"Alex..." Olivia steps forward trembling. She clutches Alexander’s sleeve, searching for certainty amid the storm of reality. "The kid on that broadcast? Who is he?"
Alexander doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he turns around, wraps his arms around Olivia’s shoulders, and pulls her away from the kids’ bedroom. He stares into her eyes with a forced warmth, trying to stay calm.
"That’s not Ethan," Alexander says in a low, steady voice, cutting off the seed of panic trying to grow in Olivia’s chest. "Our Ethan is inside the room, safe under biometric system protection."
"But his face, his eyes," Olivia’s voice catches in her throat. "That kid looks just like Ethan!"
Daniel steps closer, his fingers dancing swiftly over the keyboard as he dissects the live broadcast data. "I’ve just scanned the kid’s face geometry using Vanguard’s algorithm. The skull structure and iris pigmentation match Ethan’s at ninety-nine percent."
Alexander narrows his eyes. "Biological cloning."
"Not just regular cloning," Daniel cuts in, enlarging the microcell scan on the secondary screen. "Christian Wijaya and Victoria used embryonic tissue samples taken from Julian’s lab five years ago. They accelerated genetic growth with synthetic toxin extracts. That kid was grown artificially in a test tube."
Olivia covers her mouth with both hands, tears streaming down her face. "Devil, they’re truly devils! How can they create humans just to be tools?"
"The kid was created as a substitute heir," Alexander says coldly, his eyes fixed on the monitor showing Christian Wijaya guiding the wheelchair-bound replica of the boy on stage to applause from VIP guests. "If this clone is legally recognized as my and Olivia’s legitimate child, then all the assets of Rington Group frozen on the black market can be unlocked in Christian and Victoria’s name."
"We need to stop this crazy party tonight!" Olivia declares, her mother’s rage overpowering her fear.
"No," Alexander holds her tightly, gripping both her hands. "The ballroom is guarded by armed security and dozens of national media. If we attack openly now, Christian will spin it as us being international terrorists trying to kidnap ’our own child’."
"So what’s our plan, Alex?" Daniel asks, tilting his head to look at Alexander.
Alexander takes a deep breath, exuding a cold leadership aura that once made him feared in Europe’s business world. "Christian and Victoria want to play media chess. We’ll give them the stage, then burn it from the inside."
The Grand Hyatt Jakarta ballroom sparkles. Hundreds of top businesspeople, ministers, and high-profile journalists gather in formal attire. The sound of champagne glasses clinking and soft symphony music fills the room, heavily guarded by dozens of dark-uniformed security personnel.
On the main stage, Christian Wijaya stands gracefully, holding a crystal glass and smiling warmly at the press. Next to him, Victoria Ashford looks stunning in a fiery red evening gown, gazing at the boy in the wheelchair displayed beside the stage.
That boy, engineered as ’Leo,’ sits stiffly with a blank stare, as if his soul is controlled by high doses of sedatives injected into his veins.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Christian’s voice echoes smoothly through the high-tech sound system. "Tonight isn’t just about the launch of Nusantara Bio-Tech’s cellular regeneration supplement. It’s a symbol of justice restored for the rightful heirs of the Rington family, who have been hidden away by irresponsible parties."
Photographers flash their cameras, capturing the image of Leo sitting still.
"This child," Victoria steps forward, approaching Leo’s wheelchair and gently touching his shoulder with a fake smile, "is the first living specimen rescued from illegal genetic engineering in Europe. We, Nusantara Bio-Tech, officially seek full custody and legal recognition of Leo Rington!"
The guests applaud enthusiastically, captivated by the false humanitarian narrative carefully crafted.
But just as Christian begins to conclude his speech with the signing of a consortium agreement, a massive double-door made of solid teak suddenly swings open.
Steady footsteps, firm yet deliberate, cut through the lively room along the red carpet.
All eyes and camera flashes turn toward the entrance.
Alexander Rington walks in with grace, wearing a tailored black suit from Savile Row that perfectly drapes his tall frame. Beside him, Olivia Carter stands elegant in a silver silk gown, radiating a cold, unwavering charm.
Daniel follows two steps behind, carrying a titanium-dressed diplomatic bag.
The room falls silent. Victoria’s smile fades instantly, replaced by shock and pure hatred she can’t fully hide. Christian squints, tightening his grip on his crystal glass until his knuckles turn white.
"A very captivating show, Mr. Wijaya," Alexander’s low, commanding voice resonates, intimidating everyone in the room.
Reporters begin whispering hysterically, recognizing Alexander Rington—once the most influential former CEO in London, reported missing after a maritime accident three months ago.
"Alexander?" Victoria whispers into the microphone, her voice trembling slightly.
Alexander and Olivia walk down the center aisle through the crowd, which parts automatically.
"You dare show yourself here, Rington?" Christian takes the microphone, trying to regain control with a cold smile. "You’re an international fugitive wanted for asset manipulation in Switzerland!"
"Those charges were fully cleared by the International Court just two days ago, Christian," Olivia replies confidently, her voice clear through the microphone, silencing media speculation.
Alexander stops in front of the main stage, staring directly at Christian and Victoria.
"You talk about justice and full custody of the boy in that wheelchair," he says evenly, his silver eyes slowly shifting to Leo, still frozen. "But you forget one crucial thing in international law."
Christian sneers. "What do you mean, Alexander? We have verified legal DNA certificates from an independent laboratory!"
"Laboratory owned by your own corporation," Alexander cuts in, opening the titanium case in his hand and revealing a transparent tablet stamped with the official seal of the WHO’s Medical Supervisory Agency.
The giant screen behind the stage suddenly shifts, displaying a detailed DNA analysis of Leo. The double helix appears unstable, filled with artificial breakpoints indicating unnatural cellular division.
"The boy on the wheelchair isn’t naturally born," Alexander’s voice booms, piercing the night’s silence. "He’s the product of a forbidden experiment injected with synthetic toxins. A biological time bomb that will fail his organs within forty-eight hours unless given a daily antidote serum."
The audience gasps, panicked whispers rising, camera shutters clicking wildly. Journalists scramble to ask questions to Christian and Victoria, who now look pale on stage.
"That’s slander!" Victoria screams hysterically, her beauty distorted by rage. "Guards! Remove these people from the ballroom now!"
Eight dark-uniformed guards leap forward from the stage’s corner, wielding stun batons and slipping concealed weapons from their jackets.
But before they can reach Alexander, emergency sirens blare from police vehicles and international military outside the building.
"Don’t move! Police!" A tactical team commander shouts, aiming their assault rifles at the guards.
Chaos erupts. VIP guests panic and rush toward the exits, leaving the main stage surrounded by armed forces.
Realizing his position is hopeless, Christian pulls a small silenced pistol from his jacket. Without hesitation, he aims the barrel at Olivia’s chest.
"If I’m going down tonight, so are you!" Christian yells, pulling the trigger!
Alexander leaps to shield Olivia, taking the shot in his right shoulder. Blood sprays onto Olivia’s gray gown as Alexander crumples, clutching his pain.
"Alex!" Olivia screams, catching Alexander’s falling body.
Amid smoke and return fire from police, Christian snatches Leo’s wheelchair and escapes with Victoria through a secret door behind the stage toward the rooftop helipad.
"Daniel! Chase them!" Alexander gasps, bloodied shoulder, eyes sharp on the secret exit.
"I’ll secure them, Alex! Get him out!" Daniel yells, jumping over the barricade and rushing after Christian.
Olivia presses a silk scarf against Alexander’s wound, tears blurring her vision. "Hold on, Alex. Please."
Alexander grips her hand, offering a thin smile between ragged breaths. "I’m fine, Olivia. Heal my wound on the helicopter."
Twenty minutes later.
The helipad atop the Grand Hyatt soars with cold night wind and gentle drizzle. Christian’s escape helicopter blades whirl at maximum speed, roaring deafeningly.
Christian pushes Leo’s wheelchair toward the helicopter cabin, Victoria running anxiously with her torn red gown trailing.
"Surrender, Christian!" Daniel shouts over the wind. "Jakarta’s airspace is closed by the Air Force!"
Christian halts at the helicopter door, spinning around with a creepy smile. He holds a small biological transmitter in his left hand.
"You’re too late, Rington!" Christian screams hysterically. "The toxin formula has already been transmitted to the central lab in the Thousand Islands!" He points at Leo in the wheelchair.
Victoria jumps into the helicopter, panicking. "Christian! Hurry! We need to go!"
Christian presses a button on the small transmitter.
Daniel is stunned as a surge of abnormal force throws him back against the helipad’s concrete wall!
Christian laughs maniacally, climbing into the helicopter as it lifts off, leaving the rooftop.
"Say hello to Alexander for me!" Christian shouts from the open helicopter door, tossing a small glass tube filled with black liquid onto the helipad. The substance instantly vaporizes upon contact with the air, billowing into a foul-smelling black smoke sucked into the building’s ventilation system.
Daniel freezes, realizing the danger just unleashed.
That black liquid isn’t just poison—it’s a mutagenic nerve agent designed to infect thousands inside the Grand Hyatt within minutes!
In a medical helicopter approaching the building, Alexander, being treated by Olivia, suddenly receives a red emergency alert from his tactical computer.
The monitor displays a map showing the spread of the toxic gas creeping through the building’s cooling system toward the safe zone where Ethan and Stella are hidden in the Sky Sanctuary.
"Alex," Olivia whispers, her face ghostly pale as she sees the red indicator on the screen. "The air filtration system in Sky Sanctuary isn’t designed to stop this nerve gas."
Before Alexander can give evacuation orders, Julian Rington’s cold laughter echoes through the helicopter’s transmitter:
"An interesting choice, Alexander. You have three minutes to save your child in Sky Sanctuary, or let this gas spread and kill ten thousand people in Jakarta’s heart."