The next day, Adam met Bruno again.

This time he did not use Wil’s face.

He wore a new disguise, one Bruno had never seen before. The man looked younger than Wil but older than Rivan, with a narrow face, darker hair, and plain clothes that would not stay in memory for long. Adam had chosen it for that reason.

Bruno was already inside the restaurant room when he arrived.

The moment Bruno saw him, his posture changed.

He was uncomfortable.

Adam noticed it at once.

Bruno had grown used to Wil. The old man had become the face of the organization in his mind. Seeing someone else come in Wil’s place made the lie stronger, not weaker. Bruno was not dealing with one mysterious old man anymore. He was dealing with an organization that could send different faces to the same table.

The disguise also protected Wil. If Bruno was ever caught or followed, he would not be able to say Wil had come again. He would only describe another messenger, another piece of a larger machine.

For Bruno, that mattered more than Adam had expected. The more faces he saw, the less he would believe this was one man’s trick.

That was exactly what Adam wanted.

Bruno stood.

"Sir," he said carefully.

Adam sat down and said, "Report."

Bruno placed a heavy bag on the floor beside the table.

"This is the money from the products you gave us," he said. "After moving everything through the channels you ordered, the total came to twenty million dollars."

Adam looked at the bag but did not touch it yet.

Twenty million.

Part of it would go toward Aster Core Components, the visible company at Unit 14. He could not keep feeding them only promises and hidden stock. If they were going to move fast, they would need money that looked clean enough after passing through the right hands.

Another part had to stay with him. Every new plan needed money.

Bruno then placed a file on the table.

"And this has the individuals you asked for. People with ability, but with weaknesses too."

Adam opened it.

Before reading, he looked at Bruno.

"Before that, listen carefully."

Bruno straightened.

"The Rust Gate Crew’s leader, Maren Voss, will be removed soon."

Bruno’s eyes changed before he could stop himself.

"Removed?"

"Killed," Adam said. "By us."

Bruno did not speak for a moment.

He had seen gang fights. He had seen men stabbed, shot, and buried. But this was different. Adam said it like a schedule, not like a threat.

"Why are you telling me this?" Bruno asked.

"Because you will contact one of his men," Adam said. "Find someone close enough to hear movements and greedy enough to imagine himself above the others. Tell him Maren Voss is already under the eyes of an international organization. Tell him if he wants to survive, he should be ready to take the seat after Maren falls."

Bruno understood slowly.

Adam was not only removing a leader.

He was preparing the replacement before the body fell.

The respect in Bruno’s eyes deepened despite himself.

"And after that?" he asked.

"After that, he brings the Rust Gate Crew into the alliance with Gonda."

Bruno lowered his head. "Understood."

Then he hesitated.

Adam saw it.

"Speak."

Bruno forced the words out. "Sir, I told Wil sir this too. If Gonda is removed, the whole gang can become loyal to you. I have already proved that I can work. I can hold it."

Adam leaned back.

"Not yet."

Bruno’s fingers tightened under the table.

"We know what you want," Adam said. "And we are considering it. You are proving yourself, yes. But you created a problem before. Payment for that does not disappear just because you are useful now."

Bruno lowered his head further.

"I understand."

Inside, he cursed himself.

If he had accepted Wil the first time, Gonda might already be dead. Now he was alive, and Bruno still had to walk under him every day.

Adam watched him and thought about the same problem from another side.

Gonda was not loyal. Bruno was at least trying to become useful. But killing Gonda was not simple. Adam’s only real outside blade right now was Rovan, and Rovan was still shaking. If he failed with Maren Voss, using him on Gonda would be madness.

So Adam did not promise more.

He pulled the file closer and started reading.

Several names were useless. Some were too weak. Some had debts but no talent. Some were clever but too protected.

Then one page made him stop.

Name: Darien Holt.

He had once worked in a stock trading firm. Not a top man, but smart enough to see gaps in numbers and greedy enough to use them. He had committed fraud, gone to prison, served time, and come out trying to start again. Then someone cheated him out of his new money. Bruno’s people had later arranged loans for him, and now Darien owed more than he could pay back.

Adam read the page twice.

This man was useful.

He was smart, desperate, experienced with numbers, and already tied to Bruno’s network. That last part was dangerous, but Adam did not have the luxury of perfect assets yet.

The file also mentioned that Darien adapted under pressure. In prison he had run numbers for other inmates. After release he had tried two small businesses before debt swallowed both. That meant he still wanted to climb, and a man like that could be guided if the leash was placed correctly.

He was not loyal to anyone yet. That made him risky, but it also meant he could still be shaped.

He closed the file.

"I will meet this one."

Bruno looked at the name and nodded.

"I can arrange it."

"Do that."

Adam picked up the file and the money bag.

He would need the right disguise for Darien Holt.

And he would need to know exactly how to use him before the meeting began.