"But first," Kyra said, her words clipped, "you answer us. How did you survive a bullet through your skull?"
Jace’s expression darkened. The air around him thickened, heavy enough to make both won tense.
The silence dragged on. Neither Kyra nor Lena moved, their eyes locked on him. The room itself felt frozen.
Finally, Jace spoke. His tone was calm, but the weight pressed through every word. "I don’t know."
Kyra blinked. "W-What do you an?"
Lena’s throat bobbed. Her voice trembled. "Th-Then the doctors... were they right?"
Jace didn’t answer.
According to the report, the bullet had pierced his skull but sohow missed his brain. The doctors had called it impossible, sothing beyond science. And before that report could spread to the news, Jace had buried it under money and legal pressure.
’Now isn’t the ti to draw attention. Besides...’
The mont he had woken up, The first thing he had done was to check the system.
What he’d glimpsed before blacking out was a blur, but now, it was crystal clear.
[ #01 Notice: User Jace Cromwell has taken a loan of One Billion Dollars from the System. If this amount is not repaid within two years, the User’s soul will beco property of the System. And his free will will cease to exist, as per ████ ]
’Still censored.’ Jace’s brow furrowed.
Then another ssage followed.
[ #02 Notice: As the user has turned into a debtor, certain System privileges have been revoked. ]
[ All current Missions will be paused. The System will now undergo maintenance. ]
[ Access will be unavailable. ]
And just like that, the interface went dark. Three days had passed. Nothing had changed.
Jace’s gaze cut back to Kyra, voice sharp now. "Then answer my question. Why is your relationship with Lena?"
Kyra hesitated before answering. "The branch I worked in was Cri Investigation. And Lena’s father was my superior. But..."
Her voice softened. The sharpness faded, a crack in her usual soldier’s tone.
"After my mother fell into a coma from a car accident, I had to quit... to care for her."
Her words broke at the end.
Lena stepped closer, touching her arm gently.
But Jace’s eyes stayed cold. "Kyra, I didn’t ask for your life story."
His voice carried like a command. "Get to the point."
Kyra flinched. Before she could continue, Lena cut in.
"Let speak."
Kyra gave a small nod.
Lena looked at Jace. "After you beca CEO of Alchemira Labs, I thought you’d need soone skilled to protect you. So please... forgive her. It was my decision to approach you, not hers."
Jace sighed, the sound heavy. "Lena. Do you really expect to believe Kyra, a forr special forces agent, beca my bodyguard for only one million, when people would pay hundreds of millions for her?"
He stepped forward, closing the distance. His shadow swallowed Lena as he leaned down.
"And if your goal was goodwill, why not introduce her openly?" His crimson eyes burned into hers. "Do you take for a fool?"
His next words cut like a blade. "This isn’t protection. This is surveillance."
Lena’s hands trembled. Fear flickered across her face, her lips unmoving before she forced herself to speak. "The truth is... when I investigated you, I found nothing."
Jace’s eyes narrowed.
"No ties to Ava Voss. No signs of wealth. Yet suddenly you were buying millions in shares." Her voice grew tight. "So I dug deeper. And found large sums of money being transferred to you at random intervals, from an account nad lissa Cromwell."
Jace’s eyes widened. His hands shot to her shoulders, shaking her. His voice cracked through the air. "What did you just say?"
"I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have spied on you—"
"Not that!" His grip tightened. "What was the account na?"
"M-lissa Cromwell," Lena said trembling.
Jace froze. His hands loosened slightly but didn’t fall away. His face drained of color.
’lissa Cromwell... mother... H-how?’
His thoughts spun.
Jace had grown up with her in a small ho. His father a salary man, his mother a housewife. For a ti, life was warm, simple.
But as school began, everything changed.
His parents grew distant. His mother’s smile vanished when his father was around. His father ca ho later each night.
Then, on Jace’s fourteenth birthday, tragedy struck.
lissa Cromwell ended her life, hanging by a rope in their ho.
And his father didn’t even show up at the funeral.
At just fourteen, Jace beca an orphan. But his aunt had taken him in until he left at twenty.
And now Lena’s words struck him like a hamr. His mother’s account had billions—maybe trillions—while she hadn’t been able to buy him a birthday cake.
His chest tightened. His thoughts spun, searching for an answer that didn’t exist.
Finally, his voice broke the silence. No longer calm, no longer composed like his usual self.
"Tell ," Jace said, his tone panicked, raw. "T-Tell everything you know!"
Lena blinked, confused. "P-Pardon?"
"TELL WHATEVER YOU KNOW!" Jace voice rose. His grip crushed her shoulders, making her face twist in pain.
"Please, stop!" Kyra wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to pull him back.
Lena winced, gasping from the pressure.
Jace suddenly released her, dragging in a breath, trying to steady himself.
Minutes passed before he said, "I’m sorry."
"I-It’s alright," Lena muttered, rubbing at her aching shoulder.
Jace straightened, his voice calr now, but firm. "If you know this much, then you must know why the governnt wants dead. Is it because of that account?"
Lena hesitated, her eyes flicking toward Kyra.
Kyra gave a short nod.
Lena exhaled, then spoke. "Yes. The governnt wants the account. But it’s so secret, even its location is unknown. The only clue is the na of a bank missing from every international registry."
Her next words landed heavier. "And the main reason they assassinated you... was because of your surna."
"Your great-grandfather, Jas Cromwell," Lena continued, "was a poor farr... until he suddenly beca the richest man in the country."
Jace’s eyes narrowed, confusion and curiosity mixing together.
"And though I don’t know all the details," Lena added, "my father said Jas Cromwell was a User. Of an... Investnt System."
Jace’s face went pale, eyes wide in disbelief.
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