In Blackwood Estate, Tavara – Ancestral Courtyard
Lightning split the night sky above the ancient Blackwood estate, illuminating its gothic spires and ivy-covered walls. The once-proud mansion now felt like a fortress—one laced with secrets, and worse, whispers.
Inside the ancestral hall, Nora's father, Dr. Adrian Blackwood, stood over a holographic blueprint of Tavara's central intelligence grid. Around him sat the trusted inner circle of the Blackwood family—uncles, cousins, even Nora's older brother, Drake, who had returned from Zurich without warning.
Adrian's voice was calm but heavy. "We have a breach. Someone from within this family accessed the mainframe and funneled core data directly to Nexus."
Murmurs rose. Tension bloomed like fire through old wood.
"Are you implying it's one of us?" snapped Aunt Lorraine, her gold bangles clinking.
"No," Adrian replied coldly. "I'm stating it."
Drake leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Let's not turn this into a witch hunt. Focus on the facts."
"I already have," Adrian said, tapping the panel.
A name glowed in red: Samantha Blackwood—Nora's cousin.
Gasps. Nora, standing beside Damien in the doorway, flinched.
Samantha appeared composed, despite the sharp stares. "That's impossible. I've been in Tokyo finalizing biotech deals—"
"With funding routed through shell accounts linked to Nexus," Damien cut in, his voice ice. "We traced the signals through São Paulo, then Osaka. Your name was hardcoded."
Samantha stepped forward. "I did what I had to—for the future of this family. For Tavara. You're all too blind to see the world has already changed."
"You sold our family," Nora hissed.
"I repositioned us," Samantha snapped. "Damien is your obsession, Nora. But Archer Grey? Nexus? They're rewriting the rules of control. I chose to survive."
"You chose betrayal," Drake said, stepping beside Adrian.
But Samantha wasn't done. "You think the Blackwood name still holds power? Look around. The alliances you trust are cracking. Nexus doesn't need to break Tavara—they need only break us."
Suddenly, a concealed door creaked open from the side chamber.
Nora's mother, Vivienne, stepped out—frail but focused. Her eyes, once clouded, now burned with clarity.
"Samantha didn't act alone," she said, her voice echoing like prophecy.
The room silenced.
Vivienne moved to the center. "Adrian… Damien… even Nora… you've all been playing defense. But the real enemy isn't just Nexus—it's someone within our bloodline who has been orchestrating this for decades."
She raised a trembling hand—and pointed to the painting on the wall. It was of Elias Blackwood, Adrian's late father.
"Start with him."
Adrian paled.
"You knew he was a national hero. But did you know he was also a double agent?"
A hush fell. Nora's breath caught.
Vivienne continued. "He helped form the early foundations of what would later become Nexus. He believed in selective evolution. And he passed that belief to one of his children."
She turned toward the circle of relatives.
"Find that child… and you'll uncover the last architect."
Outside, thunder rumbled again.
But inside, the storm had already begun.