Vivienne awoke before dawn. The city below was still cloaked in gray fog, the outlines of towering buildings barely visible beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse.
She sat up in bed, the silk sheets slipping off her shoulders. The opulence of the room didn't comfort her; it unsettled her. She had lived in shadows for so long, the light felt too sharp, too exposing. She had claimed her place at the top, yet something gnawed at her—unfinished, unresolved.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
A message from Mira: "You need to see this. Urgent."
Vivienne threw on a robe and padded barefoot across the marble floor, her steps soft but brisk. Mira was already in the study, multiple screens open, her eyes flickering between tabs.
"What is it?" Vivienne asked.
Mira didn't look away. "An encrypted communication was intercepted last night. From Volkov."
Vivienne's blood went cold.
"He's resurfaced?"
Mira nodded grimly. "Not directly. But someone leaked it through a ghost network. And it's not just chatter. He's activated ARES."
Vivienne blinked. "ARES? That's not real. It was a failed prototype. Dad—Richard—shut it down before—"
"Before he mysteriously disappeared?" Mira said sharply.
The words hung heavy in the air.
Vivienne stared at the screen as Mira pulled up the files. Diagrams, maps, codenames. A shadow project buried beneath layers of Rothsford International's classified divisions. Her father's legacy wasn't just wealth and scandal—it was secrets. Dangerous ones.
"What was ARES meant to be?" Vivienne asked slowly.
"A fully autonomous surveillance and combat AI. Built to predict threats, neutralize enemies, and destabilize hostile territories—all without human oversight."
Vivienne swallowed hard. "A weapon of war."
Mira nodded. "And it looks like Volkov has repurposed it."
"But how?" Vivienne demanded. "The access codes were locked in Rothsford's Omega Vault. No one's been able to break into it."
Mira hesitated. "Unless someone gave him the codes."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
"Someone from the inside. Or someone who knew your father better than anyone."
A silence stretched between them.
Then, quietly, Mira pulled up a new tab. It was a scanned journal entry. The handwriting was elegant, familiar. Richard Rothsford.
Vivienne read it slowly, the words searing into her mind.
"ARES cannot fall into the wrong hands. If the day ever comes when I'm no longer here, trust no one. Not even Claire."
Vivienne's pulse quickened. "Claire DeLancey? The board member?"
"She was his research partner," Mira confirmed. "And she voted for your reinstatement. But there's more. Look at this."
She clicked on a series of digital surveillance captures.
Images of Claire, meeting in secret.
With Nikolai Volkov.
---
Later that morning, Vivienne called an emergency board session.
Claire entered the room with her usual grace, her pearl necklace gleaming, a warm smile on her face. "Vivienne, what's this about?"
Vivienne stood at the head of the table, Mira beside her.
She pressed a button. The screen lit up with images: Claire handing a silver briefcase to a hooded figure. Claire at the embassy gala with Volkov. Claire entering a secure server vault in Geneva.
The room went silent.
"I assume you have an explanation," Vivienne said coldly.
Claire didn't flinch. "I don't deny those meetings. But I did what I had to do—for the company."
Vivienne's jaw tightened. "You gave Volkov access to ARES. You handed over the Omega Vault."
"He would've taken it either way," Claire replied. "At least this way, I preserved some control."
"You betrayed Rothsford," Vivienne said. "You betrayed me."
"I saved us from annihilation," Claire snapped. "Do you even understand the pressure we were under when your father vanished? Investors wanted blood. Ivy was spiraling. Volkov offered stability in exchange for a shadow partnership. He promised not to use ARES. We had no idea he'd revive it."
Rhys, standing in the back, stepped forward. "You expect us to believe that? That you were duped by a man like Volkov?"
Claire's eyes darkened. "You think you're invincible, Vivienne. But Volkov doesn't play by your rules. He will come for you. He already has."
Vivienne approached her slowly.
"You're done here. As of this moment, you're removed from the board. Rothsford's legal team will pursue charges. You'll answer to the world for what you've done."
Claire stood stiffly. "You think justice matters to people like Volkov? You've inherited a kingdom built on ghosts. And now they're coming home."
With that, she was escorted out.
---
That night, Vivienne sat alone in the penthouse.
She stared at the old journal, Richard Rothsford's warnings looping through her mind.
She had won the board. Destroyed Ivy. Exposed the traitor.
And yet, a greater storm brewed on the horizon.
Volkov was still out there, armed with a superweapon designed by her father—perhaps even in response to a threat long buried.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
It was an anonymous number.
She hesitated... then answered.
A voice spoke on the other end. Deep. Calm. Russian-accented.
"Do you believe in ghosts, Miss Rothsford?"
Vivienne stood abruptly, her heart racing.
"Volkov."
"I warned Ivy not to challenge you. But she didn't listen. I, however, am different."
"What do you want?" she hissed.
"I want the rest of the Omega Vault. And I want you to deliver it personally. Or the next city on my list won't be as lucky as Zurich."
Her blood froze.
"You attacked Zurich?"
He chuckled softly. "ARES needs to test its reach. And you, Miss Rothsford, are my favorite opponent."
The call ended.
Vivienne stood frozen, her chest heaving. ARES wasn't just active — it was operational. And Volkov was daring her to stop him.
Mira entered, eyes wide. "News just broke. Massive systems crash in Zurich. Stock markets offline. Hospitals, rail networks, all paralyzed. They're calling it a cyber blackout."
"Volkov," Vivienne said hollowly.
Mira stared at her. "What do we do now?"
Vivienne's voice was quiet but resolute.
"We fight fire with fire."
She turned toward the wall panel and pressed her fingerprint into a hidden scanner. A metal door slid open, revealing a small, dimly lit chamber.
Inside, encased in bulletproof glass, was a server unit labeled:
"ARES: Mirror Protocol"
Mira's eyes widened. "I thought it was destroyed."
Vivienne's lips parted in a whisper.
"So did my father."
---