Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Rocinha Favela
The sun had long dipped beneath the horizon, casting Rocinha in an amber haze. High above the winding alleys and patchwork rooftops, Nora crouched on a dilapidated balcony with Kaito at her side, both dressed in stealth gear. The humid night buzzed with energy—music, laughter, whispers of deals and danger. Beneath the surface, Rio's criminal underbelly pulsed with Archer Grey's influence.
"This is where he launders billions," Kaito whispered, pointing to a warehouse camouflaged as a shipping export office. "Weapons, data, high-value art—it all funnels through here. This is his global artery."
Nora's fingers tightened around the binoculars. Below, a convoy of armored vehicles offloaded crates marked Consórcio Zafira, a fake corporation Archer had used across multiple continents. She recognized some of the guards—mercenaries trained in Blackridge's elite units.
"Kaito," she said slowly, "we've been compromised."
He turned. "What do you mean?"
She held up a scrambled comm-signal intercepted through her tablet. The encryption was advanced, but she traced the IP origin—Tavara. A betrayal from someone inside her own country.
Before Kaito could respond, a low boom echoed across the favela. Lights flickered. The street below erupted in shouts and gunfire.
"Move!" Nora shouted.
They descended the building's stairs in silence, bypassing panicked locals and darting through alleyways. Their destination wasn't the warehouse—it was a safehouse deeper in the favela, where Leo had arranged a meet with a local informant known only as "Estrella."
The safehouse was tucked behind a chapel. There, a woman with sharp eyes and a jaguar tattoo on her wrist greeted them. She spoke softly, with a Portuguese accent laced with urgency.
"Estrella?" Nora asked.
The woman nodded. "You have enemies, senhora. Someone sold your location. Archer's men are closing in, but I've blocked three entry routes. You have minutes."
Kaito scanned the room. "Where's the data you promised?"
Estrella handed them a flash drive. "All routes, shipments, and bank codes Archer uses in South America. But that's not all. I intercepted an email... addressed to someone named Felix Monroe."
Nora froze.
Felix Monroe—her cousin. Exiled from Tavara years ago after a scandal involving insider trading and suspected espionage. The family had buried the incident quietly. No one spoke of Felix anymore.
"Felix works for Archer?" Kaito asked incredulously.
Nora stared at the flash drive. "Or he's being used. Either way, he's blood. We need to be sure before we decide what to do."
Suddenly, the safehouse walls shuddered under impact. Smoke grenades burst through the window.
"Down!" Kaito yelled, grabbing Nora and diving behind a stone pillar.
Outside, bullets tore through the chapel walls. Estrella returned fire with precision, covering their exit through a hidden trapdoor. They slid down into an old cistern tunnel, the air thick with mildew and echoes.
"We'll head east to the docks," Nora panted. "From there, Damien can extract us."
Halfway through the tunnel, Kaito's comms buzzed.
"Damien here. I'm with Uncle Charles in Geneva. We've got trouble."
Nora answered, breath sharp. "So do we. What's happening?"
Damien's voice was grim. "We traced Archer's offshore accounts to a firm called Argentum Solutions. They're being managed by someone we thought was long gone—your aunt, Vivian."
Nora nearly tripped.
"Aunt Vivian died in Prague ten years ago!"
"She faked it," Damien replied. "She's running Archer's European portfolio. We're dealing with more than betrayal. We're up against family ghosts."
Back in Geneva, Charles Monroe closed the encrypted video call, rubbing his temples. "Too many skeletons, Damien. Our family tree is full of shadows."
Damien poured himself a glass of scotch. "Then it's time we dragged them all into the light."
He looked at the photo on his desk—his father and mother on their wedding day, flanked by a young Vivian and Felix. What secrets had they buried to build an empire?
Meanwhile, deep inside the Brazilian jungle, Archer Grey stood before a waterfall obscuring a secret data vault. Beside him was Felix Monroe, younger, leaner, with a face too handsome to be trusted.
"They'll come for you now," Archer said coldly.
Felix smirked. "Let them. I know every move Nora will make."
Archer narrowed his eyes. "And Damien?"
Felix's smile faded slightly. "He's harder. But he has a weakness—his father. If we crack the past wide open, Damien's empire will crumble from the inside."
Archer handed Felix a silver USB. "Then let's expose the truth. About your mother... and about his."