Chapter 195
Chapter 195:
The sapphire glowed in the dim light of the car, a brilliant blue reminder that they had taken control of their narrative.
Herod stared at the monitors, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of his desk. The data scrolling across the screens made no sense. According to every parameter, the Phoenix Grid should be showing signs of stress by now. The modified circuits James Walsh had installed were designed to create power fluctuations after seventy-two hours. That deadline had passed yesterday.
Yet, the Grid ran perfectly.
He pulled up news footage of Victoria Kane’s press conference from that morning, where she proudly announced the successful activation of the Grid’s third section. Her silver hair gleamed under the lights as she promised New York “the most reliable power system in the world.” The reporters applauded. The stock climbed higher.
Something was very wrong.
“Damn it,” he muttered, slamming his palm against the desk. The coffee cup beside his keyboard jumped, spilling dark liquid across his papers.
Behind him, the penthouse door opened. Rose entered, carrying shopping bags from exclusive boutiques, her face flushed with the particular pleasure she took in spending his money.
“You won’t believe what I found at Bergdorf’s,” she began, then stopped when she saw his expression. “What is it?”
Herod gestured at the screens. “The Grid. It’s still functioning perfectly.”
Rose set down her bags and moved to stand behind him. “Maybe it’s just delayed. The failure might still happen.”
“No.” He pulled up the schematics Walsh had worked from. “These modifications should have created visible problems within seventy-two hours. It’s been ninety-six. Nothing has happened.”
He swiveled in his chair to face her. “They found our sabotage.”
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Rose’s eyes narrowed. “That’s impossible. Walsh had clearance. No one questioned him.”
“Yet here we are.” Herod stood, pacing the length of his office. The Manhattan skyline stretched beyond the windows, Kane Industries tower visible in the distance, mocking him with its uninterrupted power supply. “They not only found it…”
They corrected it without alerting anyone, without changing their timeline. They wanted us to think our plan was working.”
“Have you spoken to Walsh?” Rose asked.
“Yes, this morning. He swears he installed everything exactly as planned.” Herod’s voice tightened with frustration. “He has no idea how they could have fixed it without him knowing. No one has approached him or questioned his work.”
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