Chapter 152
As Ariana vanished into the night, the tension that had been thick in the air finally began to dissipate, but the weight of what had just transpired still pressed down on everyone. Caleb moved over to Peter’s lifeless body, his face grim as he crouched next to the fallen mastermind.
"We need to clean this up," Caleb said softly, though his words carried an edge of frustration. "Peter may be dead, but Ariana’s still playing the game. And if what she said about Maxwell is true, this isn’t over."
Alexander’s mind raced, trying to piece together the fragmented chaos that had unfolded before him. “Maxwell,” he muttered, shaking his head. “We’ve been chasing the wrong person all along. We thought Maxwell was pulling the strings, but Peter was the true architect. And now, with Peter gone... Maxwell is free to make his own moves.”
Lily, still shaken by her father’s sudden betrayal and death, stood silently, her face pale as she tried to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "He was doing this for us," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "For me... for the family."
Alexander walked over to her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "It wasn’t for you, Lily. It was for him. Peter’s obsession with power blinded him. You’re not responsible for his choices."
Lily looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. “But I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t know…”
Before Alexander could respond, his phone buzzed again, jolting him back to the present. He glanced at the screen—an urgent news alert.
**Breaking News: No Bodies Found in Vehicle Explosion. Authorities Confirm Car was Empty.**
Alexander’s heart skipped a beat. “They’ve confirmed it—no one was in the car. Lily, you were never in danger.”
Lily blinked, confused. “But… what does that mean?”
“It means Maxwell and Ariana were both fooled,” Caleb interjected, standing up from Peter’s body. “Someone set up the explosion, but it wasn’t to kill anyone. It was meant to mislead us.”
Alexander took a deep breath, the weight of this revelation settling in. “We’ve been chasing shadows,” he said quietly. “The real enemy is still out there, and they’ve been one step ahead of us the whole time.”
But before they could process this new twist, another sound cut through the air—the faint hum of approaching helicopters. Alexander’s eyes darted to the horizon, where several black helicopters were quickly closing in.
"Maxwell," Caleb said darkly. "He’s not going to stop until he finishes what Peter started."
"Or takes control of what Peter left behind," Alexander added, his mind quickly forming a plan. "We can’t wait for him to come to us. We need to move now, strike before he does."
Lily wiped her tears, her resolve hardening. "What’s the plan?"
But before Alexander could answer, his phone buzzed again—another message, this one even more cryptic than the last.
**Unknown Number: "Maxwell’s not your biggest threat. Look deeper. You’ve only scratched the surface."**
Alexander felt a cold chill run down his spine. If Maxwell wasn’t the biggest threat, then who was?
Suddenly, a distant memory flashed in his mind—something Peter had once said in passing, about an old ally who had helped him rise to power. A shadowy figure who had remained hidden, even as Peter built his empire.
"Whoever sent this," Alexander said, holding up his phone, "they know more than we do. There’s another player we haven’t accounted for."
Caleb frowned. "Someone more powerful than Maxwell? That’s hard to believe."
But Alexander shook his head. "Not more powerful—more strategic. Someone who has been pulling strings from the shadows, just like Peter. And now, with Peter gone, they’re ready to make their move."
Suddenly, the helicopters above began circling the area, their searchlights illuminating the dark landscape. “We’re out of time,” Alexander said, his voice steady but urgent. “We need to find Maxwell before this escalates any further.”
As the group moved quickly to get into their cars and leave, Alexander’s mind continued to race. Who was this new player? And what was their endgame?
Maxwell may have been the most immediate threat, but now, with Peter dead and Ariana still at large, the true mastermind was finally emerging from the shadows. And Alexander knew that if they didn’t uncover the truth soon, this game—one that had already claimed too many lives—was about to become even deadlier.
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