’For now, however, the institute wasn’t focused on the continuous stream of money pouring in from their wealthy viewers. Even though hundreds of thousands of dollars were being transferred one after another, the atmosphere in the room remained tense, almost suffocating.

A single name weighed heavily on everyone’s mind.

Aurora.

The girl had become the biggest obstacle in their entire operation. Slowly but surely, she had overturned their carefully constructed plans, dismantling them piece by piece.

Worse still, she had already caused severe damage to one of their strongest assets.

Kai, the head manager, stood at the center of the room, his sharp gaze sweeping across his subordinates. His presence alone carried authority, making others instinctively lower their eyes.

Taking a slow, measured breath, he spoke.

"Tell me," he said, his tone calm but firm, "what methods can we use against Aurora?"

A woman in a slim black suit shifted slightly before stepping forward.

"We... should try to kill her directly," she said carefully.

Kai tilted his head slightly, then shook it.

"That wouldn’t work anyway," he replied. "She knows martial arts. She can dodge most direct attacks unless it’s something unavoidable... like a natural disaster."

A faint murmur spread through the room.

Another man spoke up hesitantly.

"What if we use divination?" he suggested. "If we can predict her movements..."

Kai let out a short, dry chuckle, cutting him off. "You’re being naive."

His eyes hardened slightly.

"It’s not like we haven’t tried. Her future... is completely shrouded. No matter how many times we attempted to analyze it, we found nothing concrete."

"We can’t see what lies ahead for her. All we can do is rely on outdated predictions and hope they still hold some truth."

The room fell silent again. They all knew what he meant.

In the original storyline, everything had been clear; Aurora was supposed to die.

But now?

Nothing was going according to plan.

Their so-called "ace," the one who was meant to eliminate Aurora, was now lying helplessly in a hospital bed, crippled, broken, and completely useless.

And the one responsible for that downfall... was Aurora herself.

As the discussion continued, uncertainty began to creep into the room. No one had a clear solution, and that fact alone made the situation even more dangerous.

Then, suddenly, a man named Harry leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous idea.

"It would be better," he said slowly, "if we target Aurora’s family."

Several people turned to look at him, their expressions shifting between shock and consideration.

Kai’s gaze sharpened. ’That’s a reckless move...’

He remained silent, observing the room.

Someone muttered under their breath, clearly uneasy.

"That’s too risky... If Aurora finds out it’s us... "

Another voice interrupted, firm and cold.

Margaret stepped forward.

"We’re already at a loss," she said, her tone sharp. "Why are we hesitating because of one girl?"

Her eyes swept across the room, filled with disdain.

"She’s only eighteen. Even if she’s clever, what can she really do? If we act carefully, she won’t even realize it’s us."

A few people exchanged uncertain glances.

Margaret continued, her voice growing more intense.

"Don’t forget what she’s done. She exposed the real script of destiny to the public. Because of that, our viewers are disappointed, and we’re losing money."

Her words struck a chord. Several heads nodded slowly.

The loss they had suffered wasn’t small... it was massive.

Margaret clenched her fist slightly, her lips curling into a cold smile.

"Girls like her need to be taught a lesson."

The room fell into a heavy silence once again.

Then she spoke, her voice final, almost chilling in its certainty.

"I don’t care what the rest of you decide," she said. "But I am going to harm Aurora’s family."

All of the other members exchanged uneasy glances.

Seeing this, Margaret’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as she leaned forward slightly.

"Since all of you are in," she said smoothly, her voice carrying a quiet authority, "then we should begin working on the plan immediately."

A series of reluctant nods followed her words, the group falling into motion as hushed discussions began to ripple through the room.

Time passed in a blur of whispered strategies and exchanged ideas until, eventually, a solid plan took shape.

After everything was finalized, Kai straightened in his chair and swept his gaze across everyone present.

"The meeting is dismissed," he announced flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You may all leave."

The door clicked shut behind the last person, leaving Kai alone in the vast, dimly lit space.

However, he did not leave.

Instead, he remained seated, his fingers interlocked as he stared at the empty doorway, waiting.

Moments later, the silence was broken by the faint creak of the door opening once more.

A man stepped inside, his presence almost ghostlike.

He wore a black mask that concealed half of his face, yet even with it, his striking features were impossible to ignore.

His blue hair shimmered faintly under the overhead lights, and his equally blue eyes gleamed with an unsettling calm.

The moment his gaze landed on Kai, a low chuckle escaped his lips.

"Relax," he said casually, his tone almost playful, as though the tension in the room meant nothing to him.

Despite the man’s youthful appearance, no older than twenty, his aura was eerie.

His charm was undeniable, almost unnatural, the kind that could captivate millions if he ever stepped into the entertainment industry.

Kai, however, felt none of that admiration.

Beads of sweat formed along his brow, slowly trickling down his temple.

He hastily wiped them away, forcing a stiff smile onto his face.

"We need to find a way to deal with that troublesome Aurora..." He reported.

The masked man waved his hand dismissively.

"Aurora isn’t that big of a deal," he said with a lazy shrug. Then, tilting his head slightly, his eyes narrowed.

"But I’ve noticed something lately... the number of viewers is decreasing. Care to explain why?"

Kai swallowed, the dryness in his throat making it difficult to speak. "There was... a scandal," he replied carefully, his voice betraying a hint of unease as he quickly explained everything that had happened.

When he finished, silence fell once again.

Then...

"I see."

The man rose slowly from his seat.

Before Kai could react, a sharp smack echoed through the room.

Pain exploded across his face as the force of the slap sent his head snapping to the side.

The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and his vision blurred for a brief moment.

"So much has happened," the man said coldly, his voice now devoid of its earlier playfulness, "and you thought it wasn’t necessary to inform me?"

Kai staggered slightly, one hand clutching his burning cheek. Fear gripped his chest, tightening like a vice.

"I... I thought I could handle Aurora quickly," he stammered, his voice trembling.

The man, Nate, slowly rotated his head from side to side, the faint cracking sound of his neck echoing in the quiet room.

His gaze, when it settled back on Kai, was filled with chilling disappointment.

"Truly," Nate murmured, "I can’t trust anyone for even a second."

He sat back down, closing his eyes as if nothing had happened.

But beneath that calm exterior...

He wanted nothing more than to snap Aurora’s head off.

Everything had been going perfectly. Control was within his grasp. The world had been inching closer to falling into his hands.

And then Aurora appeared.

Opening his eyes again, Nate’s gaze turned icy.

"Deal with her quickly," he said quietly, yet the threat behind his words was unmistakable. "Otherwise, if I have to make a move... it won’t just be Aurora who suffers."

Kai’s body trembled involuntarily. The coldness in Nate’s voice seeped into his bones, leaving him frozen in place.

After Nate finally left, the door shutting behind him with a soft click, Kai collapsed into his chair, his entire body drenched in sweat.

"What kind of monster... did I make a deal with?" he muttered under his breath.

His mind drifted back to the past.

Long before Nate entered his life, he had been nothing, just another man drowning in despair, wandering the streets with no purpose.

Then, one day, he had stumbled upon a secret: a book rumored to summon people from the future.

At first, curiosity had driven him.

’If I can just ask a few questions... maybe I can change my fate.’

So he performed the ritual. And Nate appeared.

From that moment on, everything changed.

With uncanny intelligence and ruthless precision, Nate built a company from nothing, turning it into one of the top technology firms in a remarkably short time.

Using its profits, he developed advanced chips, devices far beyond what the current world should have been capable of producing.

Kai, lacking technical knowledge, could only assist from the sidelines.

But as time passed, he began to see the truth.

Nate was dangerous.

Even though he often smiled and acted friendly, there was always a moment, whenever Kai forgot his place, when Nate would remind him.

With a slap. Every single time.