NIKOLAI'S POV:5 years ago....I arrived at Emberfalls with my father's two best men before dusk, and stayed at the local hotel. My instructions were simple; eliminate the Flamecrest family. Having a lot of time on my hands, I scouted the small town and interacted with the old men at the pubs. I learnt quite a lot about the Flamecrest family. There was a revolution about revoking the monarchy system in Emberfalls. Everyone wanted a fresh start with their mysterious ruler out of the way. Initially, I thought eliminating the Flamecrest family would be doing the people a big favour, and the client, whoever he may be, would benefit from their demise. Little did I know the client who wanted the Flamecrest family dead was none other than Arthur Benjamin Flamecrest. Just before sunset, I received a cryptic text message from the client to meet him at the forest. Following his directions, I met him after dark in the forest. There was a heavy rainfall but that didn't stop our meeting f

NIKOLAI'S POV:We've walked right into a trap. I could tell because the evidences were staring right at us in the face. Hazel was shaken, but I give her credit for remaining calm. "A bomb," Hazel said. "Why would anyone plant a bomb in the study of all places?""Because they knew we'll come here," I answered her question, my brain thinking fast. "This is probably the only room in the chateau that leads us right into the tunnel.""So if we attempt to force our way through the secret passage, the bomb gets triggered and explodes."I smiled. "You're incredibly smart for figuring that out. But if my hunch is correct, they're probably waiting for us to walk in the study, then they'll blow the entire place up.""We have to get out of here," she said, alarm jumping in her eyes. "And fast.""I couldn't agree more," I rushed up to her and picked her up in my arms. Before she could protest, I sprinted out of the study and ran down the stairs as fast as I could. We hadn't reached the landing