Volume 8: The Shadow War Escalates
Synopsis: Jack's position on Wall Street grows more stable, but his battle against the remnants of Richard's empire intensifies. A silent war unfolds in both the open and the shadows—and Jack faces greater challenges and dangers than ever before.
Chapter 10: The Silent Struggle
The negotiations in London had ended—for now. But Jack knew better than to interpret Alistair Black's agreement to continue discussions as genuine acceptance of his proposal. Golden Lion was merely buying time, trying to uncover his true intentions. That old fox would never give up control so easily.
Back in New York, Jack remained on high alert. He could feel unseen eyes watching him—more frequently, more subtly. Emily Greene and her hidden allies would not allow him to grow stronger unchallenged.
"Jack," Kevin's voice came through the phone, heavy with concern, "there have been some unusual access logs on our company servers lately. Several IP addresses are attempting repeated unauthorized intrusions."
Jack's brow furrowed. Data security had always been a top priority. Could it be that the insider issue hadn't been fully resolved?
"Can you trace the source of these IPs?" he asked.
"A few are overseas—hard to track. But several originate locally in New York. I've already passed them to Isabella for further investigation," Kevin replied.
Jack understood the importance of Isabella's underground connections in tracking down these invisible enemies.
A few days later, Isabella arrived at Jack's office and handed him a file.
"These IP addresses are well-hidden," she explained, "but after digging deeper, I found one registered under a small cybersecurity firm called ShieldTech. On the surface, they offer network protection services—but behind closed doors, they're known to conduct industrial espionage for powerful clients."
"ShieldTech…" Jack let out a cold chuckle. "Emily's doing, no doubt. She's eager to strike."
"It's very likely," Isabella nodded. "They're probably trying to infiltrate your servers and steal corporate secrets."
Jack flipped through the document carefully. ShieldTech's background was deliberately vague, offering no direct link to Emily Greene. But he knew this wasn't a coincidence.
"We need to act fast," Jack said firmly. "Kevin, reinforce server security—firewalls, block all suspicious IPs."
"I've already done that," Kevin replied, frustration creeping into his tone. "But ShieldTech is skilled. They keep probing for weaknesses, trying to bypass our defenses."
Jack knew passive defense wouldn't be enough. He needed to take the initiative—to find a flaw in ShieldTech's operation and deliver a decisive blow.
"Isabella, can you find out who's funding ShieldTech?" Jack asked.
She shook her head. "Their owner is extremely elusive—never appears in public. Even my contacts haven't been able to uncover their real identity."
Jack fell silent, realizing that without identifying the puppet master, the problem couldn't be fully solved.
Then an idea struck him. If he couldn't reach the top, he'd dismantle the organization from within.
"Kevin, do we have access to any of ShieldTech employees' email addresses?" Jack asked.
"Not difficult," Kevin answered. "Some of their employee emails are publicly listed on their website."
"Good," Jack said, determination flashing in his eyes. "Send me all of them. It's time to give them a little surprise."
He devised a counter-espionage plan—using phishing emails to lure ShieldTech employees into clicking a malicious link, granting him access to their internal network. He and Kevin would flip the script, turning the spies into the hunted.
Together, they crafted a convincing phishing email disguised as a lucrative recruitment offer—an irresistible temptation for dissatisfied or underpaid employees.
As soon as the messages were sent, Jack and Kevin kept watch by their computers day and night, monitoring server logs closely.
Several days passed with no response—until finally, someone took the bait.
One of ShieldTech's employees clicked the link. Immediately, Kevin initiated the infiltration protocol and gained access to their internal network.
Jack and Kevin combed through the system, searching desperately for valuable intelligence.
"Jack, look at this!" Kevin pointed to a file on the screen. "It's a cooperation agreement between ShieldTech and Emily Greene. It clearly states that ShieldTech is responsible for stealing Ryan Group's trade secrets and delivering them directly to her."
A slow, knowing smile spread across Jack's lips. At last, they had solid evidence implicating Emily.
"Print this out. We'll use it as proof," Jack ordered.
With this document in hand, Jack could expose Emily's schemes and launch a direct offensive.
But things were never that simple.
Just as Jack prepared to act, Isabella arrived with troubling news.
"Jack, while tracing ShieldTech's financial flows, my people discovered an unusual offshore fund transfer," she said gravely. "This money originated from an anonymous offshore account—one tied to something much bigger."
"A larger conspiracy?" Jack frowned. Was there someone else pulling strings behind Emily?
"Yes," Isabella confirmed. "I'll need more time to investigate. But whoever controls this account has dangerous intentions."
Jack knew time was running out. He had to uncover the identity of this shadowy adversary before a greater crisis unfolded. His open conflict with Emily had escalated into a far more complex covert struggle.
He would have to tread carefully, every step calculated, if he wanted to survive this silent war.
Night fell over New York, its streets glowing with artificial light. Yet inside Jack's mind, darkness loomed. He knew the real battle had only just begun.
And a far greater storm was about to break.