Chapter 184 His secret family.

Chapter 184: Chapter 184 His secret family.

Meanwhile, in a private office far away from the chaos unfolding outside, the president sat behind his desk, typing furiously on his laptop.

His expression was stern, and his concentration was absolute. Nothing was allowed to distract him when he was working, especially not when the task before him concerned the future he had spent so much time planning.

For the past two hours, he had barely moved from his seat.

His fingers continued flying across the keyboard as he reviewed the figures, adjusted several details, and checked the information displayed on his screen. Every calculation had to be accurate, every decision carefully considered. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes, not when so much depended on the outcome of his work.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he completed the last section of the worksheet.

Joseph leaned back in his chair and released a long breath.

"Finally."

He closed the laptop and moved it to one side before rubbing his temples. His eyes had grown tired from staring at the screen, and he needed a moment to rest before dealing with anything else.

His gaze soon settled on a large sheet of paper spread across the desk.

It contained a detailed layout of a place he had spent countless hours imagining.

The new world.

Or, more accurately, the beginning of what he hoped would eventually become one.

Joseph picked up the sheet and examined the drawings, his eyes moving from one section to another. Every structure had been carefully planned, from the residential areas to the security installations and the facilities needed to sustain the people who would eventually live there.

It was an ambitious project, one that required an enormous amount of resources, knowledge, and preparation.

But he intended to see it through.

Once the new experiments were completed, they would finally be able to establish a safe place for his family and the people he had chosen to bring into this new world.

A place where they wouldn’t have to worry about the disasters destroying the earth.

A place where they could live without constantly looking over their shoulders.

Of course, Joseph wasn’t foolish enough to pretend that he cared equally about everyone.

Truthfully, he didn’t give a damn about most people.

The majority of humanity could make its own choices and suffer the consequences. He had neither the time nor the patience to save everyone, especially when so many were incapable of looking beyond their immediate needs.

But there were people he cared about.

People whose safety mattered more to him than anything else.

And for their sake, he was willing to go to any length necessary.

Even if the world had to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Joseph folded the layout carefully and placed it beside his laptop. Then he slipped his hands into his pockets and retrieved his mobile phone.

The moment he unlocked the screen, a familiar photograph appeared.

A beautiful red-haired woman stood in the picture, her stunning features brightened by a warm smile. On either side of her were two children who looked remarkably alike.

Twins.

Joseph stared at their faces, and the sternness that had dominated his expression slowly disappeared.

For a moment, he simply looked at them.

Then he glanced toward the office door, making certain that nobody was watching him. Once he was satisfied that he was alone, he pressed the phone against his chest and closed his eyes.

A quiet sigh escaped him.

"I have to go see them. It’s been too long."

He had missed them terribly.

There were days when the thought of his family was the only thing keeping him going. Whenever the pressure became unbearable, whenever another experiment failed or another obstacle threatened to destroy his plans, he would look at their photograph and remind himself why he couldn’t afford to stop.

He had to succeed.

For Catherine.

For Landon.

For Erica.

They were the reason he worked himself to exhaustion, the reason he continued pursuing his experiments despite the dangers, and the reason he was determined to create a new world.

He couldn’t allow anything to happen to them.

Not now.

Not after everything he had done to protect them.

Putting his phone away, Joseph rose from his chair and began gathering his belongings. He packed his laptop into a bag, followed by the completed documents and the carefully folded layout of the new world.

He checked the contents twice before leaving the office.

Once outside, he locked the door behind him.

Joseph trusted very few people, and even that limited trust was carefully calculated.

If he ever claimed to trust someone completely, he would be lying.

Every individual he had brought into his plans had a purpose. They were resources to be used, pieces on a board that he intended to rearrange according to his needs.

Mr. Davis was no exception.

Neither was Chris Walton, the new leader of the people in the safe zone.

Their positions and responsibilities were merely part of the arrangement Joseph had created to keep attention away from himself. As long as everyone remained occupied with their assigned roles, fewer people would question what he was truly doing behind closed doors.

And when their usefulness came to an end?

He would dispose of them.

Just as he intended to do with anyone else who became an obstacle to his plans.

Joseph adjusted the strap of his bag and continued down the corridor.

The moment he reached the exit, he found five armed men standing in formation outside his office.

They immediately straightened when they saw him.

"Sir!"

Joseph stopped and regarded them with a stern expression.

"What are you still doing here?"

The men exchanged uncertain glances.

Joseph’s face darkened.

"Go home. You’ve been discharged from duty."

His words caught them completely off guard.

They had expected him to issue another order, perhaps assign them a new task or demand an update on the security arrangements. None of them had anticipated being dismissed so abruptly.

One of the guards stepped forward.

"But, sir, you’re the president. We can’t allow you to move around alone, especially after the general’s death. We can’t be certain that nobody is waiting for an opportunity to attack you."

Joseph slowly raised his eyes toward the man.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his eyebrows drew together.

"And is that what you want?"

The question was quiet, but it carried enough weight to make all five men fall silent.

They looked at him, uncertain of what he meant.

Joseph took one step forward.

"Do you want someone to come out of the shadows and take my life?"

"No, sir!" they answered immediately.

"Then why are you standing here wasting my time?"

The guard who had spoken earlier lowered his head.

Joseph let out an irritated breath.

"Know your place. You’re bodyguards hired to provide protection. Nothing more, nothing less. You don’t have to act like my father, and you certainly don’t need to tell me where I can or cannot go."

His voice became colder.

"So get that concerned expression off your faces and move the fuck out of my way."

The words struck them like a slap.

None of the men had expected such a harsh response. They had only been trying to fulfill their duties, yet the president was looking at them as though their concern had personally offended him.

One of them hesitated before speaking again.

"But, sir—"

Joseph turned his head.

The glare he gave the man was enough to silence him.

The guard immediately stepped back.

Joseph didn’t wait for another argument. He walked past them, leaving the five men standing in the corridor with expressions of disbelief.

He had no intention of explaining himself.

The fewer people who knew about his private affairs, the better.

After leaving them behind, Joseph turned into a quieter corridor on the right. Its walls were painted white, and the entire passage appeared almost deserted.

He continued walking until he reached a particular section.

There was nothing unusual about it at first glance.

Just another stretch of wall leading toward what appeared to be an ordinary room.

Joseph, however, knew better.

He glanced in both directions to make certain nobody was watching. Once he was satisfied that he was alone, he placed his palm against the wall.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a faint vibration passed through the surface.

A section of the wall shifted silently, revealing an opening that hadn’t been visible a second earlier. The structure moved with remarkable precision, sliding aside to uncover a hidden entrance.

Joseph’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.

He stepped inside.

Almost immediately, the wall closed behind him, returning to its original position

so quickly that anyone passing by would have assumed nothing had happened.

There was no visible doorway.

No obvious indication that anyone had entered.

It was as though the entire section had never moved.