She took off her shoes, exchanged them with the ho ones, she tiptoed quietly, trying not to make a sound that might wake her, but then she heard so noises coming from the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of her, and she peered in, shocked to see her little sister in there whipping up breakfast for herself at such an early hour. But the biggest surprise? A guy was standing next to her, brewing so coffee.
She couldn’t help but think, "Really?" They were both so wrapped up in their conversation and the cooking that they didn’t even notice when she opened and closed the door. If she had been asleep, she could have understood not hearing it; she usually slept so soundly that even a drum could be pounding next to her and she wouldn’t wake up. But here she was, wide awake, and sohow she still missed the door creaking.
She set her bag down on the floor and called out, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ayla."
Ayla turned around, her dark curls spilling over her shoulders. Her big eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head in surprise at seeing Aylin.
For a mont, Ayla just stood there, frozen. Then, the next second, the spoon she was holding dropped, and she darted toward Aylin. They crashed into each other with a tight, silent hug, no words needed, just the unspoken ssage that said, "You’re still mine."
"I thought you were dead, Aylin," Ayla whispered, her voice quaking.
Aylin let out a light chuckle. "Not yet. But I had to disappear for a bit."
Ayla’s face lit up with a smile. "Welco ho, big sister."
Aylin glanced at the guy still brewing coffee in the corner and asked Ayla, "Who’s he?"
Ayla shyly replied, "Um, my friend. Liam."
Aylin grinned playfully. "Oh, really? Just a friend? I don’t think a guy would be here at this hour unless there’s sothing more going on, right?" She winked at Ayla, enjoying the teasing.
Ayla blushed and said, "Go get so rest; we’ll have breakfast together."
Aylin laughed softly. "Look at my baby sister; she’s gonna cook breakfast today."
She picked up her bag and took a good look around their little two-bedroom apartnt, which had a nice view. Photos of their parents hung on the walls like quiet reminders of happier tis.
Once in her room, she tossed her bag aside and collapsed onto the bed, finally letting herself cry for the first ti in months.
After 15 minutes, Ayla called Aylin to join her for breakfast. Ayla and Liam had set the table, laying out delicious dishes and warm bread. They all sat down together, sharing a quiet al where unspoken thoughts filled the air.
Aylin looked at Liam and asked, "So, what do you do?"
He t her eyes, knowing she was a hacker. Ayla had ntioned it before. With a bit of hesitation, he said, "I... I’m studying IT."
Aylin squinted at him and replied, "Oh, IT? Nice. Great choice." She sensed sothing wasn’t quite right about him. Ayla caught the look on her face and raised an eyebrow, silently asking what was up. Aylin quickly shook her head to indicate there was nothing to worry about.
After breakfast, Liam and Aylin cleared the table, gathering plates and mugs. Aylin watched for a mont, then stood up to help, but Ayla insisted, "You just got here; you should relax. We can manage, right, Liam?" He agreed with a nod, and they went to wash everything up, making sure the kitchen was tidy after their al. Once they finished, they headed out, leaving Aylin alone. She wasn’t sure where they were going, but she could tell Liam was more complicated than he let on.
Later that night, Ayla ca back with hot lentil soup and warm bread.
Ayla asked softly, "Are you safe now?"
Aylin took a mont to think before responding, "I’m safer than before, but I have a feeling it won’t last long."
She glanced at her laptop case and realized that there was still a lot of work waiting for her. She thought about contacting GhostNet, but then changed her mind. Since they hadn’t reached out after she exposed everything, they must be upset.
*****
Hazard King was wrapping up his final plan against Maksim Karza, kicking off Operation Black Pulse. It all went down at midnight in Karza’s stronghold in Bucharest, Romania, totally unexpected.
Twelve of Hazard King’s sleeper agents sprang into action across the city all at once. The power grid feeding Karza’s data vault blew up, lighting up the night sky, while critical blackmail records went up in flas inside his accountant’s estate. All the cargo docks were torched, resulting in a wild scene that sent everyone scrambling. In the chaos, 40% of Karza’s weapon stash mysteriously disappeared.
Hazard King watched the whole thing unfold from a hidden bunker, glued to the satellite feeds.
Kade, one of his trusted guys, said, "We left him alive, just like you said."
Hazard King shrugged and replied, "Let him crawl back. Let everyone see he’s broken but still breathing. When he wakes up tomorrow, he’ll know he’s in ruins."
The next morning, Karza woke up amidst the wreckage of what used to be his throne. Surprisingly, he was physically fine, but Hazard King had kept him alive because killing him would only lead to a ssy war, sothing he wasn’t ready for now. By sparing Karza, he aid to make him insignificant in the grand sche of things.
He rebuilt his empire from a secret spot in the remote mountains of Northern Italy. The Hazard King was careful about who he allowed into his new inner circle, choosing only the people he could fully trust and was killing those who had once betrayed him, and helped Alpha Dark.
He took the ti to personally check out each mber, making sure they had his back. "We’re creating a new tech division that can’t be compromised. Our weapon storage has been moved to undisclosed locations across the globe. I’ve burned all the old contracts and revamped our alliances," he announced, determination in his voice.
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