# Chapter 27
DEBT AND DOMINOES
## 5:51
**Blake Pharmaceutical & Medical Research Center**
Amara picked up the landline handset from the desk charger and dialed Dr Albert office line. It rang four times before a crisp female voice answered.
*"Hello, Dr. Albert's office. How may I assist you?"*
"This is Amara at private reception. "Can you put me through to Dr. Albert?" Amara asked.
After a brief pause, the assistant replied, *"I'm sorry, Dr. Albert is currently in the middle of a delicate surgical procedure and cannot take calls. If it's urgent, tell me what you need and I'll see If it's something I can help with, I'll do my best."*
Amara cast a suspicious glance over at Krist before speaking into the receiver."Actually, I wanted to check on Young Master Krist's condition.I need to know if his condition allows for a discharge today."
*"Hold on a moment,"* the assistant said. The rhythmic clicking of a mechanical keyboard filled the line. A few seconds later, she returned, her tone laced with clear surprise. *"That's odd... According to his chart updates from fifteen minutes ago, his neuro-vitals stabilized rapidly. He's marked as cleared to leave, provided he returns tomorrow morning for a follow-up blood panel."*
The assistant sounded genuinely stunned—having seen Krist wheeled into ICU the previous night bleeding from his sensory canals, she had assumed he would be bedridden for at least a week.
So he can leave?"
"Yes. He just needs to return tomorrow for another checkup."
"Understood. Thanks for the help," Amara said.
"Anytime."
Amara hung up the receiver She set the receiver down, let out a slow breath, and looked across the desk at Krist with an exaggerated sigh. "What is so urgent that you're practically clawing your way out of a hospital bed?"
Krist offered a faint, enigmatic smirk. "Even if I told you, Mrs. Amara, you wouldn't believe a word of it."
"Young people."
Amara shook her head with a weary smile, pulling a thick discharge waiver from a desk drawer. She held it out, but as Krist reached for it, she pulled the paper back an inch, her eyes narrowing sternly. "You promise you'll be back here tomorrow morning for that follow-up?"
"Cross my heart," Krist replied smoothly.
"Good." She handed him the document alongside a sleek metallic pen.
Krist quickly began signing his name and filling out the patient declaration lines.
"You know," Amara said casually, leaning her elbows on the marble counter, "it's been months since you came to visit proper. Alessia keeps asking about you."
"I know," Krist murmured, keeping his eyes on the form. "Harry and I were actually planning to drop by this weekend if things settle down."
Amara froze. "Who? The Blackwell kid?"
"Mhm," Krist nodded, scribbling his final initial.
Amara exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples. "Can't you leave that little terror at home for once? Bring his twin sister instead—Luna, right? I swear, that Harrison boy is a menace. I don't know how his brain functions, I swear he's becoming a bad influence on you since I can already tell his terrible habits are rubbing off on you."
Krist capped the pen, handed the sheet back, and seamlessly switched his phone's call output from his earbud to the speakerphone by tapping the screen of his phone, hitting the speaker icon.
"Harry," Krist spoke into the mic, holding the phone camera directly up to Amara's face, "Mrs. Amara says hi."
Amara gasped, her eyes widening as she caught her reflection on the screen. "Wait, when did I—" Realizing she was live, she scowled playfully at Krist, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat."This is exactly what I'm talking about, Bad influence." Then, smoothing her hair, she switched on a sweet smile for the camera, she waved. "Hi, kids!"
"Hi, Mrs. Amara!" three voices chorused through the phone speaker as Harrison, Luna, and Maya greeted in near-unison.
Amara scanned the video boxes, her expression softening. "Luna, Maya—you two were here at the facility today?"
*"Yeah, we just left,"* Harrison chimed in.
Amara nodded slowly. "Well, I don't expect much in the manners department from the little devil—Ahem, oh, I mean, *Harrison*—" Harrison's eye visibly twitched on screen "—but I'm thoroughly disappointed in you two girls. You couldn't even drop by my desk to say hello?"
Maya and Luna exchanged glances.
*"Hey! What do you mean you don't expect much from me?!"* Harrison protested loudly over the speaker.
Amara began lecturing all three of them.
Krist sat down in one of the waiting chairs, quietly laughing as he listened.
Eventually, the conversation ended.
Krist took his phone back.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Amara."
"Take care of yourself."
"I will."
Krist Connecting his phone back to his wireless earbuds, and walked toward the elevator leaving her chuckling at her desk.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. Krist stepped inside, pressed the button for the ground floor, and leaned against the mirrored wall as the lift began its smooth descent.
"Maya," Krist said into his earbud mic, "Harry mentioned you took the shirt I was wearing during the break-in. The blood-soaked one."
"Yeah, I have it," Maya replied. "Don't worry, I'll wash it out thoroughly and get it back to you."
"You don't have to go through the trouble," Krist said, watching the floor numbers count down. "Just dispose of it. Burn it or dissolve it—just don't throw it in a regular trash can."
"I told you, it's fine. I can make it look good as new," Maya insisted.
Harrison's voice cut in, dripping with sarcasm. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second. What happened to wanting to wear it again? Why the sudden change of heart now that Maya's on the line? Trying not to look like a cheapskate in front of her?"
Krist blinked, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?
"When did I say I wanted to wear them?"
"When will you have said it if not now?" Harrison claimed.
**Smack!**
A loud crack echoed through the call, followed by Harrison's muffled yelp.
"Ow!"
"For someone who claims to be a absolute genius, you are remarkably dense," Luna's voice echoed flatly.
"What was that for?!" Harrison growled, glaring at his twin.
"Isn't it painfully obvious?" Luna scoffed.
*"Isn't it obvious?"* Luna explained patiently. *"He needs the shirt destroyed because it's drenched in his own genetic material.That's why he either wants them destroyed properly or wants to make sure whoever has them doesn't leave them lying around. If Vane Industries or Bellatrix's forensics team picks up that fabric, it won't be good."
"Precisely," Maya chimed in. "Luna, stop wasting your breath trying to educate him. His brain operates on a delay."
"Why you little— I am literally the one who cracked the security encryption!"* Harrison yelled."
"Alright, break it up," Krist interrupted as the elevator chimed, opening to the ground floor. "Harry, if I let you keep arguing, you're going to spend the next twenty minutes trying to defend your fragile ego. Get to the point or I'm hanging up."
The main lobby of Blake Pharmaceutical was a hive of activity. Clinical staff in crisp lab coats crisscrossed the marble floors, flanked by administrative personnel and emergency responders rushing critical cases through the trauma bay doors.
Krist stepped out.
He adjusted the backpack hanging from one shoulder and headed toward the main entrance.
"Fine," Harrison grumbled, his tone shifting back to business. "I want to know how you plan on using this tape to pin Bellatrix without shooting yourself in the foot. You said you wanted to use local authorities?"
"That's the baseline plan," Krist admitted quietly.
"Here's the problem," Harrison explained, his voice turning analytical. "If you dump the full, unedited file I'm sending you onto the police, Vane Industries gets dragged into the light immediately. And Vane has half the precinct on their payroll. The second an officer sees that footage, their dirty cops will..."
Maya immediately understood.
"So if we hand everything to the police, their people could destroy the evidence."
"Exactly," Harrison said.
Luna continued.
*"And worse—they'll trace the leak directly back to you. They won't just cover their tracks; they'll eliminate the source."*
Harrison's voice hardened.
"Which means they'll come after Krist."
"He's right," Maya added soberly. "It puts a target squarely on your back. You aren't just exposing a corrupt official—you're threatening an entire syndicate."
Krist nodded, his boots echoing against the polished floor as he walked past the reception desk approached the automatic sliding glass doors."I've considered that. And don't forget—since Bellatrix is partnered with them, they'll either cover for her or execute her to sever the link. Either way, I end up on their radar. But while I might not be a mastermind strategist, I've watched enough real-world corruption cases—and fiction—to plan three steps ahead."
Luna, standing in the background of Harrison's camera feed, tilted her head. "That sounds great in theory, Krist, but I still don't get the execution."
"What's there to get?"
"Everything!" Harrison and Luna said in unison.
*"So what's the play?"* Maya asked. *"If the police are compromised and Vane owns the network, who actually gets the tape?"*
"Exactly," Harrison said.
"Exactly," Luna echoed. In unison with Harrison
"You two syncing up is creepy, by the way," Krist muttered,
"You guys keep assuming Vane Industries owns the entire board," Krist said softly, stepping out into the bright afternoon sunlight of the hospital courtyard. " Look, you guys are forgetting who my parents were. The Stark name used to carry massive political weight. They were among the most influential figures in the region."
"Key word: *were*," Luna reminded him gently. "They've been dead for almost two years."
*"They've bought half the city, Krist,"* Harrison pointed out. *"Your parents have been dead for two years. Power structures shift."*
"Two years isn't long enough to erase twenty years of loyalty," Krist replied coldly, signaling a waiting black cab at the curb. "Vane has money, but my father built the infrastructure of this city. There are judges, federal directors, and military liaisons who owe their entire careers to Grayson Stark. People who won't turn a blind eye if proof lands on their desk showing my parents were murdered."
Harrison went quiet for a moment. *"How do we verify which ones are still clean?"*
"Leave that to me," Krist said, opening the rear door of the taxi. "I'm hitting the road now. I'll drop off the grid until I finish going through these files. Talk later."
He disconnected the call, pulled out his laptop, and hooked it directly up to his earbuds and settled into the back seat. "Stark Estate," he told the driver.
Opening the raw video file Harrison had sent over, Krist hit play.
As the cab rolled down the highway, the screen lit up with grainy, dark footage. As the audio track played in his ears, Krist's face slowly drained of color. The relaxed demeanor he had maintained with his friends evaporated, replaced by a cold, suffocating fury. The cab driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. His hands began to tremble on the keyboard, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edges of the frame.
By the time the cab pulled up to the imposing iron gates of the Stark Estate, Krist was practically vibrating with rage.
Several minutes later, the cab slowed.
"We're here."
Krist looked up.
The Stark mansion stood beyond the gates.
He closed the laptop.
"Thanks."
"Uh... kid? You alright?" the driver asked hesitantly.
Krist closed his laptop with a sharp *snap*. His eyes were pitch black with anger, but his voice was eerily calm.
" Don't worry about it." Krist didn't look up as he took his bag. "I'm fine," he said, his voice flat, hollow, and devoid of warmth. "Keep the change."
He stepped out of the vehicle. The heavy iron gates of the Stark Estate hummed softly, swinging open to receive him, and clicked shut behind his back.