When financial tycoon Jeffrey Epstein died mysteriously in prison, the "secret list" in his hand that could subvert the world's powerful elite did not disappear. Instead, it flowed into the hands of idealistic investigative reporter Ivy Thorne like a ticking time bomb.
The glossy names on the list - political stars, judicial leaders, business tycoons - are intertwined with dirty flight logs, encrypted codenames, and broken victim testimonies, pointing to a global network of sex trafficking and power and money. Ivy and her senior editor Max West soon discovered that they were far from a scandal, but a behemoth called the "Shield of Minerva"-it was both a protective umbrella for the powerful and a cold-blooded scavenger.
From then on, a deadly cross-border manhunt began. From the freezing rainy nights in New York to the undercurrent rocks of the Caribbean, from the majestic cloisters of the Supreme Court to the underground fortress in the Wyoming desert, Ivy must struggle to survive under the ubiquitous surveillance and pursuit of the "Minerva Shield" to find the ultimate truth behind the list. Max, on the other hand, made a desperate move from behind, launching an ultimate gamble that would surely detonate the global media.
This is a silent war with great disparity in power. The list in her hand is both a key and a curse. Revealing it may ignite the flames of justice, but will also inevitably put her and all those who know the truth in jeopardy. When the weight of the truth weighs on the balance of her life, can she let the whole world hear her cry before she silences herself?
Lies build the throne, secrets are currency, and truth needs to be purchased with blood.
The dark curtain is about to be revealed