Chapter 5 The real threat

The alley was dimly lit by a single flickering streetlamp, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. Nathaniel stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting. His mind had been racing ever since he'd received Zara's message earlier in the day. He knew this meeting would come, but he wasn't sure how much Zara had pieced together.

The soft sound of heels echoed in the distance, and Nathaniel turned his head as Zara approached. She was dressed in all black, her sharp eyes locked onto him with an intensity he hadn't seen before. She stopped a few feet away, her expression unreadable.

"You lied to me," Zara said, her voice calm but laced with danger. "The blueprint you gave me-it's fake. I knew something was off, but I couldn't place it until now."

Nathaniel didn't flinch, meeting her gaze with the same calm she had. He had expected her to catch on, but he had made sure the fake blueprint would lead her on a wild goose chase before she ever figured it out.

"You're quick, I'll give you that," Nathaniel replied coolly. "But you should've known better than to think I'd hand over something that important without a little insurance."

Zara took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "You think this is a game, Nathaniel? I wasn't after that blueprint for no reason. We both know what Project Helix is capable of, and you're sitting here playing mind games while the stakes are higher than you realize."

Nathaniel smirked, but there was no humor in his expression. "Trust me, Zara, I know exactly how high the stakes are. But you're barking up the wrong tree. My father may run S.A.T.F.A.R., but he's not the one calling the shots when it comes to Helix. That's my project."

Zara froze, her eyes widening slightly as the realization hit her. She had been so focused on Edward Cole, thinking the old man was the gatekeeper to everything S.A.T.F.A.R. held secret. But now, standing in the alleyway, she understood. It wasn't Edward she needed to worry about-it was Nathaniel. He wasn't just some detached heir to a powerful company. He was the one pulling the strings from the shadows.

"You... you're the one behind Project Helix?" Zara's voice wavered, just slightly, as the puzzle pieces fell into place. "This whole time, I thought it was your father."

Nathaniel's smirk widened. "He's just the face of the company. A convenient distraction. The real work, the real power-it's been in my hands the entire time. And you, Zara, were just a pawn."

Zara clenched her fists at her sides, her anger bubbling just below the surface. "You think you can manipulate everyone around you? You're not untouchable, Nathaniel. I'll make sure the world knows what you're hiding, who you really are."

Nathaniel's eyes darkened, his demeanor shifting from calm confidence to something more dangerous. "Is that so? And who do you think will believe you, Zara? A disgraced agent trying to steal corporate secrets? You have no proof, no leverage. You're already in over your head."

Zara stepped forward, her voice low and threatening. "You underestimate me, Nathaniel. I'm not like the others you've manipulated. I know people, powerful people who would love to get their hands on Project Helix, and I'm more than willing to burn this whole empire down if it means stopping you."

Nathaniel held her gaze, his expression cold and calculating. "And what makes you think I won't stop you first?"

For a moment, the tension between them crackled like electricity. Zara had misjudged Nathaniel, thinking he was just another privileged heir who had been born into power. But now she saw him for what he truly was-a dangerous mastermind, willing to do whatever it took to stay ahead of everyone else.

"You'll regret crossing me," Zara whispered, her voice like venom.

Nathaniel shrugged, unfazed. "Maybe. But for now, you're the one who's lost. And if you know what's good for you, you'll walk away while you still can."

Zara's eyes flashed with fury, but she knew he was right-she had no leverage, not yet. With a final glare, she turned and stalked off into the night, disappearing into the shadows. Nathaniel watched her go, his expression unreadable.

But there was no time to waste. As soon as Zara disappeared from sight, Nathaniel pulled out his phone and started typing a series of commands, opening a backdoor connection to S.A.T.F.A.R.'s security system. He had anticipated this moment, knowing that Zara and her network would likely resort to cyberattacks once the blueprint ruse was exposed. They had underestimated just how deep his control ran.

When Nathaniel returned home, he headed straight to his private server room, tucked away beneath his penthouse. The screens flickered to life as he logged into the mainframe, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He quickly scanned the activity logs and frowned. Multiple hacking attempts had been made since midnight-Zara's people were relentless.

A soft beep on one of his monitors caught his attention. Another breach attempt. But this time, Nathaniel was ready.

"Nice try," he muttered under his breath, activating a countermeasure he had built into the system weeks ago. With a few keystrokes, he initiated a sophisticated firewall that not only blocked the incoming attack but bounced it back to its source with twice the force.

Nathaniel watched with satisfaction as the breach attempt collapsed under the weight of his defenses. The hackers on the other end would find their own systems compromised within minutes, their every move tracked and logged by S.A.T.F.A.R.'s security protocols.

"Now let's see who's really behind this," Nathaniel said, narrowing his eyes as he set a trap, embedding a hidden virus into the counterstrike. The virus would infiltrate the hackers' network, feeding him information on their operations without them ever realizing it. Zara thought she could bring down S.A.T.F.A.R. from the shadows, but Nathaniel was always a step ahead.

As the final lines of code fell into place, Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, his mind already shifting gears. Zara knew he was the real threat now, but she had no idea how deep his control ran or how many steps ahead he truly was. He wasn't just defending S.A.T.F.A.R.-he was tightening the noose around anyone who dared to challenge him.

Zara's threat had only made one thing clear: this wasn't just about Helix anymore. It was about power, control, and survival.

And Nathaniel had no intention of losing.