Chapter 31
Remy pulled up Nyx's contact and hit call. She answered on the second ring, her voice clear and focused despite it being nearly 9 PM.
He could hear the clicking of a keyboard in the background, she was working, as usual, though now it was work she'd chosen rather than work imposed on her.
"Remy? Is something wrong?" Nyx asked immediately, her analytical mind detecting the tension in his voice even through the phone.
"Nyx, the Parstons are coming for Lyra's servers tonight," Remy said without preamble. "11:47 PM.
Three-person team, probably operating out of Eastern Europe based on the digital signatures I'm seeing.
They're going to try to wipe everything, transaction records, client data, and backups.
The goal is to cripple the company so thoroughly that Marcus Castellane has to accept a Parston buyout."
There was a pause, then the sound of rapid typing intensified. "Evidence I gathered earlier on their illegal activities was just the start," Remy continued.
"This is their endgame. They're going to try to delete their own paper trail in the process, erase the connections between the cyber-attack and their organisation.
Make it look like random criminals or competitors."
"Let them try," Nyx replied, and her voice was no longer the shaky whisper of a girl controlled by her parents' expectations.
This was the voice of someone who'd found her purpose, who'd discovered that her intelligence could be used for more than just pleasing her father.
"I've already built a firewall based on the predictions you gave me earlier.
Military-grade encryption, multi-layered authentication, and real-time threat monitoring. I've been waiting for them to make a move."
"It's more than just defence," Remy said, his mind working through the strategy.
"I need you to turn their attack back on them. Document everything, the source IPs, the attack vectors, and the specific files they're targeting.
Create a digital trail that leads straight back to the Parston organisation. And while you're at it, see if you can access their systems when they try to breach ours.
They'll open a connection so exploit it."
The typing sounds stopped. "You want me to counter-hack the Parstons while they're attacking the Castellanes?" Nyx asked, and there was excitement in her voice now, the thrill of a challenge that actually tested her abilities.
"That's... that's incredibly risky. If I get caught, if there's any trace back to me, I could face federal charges for computer crimes."
"You won't get caught," Remy said with absolute certainty. "I've seen how this plays out. You're better than they are.
Better than the hackers they hired, better than their security team, better than anyone they could throw at you.
And by tomorrow morning, we'll have enough evidence to not only stop their attack but to prove criminal conspiracy. The SEC will be very interested."
"You're sure?" Nyx asked, and underneath the excitement was vulnerability, the need for reassurance that he believed in her.
"I'm sure," Remy said firmly. "I've seen the future, Nyx. You're brilliant. You've always been brilliant. But now you're brilliant and free, using your intelligence for something that matters instead of just chasing your parents' approval.
You're going to do amazing things tonight. Just remember to document everything legally defensible.
We're not criminals, we're citizens protecting ourselves from criminal activity."
"I'll set up screen recordings, timestamp logs, everything court-admissible," Nyx said, the keyboard sounds resuming at a furious pace.
"Where will you be? What's your part of this?"
"I'm going to visit Thomas Parston," Remy said, starting the Audi's engine.
The V10 rumbled to life like a waking beast. "Have a conversation. Make sure he understands exactly how badly he's miscalculated.
And I'm going to give him one chance, just one, to end this before it destroys him completely."
"Will he take it?" Nyx asked.
"No," Remy said, pulling out of the parking space. "I've already seen that future.
His pride won't let him back down. But I need to offer anyway. So that when everything falls apart for him, he can't claim he wasn't warned."
"Be careful," Nyx said, genuine concern in her voice. "Thomas Parston is dangerous. He's connected. He's ruthless.
Just because you can see the future doesn't mean you're invulnerable."
"I know," Remy assured her. "Which is why I'm not going alone.
Grandpops is with me. And I've already seen every possible variation of this conversation. I know exactly what I need to say."
"Call me when it's done," Nyx said. "Both of you, you and your ghost grandfather. I want to know you're safe."
"Will do," Remy promised. "And Nyx? Thank you. For being brilliant, for being brave, for choosing to use your gifts for something that matters.
You're not just the girl with perfect grades anymore. You're a powerhouse. Remember that."
He could hear the smile in her voice when she replied: "I'm starting to believe it.
Now go confront that madman. I've got servers to protect and Parstons to counter-hack."
The line clicked off, and Remy accelerated out of the parking garage into the night, heading toward the Parston building three blocks away.
In the passenger seat, Silas's ghost watched him with a mixture of pride and concern.
"You're walking into the lion's den, boy. Thomas Parston has built his empire on destroying people who threaten him. Are you sure confronting him directly is wise?"
"Wisdom isn't always about safety," Remy replied, his golden eyes glowing faintly as he navigated the streets with supernatural precision, knowing exactly when lights would change, when pedestrians would cross, when cars would merge.
"Sometimes wisdom is about sending a message so clear, so direct, that your enemies have no doubt about what happens next."
"And what happens next?" Silas asked.
Remy smiled, and it was the smile of someone who held all the cards and knew it.
"Thomas Parston's empire falls. Not tomorrow, maybe. Not in one dramatic collapse.
But inexorably, inevitably, because he made the mistake of attacking someone who can see the future."
The Audi pulled up to the Parston building, its sleek black form reflecting the city lights like a predator's eyes in the dark.
Remy stepped out, adjusted his jacket, and walked toward the entrance with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how the next hour would unfold.
The security guard at the desk looked up, started to say that the building was closed to visitors, then saw something in Remy's golden eyes that made the words die in his throat.
"I'm here to see Thomas Parston," Remy said calmly. "He'll want to meet me.
Tell him Remy Beaumont is here. Tell him I know about tonight's plans. And tell him I'm offering him one chance to end this before it destroys everything he's built."
The guard, hand trembling slightly, picked up the phone.
The endgame had begun.
And Remy Beaumont, armed with Foresight and fury, was about to show a Titan what it meant to face someone who could see him coming.