The guard came back, holding a thick folder and a cool tablet. He slid the folder through the bars, and William grabbed it, flipping it open with shaky hands.

Photos spilled out like hard punches to the gut.

A newborn baby girl, wrapped in pink, with grey eyes looking up—his eyes, stormy grey like a winter sea. Sarah was holding her, tired but smiling just a little.

More photos followed. Toddler years. School years. Birthdays.

The same gray eyes.

His daughter.

Then the wedding pictures came next, Michael and Sarah at the altar. She wore white, but her face was pale, her eyes red and puffy, and her smile looked forced. There was no happiness; Michael’s hand was way too possessive around her waist.

William’s eyes filled with tears as he traced a finger over the latest photo: the girl at ten, blowing out birthday candles. Happy. Innocent. Grey eyes just like his stared back at him.

His heart shattered into a million pieces. She’s mine. But Sarah... married to Michael? The brother who had stabbed him in the back and handed him over to Karza like a trophy.

"Why?" William whispered, his voice cracking. "How?"

Maksim took the tablet from the guard and tapped the screen. "Check it out for yourself."

He held it up against the bars as grainy but clear CCTV footage played. The hospital lobby showed the date William went missing. Sarah walked out of a doctor’s office, holding some papers. Zoom in: a pregnancy report. Positive. Dated just a day before he got kidnapped.

"She kept it hidden," Maksim said, his voice full of glee. "From everyone, apparently. But after you ’died’... Michael swooped in. He comforted her and pushed her into marriage. Oh, don’t look so shocked. Your brother always wanted what you had."

More footage rolled—wedding day. Sarah was in a back room, tears streaming down her face, with Michael’s goons blocking the door. She wiped her face and straightened her veil. No way out.

Then more footage—just four weeks after the wedding. Sarah was back in a doctor’s office, nervously telling Michael about the "pregnancy." His excitement was a stark contrast to her empty eyes.

William pressed his forehead against the bars, tears making tracks down his dirty face. He reached for the tablet, his finger hovering over Sarah’s image—about to kiss the screen.

Maksim snatched it back with a laugh. "Touching. But if you don’t think she’s yours... fine. I’ll sell her anyway. I won’t care once her parents are out of the picture. Oh, I mean, after I take care of Michael. She’ll warm my bed. Or maybe I’ll have some fun first—"

Rage exploded inside William like a bomb. He lunged, chains snapping taut, hands reaching through the bars to grab at Maksim’s throat. "You bastard! If you touch them, I’ll—"

Guards rushed in, rifles thrusting through the bars, pushing him back. One guard smashed the butt of his rifle into William’s ribs—he felt the crack of bone, and a searing pain shot through him. William gasped, collapsing against the chains, but his eyes burned with fury.

Maksim chuckled, a twisted sense of pleasure rumbling from his chest. "I like that fire. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it."

He paced around the cage like a shark sensing blood. "Alright, if you want me to keep my hands off your wife and kid, you need to create better gadgets. You know the deal—technology that can dismantle a mafia empire in seconds, stealthy hacks, untraceable viruses, all of that."

He continued, "But this time, I need something new. An improved formula. Whoever got their hands on the old stuff knows your signature by now. And one more thing: it has to be untraceable, since Lunel is a very skilled hacker. That woman is sharp."

William spat blood and glared at him. "Go to hell, Karza. I’m not your puppet anymore."

Maksim’s smile vanished like a light switch being flipped. He grabbed the bars, his face inches from William’s. "You really think you have a choice? Your family’s blood will be on your hands. Sarah—howling in my bed. Your daughter, sold to the highest bidder, broken before she’s even a teenager. All because Daddy said no."

William’s mind raced, flooded with memories of Sarah’s smile and their daughter’s gray eyes. She had hidden the pregnancy. Protected their kid. Michael had manipulated her, exploited her grief. He knew Sarah’s heart; she’d never betray him willingly. But the proof was right in front of him.

And the gadgets... his cursed inventions. They could destroy networks, ruin fortunes, and take down empires with a single click. He had destroyed the originals to stop this madness. Now? He was being forced to make them again. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

But escape... the flicker of hope grew. The guards’ shifts. A weak link in the chain. If he played along...

"Fine," William rasped, slumping in defeat. "I’ll do it. But I need tools. Lab access. Not this cage."

Maksim’s eyes narrowed, suspicion flashing. Then he grinned. "Smart move. You’ll get what you need. Under watch, of course." He straightened, signaling the guards. "Get ready for the transfer. And William? If you ever betray me... I’ll make you watch them die. Slowly."

The guards pulled William up, unlocking the cage for the first time in years. Freedom? Or a deeper trap?

As Maksim turned to leave, a distant alarm blared from above.

Maksim froze. "What the—?"

Gunfire erupted overhead. Shouts. Chaos flooded the hallways.

William’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Escape? Maybe sooner than he thought.

The palace shook with explosions. Guards scattered, rifles at the ready.

Maksim whirled back to William, eyes ablaze. "What did you do?"

But William just laughed—weak, broken, but defiant. "Me? Nothing. Yet."

A guard burst in. "Boss! Breach! HK’s men! They’re here!"

Maksim’s face twisted in rage. "No way!"

The lights flickered out. Darkness swallowed them.

In the dark, William murmured to himself, "What if I escape... right now?"

Screams echoed. Bullets flew.

The ghost in chains was done waiting.