The morning after Nathaniel’s rescue was deceptively peaceful. The Ashford Estate bathed in golden sunlight, as if the storm from the night before had never happened. But Grace knew better.Peace was a mask.And masks never lasted long.She sat in her father’s study, now hers, flipping through a dossier that had arrived at dawn.A coded warning from a mole within the Council.The contents chilled her to her core.THE VERONA INITIATIVE: CODE BLACK.Grace leaned back, exhaling slowly. “So it’s true… They’re activating him.”Aria stood by the window, arms crossed. “It was only a matter of time.”Nathaniel entered just then, leaning slightly on a cane as he moved toward Grace. “I heard whispers. Something about ‘Verona’? What is it?”Grace closed the dossier and met his eyes. “Not what. Who.”The Council's Last WeaponThey called him Verona. No first name. No last. No nationality. No origin.A myth. A ghost.To Grace, he was more than that.He was her mother’s brother.Once a Council lege
The rain came down in cold sheets the night Grace received the envelope.It had no name, no return address. Just a black wax seal, unbroken. Sitting on her desk like a final verdict.She hesitated before opening it. Her fingers trembled, not from fear, but from instinct. Somewhere in her bones, she knew this wasn’t just another threat. This was different. Deeper. Personal.Inside was a single photo.Nathaniel.Tied to a chair.Bleeding from his temple.Behind him, a wall marked with a sigil she hadn’t seen in years, the crest of the Veritas Order, a rogue faction excommunicated from the Council decades ago. They specialized in punishment. In extracting secrets. And in destroying everything their victims loved before the final blow.Scrawled beneath the photo in blood-red ink:“He bleeds for your sins.”The Secret WarGrace stood in Aria’s chambers, the photo clenched in her fist.Aria looked at it and cursed under her breath. “The Veritas? No one’s heard from them in years.”“Well, th
The morning after Grace took her place on the Council, the halls of Château Lumière felt colder. Heavier. Every gaze she passed was a mask. Every smile, a knife hidden in velvet. She hadn’t even signed her first official document before the consequences of her decision started to unfold.Her phone buzzed. A single message appeared:"They know what you did. You’re being watched. A Friend."She didn’t flinch. She expected this. Power came with enemies, and Grace Ashford had just declared war on a legacy that was centuries old.But what she didn’t expect was the cost it would extract from the one man she couldn’t afford to lose.The Fallout with NathanielNathaniel hadn’t called. He hadn’t messaged. Not since he walked out the previous night after whispering, “If you become one of them… I won’t follow.”Grace’s heart cracked with every minute of his silence. She wasn’t sure if she’d lost him, or if he was simply giving her the space to destroy herself first.When she arrived at the estat
The morning mist clung to the Château Lumière like a veil, gray and uncertain, just like Grace’s thoughts. She hadn’t slept. Her eyes stung from exhaustion, her body from tension, but her mind refused to stop spinning.She stood by the wide window of her suite, sipping a black espresso that had long gone cold.Behind her, the room was still. Silent. But she could feel the weight of what was about to happen.Power was at her fingertips.And she had no idea if it would save her family… or destroy them all.A Sister’s UltimatumAria appeared in the doorway, dressed in sleek black pants, a crimson blouse, and no mask, her armor today was honesty.“You need to make a choice,” she said. “They expect an answer before noon.”Grace turned to face her. “What about you? Are you ready to rule a world built on blood and bribes?”“I was raised in that world,” Aria replied without flinching. “I don’t fear it. But I do question if you belong in it.”Grace arched a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?
The moonlight shimmered against the snow-dusted rooftops of Montreux, Switzerland, as Grace and Aria stepped out of the black Rolls-Royce Phantom. The grand Château Lumière loomed ahead, a towering Gothic estate wrapped in vines and mystery.All around them, luxury cars lined the circular drive. Armed guards dressed in white tuxedos stood silently, like statues with eyes. Grace’s blood hummed beneath her skin, each breath tighter than the last. She adjusted her silver mask, the only thing shielding her identity tonight.Beside her, Aria looked deadly in her backless black gown, a raven-feathered mask obscuring half her face. If Grace was the storm, Aria was the blade in its eye.“This is insane,” Nathaniel muttered from behind them, adjusting the cuff of his midnight blue suit. “Masquerade or not, this is an elite meeting of criminals, tycoons, and people who make global wars look like business deals.”“We blend in,” Grace said. “We play their game. And we find out who sent that invit
The echo of gunfire still rang in Grace’s ears as she and Aria darted through the ancient streets of Prague. The cobblestones beneath their feet were slick with mist, the night air thick with urgency and fear. Behind them, the footsteps of the Council’s enforcers pounded closer with each turn.“In here!” Aria yanked Grace through a hidden archway that led to a winding alley. They slid behind a stack of crates just as a black-clad soldier passed, his eyes scanning the darkness.Grace's chest heaved, adrenaline surging through her. “Who are they?”“The Order of Genesis,” Aria said in a hoarse whisper. “A private syndicate that grew from the ashes of World War II. They fund global projects, pharmaceuticals, military intelligence, tech monopolies, but in the shadows. Facility X was one of their shells. Vincent worked for them. Until he didn’t.”“Until he betrayed them?”Aria nodded. “And when he did, they came after him. But you… you dismantled everything too fast. They weren’t ready. Now