Chapter 5--- The Exchange

Chapter Five: The Exchange

The Ainsworth estate was quiet when the black convoy arrived.

Five vehicles. Tinted. Silent. They parked with military precision on the gravel driveway. The air shifted. Every servant watching from behind curtains knew exactly who had come.

Zayn Kingsley.

The name alone brought tension. Fear. Power.

Gerard Ainsworth stood waiting on the front steps, dressed in a gray suit and black gloves. His smile was thin. Controlled.

As Zayn stepped out of the first car, the men behind Gerard stiffened.

Zayn didn’t glance at them. He looked up at the house, expression unreadable. A young guard opened the door for him, and he entered without a word.

Inside the drawing room, Gerard waited.

The doors closed.

Zayn took the seat opposite him. No handshake. No courtesy.

“I appreciate you coming,” Gerard said.

“I didn’t come for pleasantries.” Zayn’s voice was calm. “I came for the one who hurt my sister.”

“Of course. And you will have him. But allow me to explain the circumstances.”

Zayn sat back, arms crossed.

Gerard leaned forward.

“It was not an attack. It was not planned. The boy took the car without permission. He’s… troubled. Isolated. He has issues, and unfortunately, his behavior has shamed my family for years.”

Zayn said nothing.

“He’s my eldest,” Gerard continued. “Lucien. Born first, but too weak to be trusted with the family name. I sent him away when he was young. When Cassian was born, I focused on the son who showed potential.”

“So this… Lucien,” Zayn said slowly, “is the one who took the car.”

“Yes. Alone. No one knew. Cassian found out too late.”

Zayn’s jaw tensed. “And where is this son of yours now?”

“Locked away. He’s not allowed to leave his quarters. He’s… ashamed.”

“I want to see him.”

Gerard hesitated. “Of course. But I must ask — not as a defense — but as a father… Selene will recover?”

“She might never walk again.” Zayn’s words cut. “And your son might not either. Depending on what I decide.”

Gerard didn’t blink. “Then let me offer him to you. I will sign the transfer. He is yours. He will not speak on behalf of this family again.”

“You’re giving me your son.”

“I am giving you a problem. A mistake. You do with him what you see fit. Keep him locked. Kill him. Use him. I don’t care.”

Zayn stood. “Done.”

---

Upstairs, Lucien sat on the edge of his bed.

The tray from breakfast remained untouched.

He hadn’t seen Cassian.

The maid who usually slipped in silently hadn’t come.

But he knew something was wrong. He could feel it.

Footsteps.

Then the door unlocked.

Two guards stepped inside.

“Stand.”

Lucien stood slowly. “Where are you taking me?”

“Don’t speak.”

They grabbed his arms and marched him down the hallway. No one met his eyes. They walked past the staircase, past the library, down to the back courtyard.

The cars were waiting.

. He was pushed into the back seat of the third vehicle.

The door shut.

Zayn Kingsley sat across from him.

Lucien froze.

Zayn didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. He simply stared.

Lucien lowered his head.

The engine started.

And just like that, the gates of the Ainsworth estate closed behind him.

His past gone.

His future unknown.

~~~~~

The airport terminal was quiet at that hour of the morning. Pale light filtered through the wide glass windows, casting long shadows across the polished floors. Cassian stood at Gate 7 with his coat folded over his arm, passport in hand, watching the board blink “ON TIME.”

His heart felt heavier than his luggage.

He hadn’t slept. He hadn’t eaten. Everything since the accident had blurred together, but this—this moment was sharp. This moment was final.

“Final call for Flight 228 to Zurich.”

Cassian closed his eyes.

He remembered the look on Lucien’s face that night in the ballroom. The quiet way he nodded when told to disappear. The weight he carried that was never his to hold. And now, he’d been left behind in that house with a father who never saw him as a son.

Cassian turned slightly and glanced at the guard who had accompanied him from the estate. The man stood stiff, silent, there to ensure he boarded the plane. No detours. No goodbyes.

Cassian’s phone vibrated.

One new message.

From: Unknown Subject: Delivered “The note is under his notebook. I made sure.”

Cassian didn’t reply. He just stared at the screen until the message disappeared into the background of a dozen others he didn’t care about.

He tightened his grip on the phone and let out a breath that shook a little more than he expected.

Then, slowly, he turned toward the boarding gate.

Just before stepping through, he looked over his shoulder once more. As if maybe Lucien would come running. As if maybe there’d be a reason to stay.

There wasn’t.

He walked forward. The gate swallowed him.

By the time the plane took off, Cassian Ainsworth was gone.