The revelation hung over the dining table like a live grenade.
The triumphant atmosphere of the room vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, suffocating dread. Victoria and Sofia exchanged a sharp, worried glance. They were corporate titans, used to fighting wars in boardrooms and courtrooms. The prospect of facing down a cabal of defense contractors who utilized private hit squads was entirely outside their paradigm.
"Nia," I snapped, breaking the silence. "I need a full digital perimeter around this townhouse. Tap into the municipal traffic cameras, the satellite feeds, everything. If a black SUV so much as idles on our street, I want to know about it."
"Already on it," Nia said, her fingers flying across her keyboard, her face pale but focused. "I’m routing the feeds through the Seychelles proxies to mask our location, but if Croft gave them this address, it’s only a matter of time before they send a team."
"Darius," I said, turning to my muscle. "Arm up. I want the heavy ordinance out of the basement. We are officially operating under siege conditions."
Darius didn’t say a word. He just nodded, his eyes dark and lethal, and turned toward the basement door. He had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. He knew men like Harrison Croft didn’t just walk away from a fight.
I looked back at Senator Hale. She was trembling, her hands gripping the edge of the table so tightly her knuckles were white.
"Who sits on this shadow board, Margaret?" I asked, my voice cold and demanding. "Give me names."
"I... I don’t know all of them," Hale stammered, her conditioning forcing her to answer truthfully. "The poker game is highly compartmentalized. I only dealt with the three primary stakeholders. The men who provided the seed capital for the slush fund."
"Names," I repeated, the [Emperor’s Presence] bearing down on her.
"Richard Sterling," Hale said, her voice barely a whisper.
Victoria gasped, her head snapping toward the Senator. "My half brother? Richard is on the board?"
"He’s the old money," Hale confirmed, looking at Victoria with hollow eyes. "He represents the legacy donors. He was furious when you took over Vanguard Holdings, Victoria. He’s been using the Cabal’s resources to try and undermine your position for months now since you defeated him and he has a massive grudge against Mr Hart here."
Victoria’s eyes narrowed, the shock instantly replaced by a cold, calculating fury. "That son of a bitch."
"Who else?" I demanded.
"Commander Austin Vance," Hale continued. "Thomas Vance’s older brother. He’s a retired four-star, currently sitting on the board of Apex Munitions. He controls the private military contractors. He’s the one who provides the muscle."
"And the third?"
"Cassandra Locke," Hale said.
The name hit me like a physical blow.
"I’m not going to wake it up," I said, a dark, predatory smile spreading across my face. "I’m going to weaponize it. Cassandra wants to build a God Engine? Fine. We’re going to show her what a real God looks like."
I looked at Ethan. "You’re going back to Capitol Hill. I want you to find out exactly where the Dupont Circle poker game is held. I want the blueprints of the building, the security protocols, and the guest list."
"You’re going to hit the game?" Ethan asked, his eyes wide.
"I’m not going to hit it," I said softly. "I’m going to buy a seat at the table."
I turned to Victoria and Sofia. "You two are going to use the clean capital to launch a massive, hostile takeover of Apex Munitions and Locke Technologies. I want you to bleed their stock dry. I want them fighting a war on Wall Street while I slit their throats in D.C."
I looked down at Senator Hale and Evelyn Cross.
"And you two," I said, my voice dropping to a dark, commanding register. "You are going to draft federal indictments for treason against Richard Sterling, Commander Vance, and Elias Locke. You are going to build the legal cages I’m going to lock them in."
The room was silent, the sheer audacity of the plan washing over them. I wasn’t just planning to survive the Cabal. I was planning to devour them.
"The Capital Game isn’t over," I said, my eyes burning with the crimson light of the System. "It’s just moving to the high-roller table."

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: My Milf Conqueror System