Illaria Point of View

The setting was as sleek and polished as everything else at Allard Incorporation. The government representatives, key media figures, and a few select high-level executives had gathered in a spacious conference room in the heart of Allard Tower.

Cameras flashed as they panned over the scene, capturing the carefully staged surroundings—the bright lights, the backdrop of Allard logos, the polished wood table where the real decisions would be made.

I was in my element.

I adjusted my black silk blouse, a sharp contrast to my light gray blazer, and turned to face the room. The press had been buzzing for days about the dam collapse and the massive flood that had ensued—an artificial disaster of global proportions.

The world had seen the initial tremors, the first reports of the breach in the dam, and now, the media was clamoring for answers. The government had scrambled to respond, but it was clear they were in the dark. That's where *we* came in.

Today, I wasn't just the chairperson of Allard Incorporation. Today, I was the spokesperson for the world's most ambitious environmental stabilization project, EARTH—a project that, if successful, would change the way natural disasters were handled forever.

The only problem? The flood wasn't real.

But I had to make them believe it was.

At the press conference, I stepped up to the podium, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor. The lights blazed down on me, but I was prepared. My face was the picture of calm, my movements deliberate as I adjusted the microphone to my height.

All the while, my mind was focused, not on the questions being asked, but on the bigger picture. This was a game. The Architect had to be pulled in, and this was just one of the many layers of the trap.

The first reporter, a well-dressed man with thick glasses, raised his hand. "Ms. Allard, how can you assure the world that EARTH will be able to mitigate the damage caused by this unprecedented disaster?"

I smiled smoothly, careful to keep my expression neutral, but my voice strong. "That's an excellent question. As you know, Allard Incorporation has been at the forefront of developing EARTH, a cutting-edge technology designed to monitor, stabilize, and, in many cases, prevent environmental catastrophes. Our goal isn't just to respond to natural disasters but to predict, analyze, and ultimately control environmental events to protect lives and property on a global scale."

A murmur went through the crowd. The journalists were eager to hear more. They always were when it came to EARTH. It was the future of disaster management, the kind of tech that could revolutionize governments and industries alike. I wasn't just selling a product; I was selling salvation.

"And with the dam breach," I continued, "We're seeing EARTH tested in real-time. The system is actively working to assess the situation and deploy countermeasures. We have already begun mobilizing the EARTH response teams, and we are in direct communication with local and international authorities to ensure that the flooding is contained."

Another reporter piped up, this one a woman with a sharp bob haircut and an inquisitive gleam in her eyes. "But, Ms. Allard, with the floodwaters rising, how are you addressing the immediate risk to the population? Are you able to provide any specifics on your plan?"

I paused for a beat, considering my response. This was where the stakes were the highest. They needed to believe the flood was genuine, that every action we were taking was urgent. But my true goal was to pull the right players into the trap. The Architect would be watching closely. If he thought EARTH was the solution, he would want to exploit it. That's when we'd have him.

"We are working with local governments to evacuate affected areas and provide immediate relief. Additionally, EARTH is analyzing water flow patterns in real-time, which will allow us to redirect floodwaters and prevent further damage. However, we anticipate some logistical challenges in the coming hours, which is why we're asking for full cooperation from all levels of government. This is a global crisis, and we need global cooperation to mitigate it."

I could see the glint of suspicion in the eyes of some of the officials present, but they remained silent, watching, waiting. They knew that this was as much about political control as it was about disaster response. There was money and power to be made in this crisis—whoever could control the narrative would control the world's future. And Allard was positioning itself as the solution.

The next journalist, a man with a deep, rumbling voice, asked, "But Ms. Allard, there are reports that the breach may have been artificially engineered. How do you respond to those claims?"

The question hung in the air, and for a split second, my heart skipped a beat. The flood wasn't real. But they couldn't know that. I couldn't let them know that. Not yet.

"Those reports are speculative at best," I replied smoothly. "The investigation into the breach is ongoing, and we are working with authorities to determine the cause of the disaster. But in the meantime, our focus remains on managing the flood and saving lives. Right now, we cannot afford to waste time speculating about the origins of the breach. Every second counts."

I saw a few of the officials nodding in agreement, relieved that I wasn't entertaining conspiracy theories. But I could feel the eyes of the room on me. The world didn't know it yet, but we were playing a much larger game.

I gave several more responses to the press—mostly about EARTH and its incredible potential to revolutionize disaster response. But in the back of my mind, I knew the game was already in motion. The flood was only the beginning. EARTH wasn't just a tool for environmental management; it was bait. If the Architect was watching—and I was certain he was—he would see EARTH as the perfect tool to control the environment, manipulate disaster scenarios, and cut out the need for external resources.

That, was when we'd catch him.

I turned toward the government officials who had been listening intently to my responses. Their expressions were neutral, but I knew their next move would be critical. I had given them just enough information to show that Allard was the hero in this situation, that EARTH was the global solution they had been waiting for. But my final move would be a subtle one.

"Before we conclude," I said, leaning forward slightly, my voice dropping just low enough to feel intimate, "I'd like to address one final matter. Our collaboration with the government and media will be paramount in ensuring that this crisis is handled efficiently. We are prepared to make EARTH available to assist in any international recovery efforts."

I paused, letting the weight of the statement settle. Then, with a final, controlled smile, I added, "But I trust that the true solution is in our hands. We are the future of environmental crisis management. All that's left is for the world to recognize that."

As the press conference wrapped up, I could feel my heart rate steadying. The initial phase had been successful. The Architect would now be carefully watching for any signs of weakness—any hint that EARTH could be manipulated.

In the back of the room, Devon, dressed in his usual garish persona as Uno, had been sitting quietly, observing the entire interaction. He had been sending coded messages throughout the meeting, subtly feeding me the information I needed.

As Uno, Devon played the part of the goofy, eccentric CEO of a subsidiary company, trying to throw off any suspicion. But beneath the clownish exterior, he was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Just as the cameras began to disband, I saw him wink from across the room. He was ready for the next step in our plan. And so was I.

Back in the operations center, the tension was building. The artificial floodwaters were continuing to rise, and EARTH was doing its part to manage the crisis. SkyGod's teams were mobilizing in response to the signals we'd carefully planted. They were starting to move, but the question remained: would the Architect bite?

The room was silent as I stared at the screen in front of me, my pulse quickening. The flood operation was moving in real time. On the big display, I watched as Earth's data streams continued to flow, manipulating the artificial breach, rerouting the water, and stabilizing the situation. SkyGod's forces had been deployed, just as we expected. The world believed in the flood. Earth was our Trojan horse, and we were watching it unfold as planned.

But then something happened.

I saw it. A new encrypted message appeared on the monitoring system. A single line of text, the kind we used to communicate with certain factions—but this one was different. The encryption signature on the line wasn't the usual SkyGod military chatter I was used to seeing. This was a different kind of code. One that had always been reserved for the most sensitive of internal operations.

I leaned forward, my eyes narrowing, trying to focus. My hand instinctively hovered over the keyboard, but my fingers froze midair.

The message flickered on the screen—a single line of code that had been carefully crafted to bypass all other protocols:

'Architect in play. Sending agent to breach site.'

A cold wave of shock washed over me. My heart skipped a beat. The Architect.

The Architect?

I had expected him to respond to the flood—the crisis—reacting to the bait we had set. But this? This was something entirely different.

The message came directly from the encrypted channel of the EARTH operation. SkyGod wasn't pulling the strings anymore.

Someone else was controlling this.

I leaned forward again, my gaze darting across the screen, scanning the data logs. The familiar codes, the usual feeds—all seemed in place. And then... I saw it. The code attached to the encrypted message. The code that belongs to a name that would change everything.

Asmund!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello Sweeties,

Next chapter is here. Enjoy!

What do you think about the chapter? Good?

Finally, the architect identity is revealed. Surprised?

The whole SkyGod's fiasco has almost come to and end. Your views?

Now that Devon and Illaria will have time to court each other, what do you think will they do?

Please shower me with votes and comments.

Share my books with your friends.

Lots of Love

Lady Prim