The invitation came sealed in obsidian glass, delivered by a humanoid courier who refused to speak.
It wasn't an attack. It was worse.
> You are cordially invited to the Midnight Ascent Gala
Hosted by Velorax Investments
Location: Axis Spire 99
Dress Code: Elevated
Agenda: Partnership. Conversation. Power.
At the bottom, in small text:
> "Bring your shadow. I'd like to meet her."
Kade flipped the card over.
Embedded in the black was a sliver of Red Root tech.
Not hers.
His.
---
"You're not going alone," Neris said.
She didn't ask. She decided.
"Vel doesn't do handshakes," she continued, adjusting the cuffs of a silver suit jacket that looked like it had been tailored straight from a blade. "She makes moves under silk."
"And you?"
"I come with a dagger and a smile."
He glanced at her, amused. "I thought you didn't bluff."
"I don't. That's why it works."
---
Axis Spire 99 loomed above the city like a judgment.
Inside, it was a world of glass, chrome, and whispered danger. The gala buzzed with Virelia's elite — corporate heirs, data barons, modified influencers, old money in new faces.
And there she was.
Vel.
Standing under a curtain of light, dressed in deep garnet silk, hair like night sky poured into a crown. She didn't walk toward them. She waited. Like she already knew they'd come.
"Kade," she said with a nod. Then her gaze flicked to Neris. "And the famous assistant."
Neris smiled politely. "You upgraded your taste."
Vel smirked. "And you clearly upgraded your salary."
The two women shook hands — cool, professional, but Kade swore the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.
Vel led them to a private lounge. Music pulsed like a heartbeat. Security lined the walls.
"This isn't about ego," she began, swirling a drink she hadn't tasted.
"Could've fooled me," Kade said.
Vel let the jab pass. "You're scaling fast, and the city's noticed. But so have the Syndicates. You think Red Silk was bad? She was a toy compared to what's coming."
"So this is a warning?"
"No." She leaned forward. "This is a lifeline. I want in."
Kade blinked. "Vel—"
"Not personally," she added, cool and collected. "Professionally. My firm offers capital, data clearance, and diplomatic buffering from three international corps."
"And in return?"
Vel smiled. "A minority stake in Oblivion Thread. Just enough to… guide it."
Neris didn't speak. But her nails tapped once on the glass table. Deliberate.
Kade caught it.
Trap.
"Generous," he said. "What's the rush?"
Vel's eyes sparkled. "Let's just say... the Syndicates already made an offer to someone else in this room."
Kade went still.
Neris?
She tilted her head, just slightly.
Vel didn't blink. "She's valuable. And unaffiliated. They don't care about you. They care about her."
The silence stretched.
Kade stood. "If they want her, they'll have to get through me."
Vel's smile softened. "That's the answer I needed."
---
Back in the elevator, descending from wealth and whispers, Kade finally turned to Neris.
"You knew?"
"I suspected."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She looked at him — sharp eyes, half-shadowed by city lights.
"Because I wanted to see if you'd still back me when the cost got real."
"And?"
"You passed."
---
That night, the System flagged three things:
> 1. Velorax Investments: Flagged for Acquisition Activity
2. Syndicate Threads Detected on Assistant Network (Blocked)
3. Public Tag: 'Oblivion Thread' hit Virelia's Top 10 Emerging Entities
The game had changed.
Now it wasn't about whether Kade's company would survive.
It was about how many kings would fall when he won.