anwhile, in the Order’s Territory
In one of the quiet houses in the main town, a man peeked through the window, checking the street outside. It was already late at night, and the silence and peace of the darkness were natural. And yet, nervousness and panic were clear in his eyes.
After letting out a heavy sigh and closing the curtain, he turned to the other man in the kitchen. The latter was seated in the dining area, speaking on the phone.
"Yes," the man at the table said, his expression grim. "No, we didn’t get him."
"He got away again?"
"Yes." Silence stretched on the line before he spoke again. "However, the Order didn’t get him either. They’re still searching."
"Find him," ca the reply before the line abruptly cut off.
The man exhaled sharply and set the phone down. A second later, he slamd his fist against the table in frustration.
"You should calm down," said the man who had been checking the windows, stopping beside the table. "What matters is that no one has him yet. We’re still safe."
"Tch," the seated man hissed. "That bastard is giving us nothing but headaches. Why doesn’t he just drop dead? If the master finds out we had anything to do with this, he’ll kill us."
"Isn’t that why the others are watching the Order’s movents?" the other man asked, tilting his head. "We almost had him. Next ti, we’ll get him for sure."
They stared at each other in silence, both fully aware of the consequences once the man in power discovered their involvent. They didn’t need to say it out loud.
Henrik had to die.
If not, they’d have to pack up and run.
But just as they exchanged subtle nods, the front door suddenly burst open.
They whipped their heads around only to be t with n in full gear, weapons raised.
"Stay down!"
"Down!"
In the blink of an eye, the two were seized and slamd to the ground. They didn’t even have ti to react before being restrained.
And they weren’t the only ones.
That night, everyone suspected of leaking relevant information was raided like a criminal. Similar operations unfolded across the main island, including the town chief’s son and several individuals within the mansion itself.
Many were caught completely off guard. So attempted to resist or flee, only to be t with rciless, non-lethal gunfire.
They were needed alive... and they would be taken alive. Though not necessarily in one piece.
*
*
*
Back at the Order, Atlas stood on the broad balcony of the main residence, where his office and countless affairs were handled daily. A glass of whiskey rested in his hand as he looked out over the main island, watching it slowly light up—one house after another—as the commotion spread.
Even within the mansion, people were being seized. No one was spared the shock.
Tonight’s operation was loud. Open. Nothing like the quiet, calculated approach Atlas had taken in recent days.
But there was no need for subtlety anymore.
Lola leaned against the wide railing beside him, sitting atop it with her hands braced on either side. Her body was twisted slightly as she watched the sa scene unfold. Hugo sat farther away, still on the balcony, but his attention was elsewhere.
"Baby," Lola asked curiously, "do you think this will clean up the Order completely?"
Atlas didn’t answer right away. He raised the glass to his lips, watching the ice lt slowly inside.
"Mhm," he humd. "I’ve waited long enough."
Lola smacked her lips and turned toward him with a smile. "I believe you."
Atlas had been aware of the mole in the Order ever since the first DNA results regarding Lola and the children ca back. Allen knew as well. But the head of the Order had chosen to let things play out, not because it wasn’t important.
Precisely because it was.
Atlas didn’t want to act recklessly. So he observed. He waited. He watched how everything unfolded.
He needed to be certain the mole wasn’t within his inner circle.
"I know you’ve already explained this to ," Lola said, tilting her head, "but why were you so sure the mole—or moles—weren’t the people closest to you?"
She paused. "Honestly, when I first heard about it, my instinct was to look at those who work directly with you."
Before Atlas could answer, Hugo—who hadn’t intended to interrupt—laughed.
"They wouldn’t last, sis," he said confidently, as if that alone explained everything. "Working directly under my brother doesn’t just require competence. It ans living under his watchful eyes."
He shrugged. "As soone who’s lived with him for more than half my life—he’s hard to deal with."
"That’s not true," Lola defended imdiately. "My husband is the best person to live with."
"For you," Hugo replied with a shrug. "Not to the rest of the billions in this world."
Lola paused... then nodded.
He’s right, she admitted to herself. I’m his wife. So, there’s this thing called special treatnt.
"My brother is lenient, but never when it cos to work," Hugo continued, clearly enjoying his role as Atlas’s spokesperson. "If Allen or Baby or Scarlet or Sybil—or anyone with direct access to him—were the mole, they’d be caught the mont they even thought about it."
Lola’s expression twitched slightly at his unwavering confidence. She knew Atlas was capable, but she also understood the weight behind it.
"No," Atlas finally spoke, cutting in calmly. He turned to Lola. "Information within the Order is structured the sa way the Order itself is."
He paused before continuing. Lola knew this already, but the reality was far more complex than anything written in textbooks.
"Different levels of information pass through different structures, depending on how classified they are," Atlas explained, lifting his glass and studying the layered ice inside. "The most sensitive information circulates only among those closest to —Baby, Allen, Scarlet, Sybil, and the Phantom Circle."
"Less confidential matters go through them, excluding the Phantom Circle," he continued. "As for information we can afford to be leaked, it goes further down. Not openly, but with fewer safeguards."
He lowered the glass. "Which ans every piece of information that leaked never ca from upper managent."
Atlas t her gaze. "So I had Allen seed fragnted information across different departnts and circles to see which details would surface. That made it easier to identify where the leak was."
Lola’s mouth ford a small o.
Beside her, Hugo wiggled his brows proudly.
"See?" he said. "Amazing."
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