Chapter Two

[Roman's POV]

“What is this I'm hearing?”

These people were really pushing me.

I was still standing in my towel after finishing my bath, getting ready for work. My hair was still damp, and I hadn't even gotten the chance to properly dress before the call came in.

“The clan was attacked, and I'm just hearing about it?” My voice was already filled with anger. Why would the clan get attacked and I hear nothing about it?

The clan was under my protection. Every person there was my responsibility. If something happened to them, I was supposed to be the first person informed.

Yet somehow, I was the last to know. I only found out a day later. A whole damn day. I clenched my jaw as I breathed in slowly, trying to control my anger before it got the better of me.

“Continue.” There was silence on the other end. That silence alone irritated me.

“Don, we didn't think you needed to be informed because we already had it under control.” He didn't just say that. I stared at the wall for a few seconds, wondering if I'd heard him correctly. Then I started pacing around my room.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

I needed to keep moving because if I stood still, I might do something I would regret later.

“And you were busy, so I didn't want to disturb you.” I stopped. My fingers curled into fists.

“So if I hadn't called you, you still wouldn't have told me?”

“I was going—”

“Did I ask you to speak?” I interrupted him before he could finish.

Silence.

Good.

He was looking for excuses, and I wasn't in the mood to hear any of them. What right did he think he had?

Was it because we were close?

Because I trusted him?

That didn't give him the right to make decisions concerning my clan without informing me. One thing I'd never do was mix work with pleasure, and I'd made sure everyone who worked under me knew that. I could forgive a lot of things.

But incompetence?

Never.

No one—and I repeat, no one—would be pardoned.

I didn't bother saying anything else. I disconnected the call. For a moment, I stood there staring at my phone. Then I threw it against the wall. It smashed into pieces.

“Argh!” I grabbed the nearest thing and hurled it across the room.

Then another.

And another.

A cup.

A pillow.

A chair.

Anything my hands could reach. They all met the wall with loud crashes. My breathing became heavier as the anger inside me continued to rise.

How dare they?

How could they think something like that wasn't important enough to tell me?

I ran a hand through my damp hair, trying to calm myself down. It didn't work. I was about to punch the wall when the door suddenly opened. Two maids rushed into the room.

“Don.” They immediately bowed their heads. I stopped. Their expressions caught my attention. They looked terrified. Not the usual fear people had around me. This was different. Something had happened.

“What is it?” Neither of them answered immediately. I narrowed my eyes.

“What happened?” One of them swallowed hard.

“It's Ronn.” Everything inside me went still. My anger disappeared instantly.

“What about him?” Fear flashed across my face before I could hide it. The maid opened her mouth to speak, but I didn't wait. I rushed out of the room, completely forgetting that I was still wearing nothing but a towel.

I didn't care.

Not anymore.

Ronn.

My mind immediately went through every possible scenario.

Was he hurt?

Did he attack someone?

Was he having another episode? I'd hired several therapists for him. Actually, countless therapists. Some lasted weeks. Some lasted months. None of them had been able to get through to him. They all gave me the same advice. Give him space. Let him come to you. Don't force him to talk. It made absolutely no sense to me.

How was I supposed to give someone space when I didn't even know what was happening inside his head? But I wasn't a therapist. I couldn't argue with them. So I'd tried. I'd given Ronn his space. I'd stayed away when they told me to. I'd watched from a distance. And yet somehow, things only seemed to get worse. I hated the distance between my room and his.

Especially in situations like this. If something happened to him, every second mattered.

But what could I do about it now? I ran down the hallway. My bare feet slapped against the cold floor as I ignored the confused looks from the staff. I didn't care what they thought. As I got closer to Ronn's room, I noticed something that made me slow down. There were people everywhere.

Countless maids stood outside his room, their faces filled with worry. Some whispered among themselves. Others simply stood there frozen. Nobody dared to enter. My eyes moved from one person to another. Then I noticed something on the floor.

Liquid.

I stopped.

My heart skipped. I looked down.

Red.

My breathing stopped for a second.

Was that—

Blood?

“What happened?” I demanded. My voice echoed through the hallway. No one answered. I looked around sharply.

“I asked what happened!” One of the maids standing behind the others finally stepped forward. Her hands were trembling.

“It's Miss Ava.” I frowned.

“What about her?” She swallowed.

“She got stabbed by Master Ronn.”

“What?” The word left my mouth before I could stop it. I immediately rushed into the room. I'd completely forgotten about the blood on the floor. I'd forgotten about my towel. I'd forgotten about everything.

There was only one thought in my mind.

Ronn.

I remembered then that he always kept his room bright but it was dark. My hand searched along the wall until I found the light switch. I turned it on. And froze. The room was a complete mess. Everything was scattered across the floor.

A lamp had been knocked over. Pillows were everywhere. Several objects had been smashed. There were scratches across the walls. My eyes moved slowly across the room.

Then I saw it. A trail of blood. It started somewhere inside the room and led all the way toward the door. I looked down. I had stepped on it.

My heart pounded harder.

“What the hell happened here?” I lifted my gaze and searched the room.

Where was Ronn? Where was Ava?

I turned toward the maids gathered at the doorway.

“What was she doing here at this time?” One of them lowered her head.

“I—I don't know, Don.” I clenched my jaw.

“Then find out.”

“Yes, Don.” She quickly stepped back.

I looked around the room.

My eyes followed the trail of blood again. My chest tightened.Ronn had done this.Something wasn't right. Ronn had done this. But why? And where was he?