words “Bring Aria’s Key p>
The shadows in her eyes deepened.
Suddenly, a low, breathy laugh escaped her lips.
Her crimson lips curved upward, and
a lethal frost settled over her luminous eyes. “The Raven wants to lure me into his cage? He’d better make sure the cage is strong enough to hold me p>
“Absolutely not p>
Jasper was the first to explode. “Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of going p>
He pointed a shaking finger at the screen, his handsome face twisted in fury. “That’s not an invitation! He’s trying to force your hand p>
“Seventy-two hours? Bring Aria’s Key? He might as well have written ‘SUICIDE TRAP’ in neon letters p>
Normally, Jasper was laid-back and sarcastic, never taking anything too seriously.
But the moment Serena’s safety was threatened, he turned into a rabid wolf, his hackles raised and teeth bared.
Julian was always the picture of refined calm, but his gaze was heavy and uncompromising. “They fed you the time and the coordinates because they are absolutely certain you will take the bait p>
“Serena p>
His voice was soft, but it carried an unyielding edge of authority. “This is a trap, and
it is a declaration of war p>
Jerrick kept his eyes locked on Serena. He wasn’t screaming like Jasper, nor was
he analyzing like Julian, but his stance was equally absolute.
“You cannot go p>
“The second you step foot in that harbor, you are playing their game p>
The three brothers stared at her.
Their eyes were tight with suffocating anxiety.
Because everyone in the room knew exactly why the data regarding Aria Wynn had been recovered.
They knew exactly why The Raven had specifically invoked Aria’s Key.
It was the one thing Serena could never walk away from.
Anything concerning her grandmother was a thread she would follow to the ends of the earth.
Serena knew her brothers were terrified that her emotional attachment to her grandmother would override her logic, leading her straight into the slaughterhouse. But her expression was perfectly composed, showing no reckless impulse or blind rage.
“Obsidian Sun amputated the Sinclair branch with terrifying speed,” she said evenly. “That proves the Sinclair supply line was directly wired into their core p>
“The Raven exposed his own stronghold at Whitecliffe Harbor just to bait me. That means whatever is on Project Zero Transitis infinitely more valuable than the entire Sinclair empire p>