Date: August 17, 2005 (Events Unknown to Crowe)

  Location: Zurich, Switzerland

  In Zurich, on the evening of August 17, 2005, the temperature was a cool 59°F, the sky cloaked in thick clouds, while the city glittered with banking offices and upscale restaurants. But in the mountains, a few kilometers away, silence reigned, broken only by the whisper of wind through coniferous forests. Nestled among the slopes stood a modern complex of the Brotherhood of Starlight, disguised as a “private school for gifted children.”

  The building resembled a Swiss chalet—wooden walls, a sloped roof, small windows with shutters—but inside, it was a high-tech hub: surveillance cameras, glass walls that darkened on command, and an underground server room storing global operations data. In the main hall, a silver star on a black background—the Brotherhood’s emblem—hung on the wall. Three people gathered: 40-year-old Eliza Kron, the coordinator, her dark hair in a tight bun, her gray suit underscoring her elegance; 50-year-old Karl Weber, a former Wall Street trader with gray hair and cold eyes; and 35-year-old Oliver Schmidt, the tech specialist, his fingers on a laptop checking for online traces.

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  “We need to hurry,” Eliza said, her voice sharp but composed, staring into the forest’s darkness. “Our contact in Seattle reports someone is digging deeper than expected.”

  Karl raised an eyebrow, gripping his pen. “You mean that detective, Crowe? He’s just a bookworm. What can he find?”

  Eliza’s gaze turned icy. “He’s uncovered Henri Dupont’s methods. If he connects Paris 1905 to our current operations in Zurich, we’ll have a problem. We can’t underestimate him.”

  Oliver looked up, his voice tense. “I’ve strengthened our server encryption. But if he finds a link, we’ll need to act fast.”

  Eliza nodded, gripping her encrypted phone. “Then we accelerate the preparations. Lucas Hoffman needs to be ready. If he can fund the Asia operation, we’ll have resources to disappear if things go wrong.”

  Karl smiled coldly. “Lucas is our best student. In a few days, you’ll see what he’s capable of.”

  Eliza turned back to the window, staring into the darkness. Somewhere in Seattle, James Crowe was closing in, but in Zurich, the Brotherhood was preparing its next move. The shadows grew thicker, and time was running out.