Local: Neo-Saishin Private District, Asian Country X
Time: 2:17 AM
Location: Hanzo Jǐn Mansion—stories of pure excess, dripping with luxury, and surrounded by fake gardens with trees that have never seen a root.
The interior of the mansion vibrated with loud music, moans, and the clinking of crystal glasses hitting black marble.
Neon lights ran across the walls like digital snakes.
The girls—young, silicone-enhanced, stacked in twos and threes—laughed, screamed, lapped up the host's arrogance, their eyes glazed over with bills and chemical powder.
Hanzo Jǐn was slumped on a circular sofa, with three women on his lap and two more at his feet. His hair was disheveled, he had tattoos, an e-cigarette in one hand and a glass of golden sake in the other.
"Nothing better than fucking while the world wants to kill you," he said, laughing with a mouthful of pleasure and delirium. "Bring it on. I'm untouchable. Untouchable, damn it!"
Outside...
The world fell silent.
Like ghosts among the particles of night, 12 soldiers from the Cryon Unit—Operation "White Shadows"—approached the mansion.
Thermal reflective armor. Mute weapons. No fingerprints. No trace.
Direct command: "Erase Hanzo Jǐn. No breaches. No survivors in the core. No alarms. Clear exit."
Operation leader Lieutenant Frigard activated the team's neural network. "Complete silence. Standard route Delta. Access via the ground floor and the helipad. We're in in 30 seconds."
The mansion's security system was disabled.
Reason?
Hanzo wanted "privacy" for the event... Privacy that was now an invitation to death.
The locked doors opened with master codes collected by cyber espionage.
Three soldiers entered through the ground floor.
Two infiltrated from the top.
The rest surrounded the intermediate floors.
No shots.
No scream.
Only executions.
The first to die were the private security guards, asleep from boredom and intoxicated by the false security of their positions.
Clean cuts in the throats.
Bodies hidden in automated cleaning compartments.
The cameras? All off.
Or rather... they were never connected.
In the mansion, Hanzo, laughing, was still too busy with a woman riding on his lap when the armored glass of the hall opened like cut silk.
"What the fuck—"
Frigard entered with his team.
The world seemed to freeze.
With a gesture, he activated the inert thermal grenade, which reduced the temperature of the room to -35°C in seconds.
The prostitutes screamed, cowered, some fainted from the sudden shock.
The drinks froze in the glasses.
Hanzo tried to get up. His eyes wide, his heart racing. "You guys… who the—"
One shot.
On the knee.
Hanzo fell screaming.
Frigard approached and spoke in a voice that seemed to come from within a crypt. "You messed with someone who holds a throne…"
Hanzo tried to say something, but all that came out was drool. Pure terror.
Frigard placed the barrel of the pistol between Hanzo's eyes.
Silence.
One click.
Bang.
No pain.
No chance.
The teams collected the visible bodies, cleared the scene with particle drones, and activated a holographic simulation that would leave the house looking like a party for another 6 hours.
Enough time to escape.
Soldiers' identities? Codenames. No faces exposed.
No fingerprints.
No camera.
No presence recorded.
Hanzo Jǐn's death would be officially treated as sexual overdose and cardiac arrest.
A dirty scandal?
But too human to raise suspicions of anything else.
At the hotel, an alert arrived on Kael's tablet.
"Operation White Shadows: Successfully completed. Target eliminated. Zero leaks."
Kael smirked. Just a little.
"May the next ones learn..."
The hotel room was dark, only lit by the blue light of the hologram floating before Kael.
On the other end of the call, Victoria, still in her pajamas, her hair loose like a violet waterfall and her face softly smiling, blinked with lazy charm.
"You know, Kael... you call me so often that I'm starting to suspect you can't go five hours without my voice."
Kael, lying in bed in only a pair of white silk pajama pants, chuckled softly, his eyes half-closed. "You're lying. I can do it… as long as I'm unconscious."
"You're a drama queen, ice prince," she teased, reaching across the screen as if she could touch him.
"And you're a sweet curse that keeps me from breathing without sighing," he countered, so sweetly that even the hotel's AI wanted to shut down.
Victoria laughed, tossing her hair back. "You should be sleeping."
"I'd rather be awake... with you by my side."
"Hmmm, careful. Keep it up or I'll show up with a private jet."
Kael sighed deeply, his expression softening. "If I weren't tied up in these diplomatic negotiations… I would have already returned to the Phoenix Empire. It's hell being away from you."
She smiled tenderly. "Distance changes nothing, Kael. You are mine. And when I return, I claim all of you."
He blinked slowly, as if sealing a promise without saying a word, and then hung up after a few more seconds of shared silence.
After Kael fell asleep.
The world kept turning.
In the American continent.
The sun kissed the clouds with strokes of gold and pink.
The Phoenix Empire reflected the dawn with the arrogance of a civilization that never slept.
At the top of the hotel where she was staying, Victoria sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the city below.
The warmth of the connection with Kael still warmed his chest, but the day called with its commitments.
A quick shower.
Workout clothes.
And there she went—steady and focused.
In the hotel gym, eyes were on her.
Even sweating, even panting, she carried the beauty of a princess and the presence of a CEO.
1 hour later…
Back in the presidential suite, the water from his second shower ran like silk over his tanned skin.
Soft perfume.
Impeccable women's suit, dark blue with silver details.
Low heels, neutral makeup.
Ready.
Victória arrived at the company, humming.
Outside, the view was simply monumental.
Five monumental towers formed a colossal star when seen from above.
Victoria paused for a moment, her eyes taking it all in. "When... in the name of all the corporate gods in the universe... did Luna buy THIS?"
She sighed. The answer was clear: When no one was looking…
Like always.
As she passed through the main entrance, security guards in suits and carrying concealed weapons greeted her with a slight wave.
"Good morning, Lady Victoria."
"Good morning. No trouble today, I hope?"
"For now, just yawns and strong coffee."
She chuckled softly, walking into the lobby.
The instant he passed through the biometric scanning at the entrance arch, a female hologram materialized in front of him.
"Good morning, Lady Victoria. Recognized as Co-founder of the Diamond Tycoon Group. Your reports are ready. Would you like to access them now or during breakfast on the rooftop?"
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "You can send it to my desk."
"Understood. Data transmitted to your personal interface. Have a productive morning. And stylish, as always."
"You're getting poetic, huh, ÆVA?"
"I learned from you."
Victoria laughed, waving at the hologram before heading down the lobby.
Today, for the first time in weeks…
She wouldn't need to give interviews.
The golden doors of the presidential elevator opened with a soft sigh, releasing a subtle scent of citrus blossoms—a Lumine aesthetic detail, of course.
Victoria entered elegantly.
Around her, employees walked with digital folders, tablets, coffees and goals for yesterday.
For every 20 women, there was perhaps… one man.
And yet, the poor guy walked as if asking the air for permission to exist.
Victoria smiled internally. "A new world has been created. And this time... with stiletto heels."
She waved here and there, with enough friendliness to seem approachable and enough respect to be feared.
"Good morning, Lady Victoria."
"Wonderful day, Madam CEO!"
"You're shining, boss!"
"Oh, you guys are angels! Keep shining—with positive KPIs, of course."
Arriving at the highest floor of the Tower, the doors opened onto a reception area decorated with living panels that changed according to the mood of the weather.
A glass corridor led to the Marketing Director's office.
Upon entering, Victória sighed deeply. "And here I thought today was going to be easy..."
Her presidential office, with glass walls showing the city below and a digital waterfall on the opposite wall, awaited her with a generous stack of holographic paperwork floating above her desk.
She didn't need to ask what it was. She already knew.
Proposals.
Reports.
Campaigns.
And more crazy ideas from the Innovation Management.
With a gesture, he rang the intercom built into the corner of the table. "Coffee. Strong. And send me two croissants. One chocolate, please."
"Immediately, Lady Victoria," replied the assistant's voice gently.
She then settled into the luxurious chair, pulling the holograms closer.
The first folder was titled: "Products in Development – Marketing Required – Innovation Level: Critical"
She began to review:
The first was about a product called LuminWear™ – Smart Clothing with Micro-Adjustment of Temperature and Color.
Proposal from the apparel and integrated technology team. Clothes that change color depending on the environment and adjust body temperature using built-in AI.
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Almost a marriage of fashion and thermodynamics. Interesting."
The second was a product called V-Lips Gloss™, which claimed to be a lipstick with hydration and pH monitoring.
A beauty product that adapts its tone to the user's mood and skin health.
"This... could explode on social media with sensory marketing. An 'emotional gloss'? I want that in the campaign with famous influencers." She already began typing mental notes and instructions for the viral media team.
The third was an AuréaPad™, a physical notebook with neural synchronization
This is a physical pad that records thoughts upon touch, transmitting them directly to the company's cloud. Perfect for brainstorming.
"This will make geeks cry with emotion... and poets too. Launch campaign: 'Thoughts that write themselves'."
The next one was a bit of a strange one: PureMesh™, a portable air filter in the form of a luxury accessory.
A product that purifies the air around the user and comes embedded in necklaces, bracelets or earrings.
"Environmental marketing, minimalist aesthetics... this could sell like hotcakes on those noble continents. Take note."
There was even a product called G-Lux Watch™, a watch that measures the body's energy load.
"A watch that measures energy, cortisol, and serotonin levels and tells you which products to use that day." Victoria paused. "This is pure wellness tyranny. And I love it."
She let out a deep sigh, sliding her fingers across the screen. "Lumine did a good job organizing everything. Only the really important stuff is left..."
Soon after, the coffee arrived accompanied by warm croissants.
She picked up the chocolate one, took a bite, and began giving orders via voice command to ÆVA.
"Send to the Media team: Prioritize campaigns for LuminWear™, V-Lips Gloss™, and G-Lux Watch™. Create three campaign drafts for each. Include an advertising plan for all 10 continents. Simulate audience response. Submit for approval by tomorrow."
"Order received. Execution initiated."