LOGINThe hospital waiting room was silent.It was the kind of silence that pressed down on you heavy, suffocating, full of unspoken fears. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, each second an eternity. The fluorescent lights hummed. The distant sound of footsteps and hushed voices echoed through the corridors.Clara sat in the corner, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes fixed on the double doors that led to the operating room. She had not moved in hours. She had not eaten. She had not slept.Please, she prayed. Please let him be okay.Elena was beside her, pale and trembling, her eyes red from crying. She had not spoken since they arrived not a single word. She had simply sat there, staring at the doors, waiting.Imogen was on Clara's other side, holding her hand. Maya was across the room, her arm around Adrian. James was pacing by the window, his limp barely noticeable now. Alexander Sterling sat in the corner, his face drawn with worry.And Alexander Sr. he was in a chair by the door,
The first shot shattered the silence.Alexander Sr. dove behind the overturned table as the bullet tore through the air where his head had been, splintering the wooden wall behind him. The sound was deafening a sharp, cracking roar that echoed through the small cabin."YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN DALLAS, ALEXANDER!" Marcus shouted, firing again. The bullet slammed into the table, sending splinters flying. "YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE PAST ALONE!"Alexander pressed himself against the floor, his heart pounding, his gun clutched in his trembling hand. He had not fired yet. He had not had a clear shot.Wait, he told himself. Wait for the right moment.Marcus fired again, and again and again. The cabin was chaos glass shattering, wood splintering, the smell of gunpowder filling the air.And then, suddenly, the shooting stopped.Alexander heard the click of an empty chamber.Now.He rolled out from behind the table, his gun raised, and fired.The bullet caught Marcus in the shoulder, spinning h
The house was quiet.It was the kind of quiet that settled over a place after a storm, heavy, oppressive, full of unspoken fears. The maids moved through the corridors like ghosts, their voices hushed, their footsteps soft. The security guards patrolled the grounds with renewed vigilance, their eyes scanning every shadow.Clara sat in the living room, Sarah in her arms, staring at the rain against the window. She had not slept. None of them had.Cassian was in the study, on the phone with the police again. Adrian, Alexander Sterling and James were in the dining room, poring over maps and documents. Imogen and Maya was with Elena, trying to convince her to eat something.It had been two days since Alexander Sr. had disappeared.Two days of waiting. Two days of fear. Two days of not knowing if he was alive or dead.Clara pressed her lips to Sarah's forehead. "Your grandpa is going to be okay," she whispered. "He's going to come home."Sarah stirred but did not wake.Please, Clara prayed
The morning dawned gray and cold, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds.Clara woke to the sound of rain against the window. She lay still for a moment, her hand resting on the empty space beside her. Cassian had already gone downstairs she could hear his voice in the hallway, low and urgent.Something was wrong.She got out of bed and pulled on her robe, her heart pounding. The house felt different tense, silent, like it was holding its breath.She found Cassian in the study, surrounded by the security team. His face was pale, his gray eyes dark with fear."Cassian? What's happening?"He looked at her and she saw something in his eyes that made her blood run cold."It's my father. He's gone.""Gone? What do you mean, gone?""He left last night. He went after Marcus Black."Clara felt the world tilt. "What?""He left a letter. Colt found it this morning.""A letter?"Cassian handed it to her. She read it, her hands trembling.By the time you read this, I will be gone...I need
The lunch had dissolved into chaos.Alexander Sr. had walked out of the dining room without another word, leaving his family staring after him in confusion and concern. Elena had tried to follow him, but he had disappeared into his study and locked the door."What was that about?" Imogen asked, her voice tight with worry."I don't know," Clara said. "But it didn't look good."Cassian stood up. "I'm going to talk to him.""Cassian—""I need to know what's going on. He's never been like this."He walked to the study door and knocked. "Dad? It's me. Open up."Silence."Dad, I know something's wrong. Let me in."A long pause. Then the door clicked open.Alexander Sr. stood in the doorway, his face pale, his hands trembling. He looked older than Cassian had ever seen him frail, frightened, defeated."Dad? What's wrong?"Alexander Sr. stepped aside and gestured for Cassian to enter. Then he closed the door behind them."I received a letter," he said quietly. "From Marcus Black."Cassian fel
The morning sun streamed through the nursery windows, casting a warm glow over the crib where Sarah lay sleeping.Clara stood beside the crib, her hand resting on the rail, her eyes fixed on her daughter. Sarah was three weeks old now, and she was growing slowly, but surely. Her cheeks were fuller, her dark hair thicker, her gray eyes brighter every day."She's beautiful," Clara whispered."She looks like you," Cassian said, appearing in the doorway."She looks like you.""She looks like both of us.""That's what I've been saying."He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?""Tired. Sore. Happy.""That's a lot of feelings.""I'm a lot of feelings."He laughed and kissed her cheek. "I love you.""I love you too."The house was already bustling when Clara came downstairs.Elena was in the kitchen, supervising Maria and Paulina as they prepared breakfast. Alexander Sr. was in the study, reading the newspaper. T
Cassian woke to a headache banging inside his skull.He groaned and pressed his palms against his eyes. His mouth was dry. His body felt foreign. Fragments of the previous night drifted through his mind Julian's fireplace, Vanessa's laughter, the burn of whiskey but they were broken, impossible to
The party at Julian's house had burned down to embers.Marcus was passed out on the couch, an empty glass dangling from his fingers. Derek had disappeared into a guest room. Priya was curled in an armchair, heels kicked off. The music had faded to a low hum.Vanessa slept on the chaise lounge by th
The airport terminal gleamed under fluorescent lights as Cassian strode through the sliding glass doors, his pulse beating faster than it had in years. He hadn't slept. He hadn't eaten. He had barely registered the drive across the city, his hands gripping the steering wheel of his black Rolls-Royc
The morning of my fourth wedding anniversary, I woke before sunrise.This was not unusual. I had long ago learned that the early hours belonged to me alone quiet, unclaimed, untouched by the weight of being Mrs. Cassian Kingsley. By the time my husband stirred in his separate bedroom down the hall,







