Semua Bab The Father Of My Child Is My Stepbrother: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Mason’s povI knew.Before anyone said it, before any report crossed my desk, before any shadow moved across my gates.I knew.Because the air felt different.Power has a scent. My father used to say that. “When something old wakes up, the ground shifts before the quake comes.”And the ground was shifting.I stood in my father’s study again. The same room where I first read about the Blackthorne. The same room where I realized my life had been built on preparation for a war that never truly ended.The file was open on the desk with black leather cover and no title.Just a single mark pressed into the corner, a thorned crest.Blackthorne.I ran my hand over the page slowly as my thought went to Rosa.She had found them, I was sure of it.She had been digging too deeply lately, too desperate and too quiet.Rosa never stays quiet unless she is planning something dangerous and Rosa hates losing.I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.Letty.Andre.Their faces flashed in my mind

I could feel it again.That shift, that quiet tension in the walls. It was the same feeling I had the night Mason said the name Blackthorne for the first time.The house looked the same, the lights were warm, Andre was asleep and the guards were at their posts.But nothing felt normal.I stood outside Mason’s study and watched him through the half open door.He was seated at his father’s desk. The file with black leather was open in front of him again.I hated that file and that mark on the corner. I hated what it represented.Old power.Old war.Old pain.Mason looked calm but I knew him, his shoulders were tight, his jaw was set and his eyes were too still.That meant he was planning and when Mason plans, it means danger is already close. I walked in quietly.He looked up immediately. He always notices when I enter.“Can’t sleep?” he asked.I shook my head. “You?”He gave a small smile. “Not tonight.”I walked around the desk and stood beside him. The file was open to a page with na

Mason’s povI knew they would not come quietly. Blackthorne does not announce itself.It appears and when it appears, everyone feels it.The annual Sovereign Ball was one of the largest gatherings of power in the country. They were old families, new money, political figures, international investors and media kept at a distance but close enough to feel important.It was an event designed for alliances disguised as celebration. I almost did not attend.But when Lucas informed me that the guest list had changed at the last minute, I understood.“They confirmed?” I asked.“Yes, sir,” Lucas said. “A delegation, no official name attached but the credentials trace back to Zurich holdings.”Of course.Rosa had landed twelve hours ago and now, they were stepping into my city.Publicly.I adjusted my cufflinks slowly. Letty stood in front of the mirror in our room.She was calm.“You don’t have to come,” I told her.She met my eyes in the reflection. “Yes. I do.”“This will not be subtle.” I sa

Three days.That was the number echoing in my head as we left the ballroom.Three days to decide how visible I intend to be.Three days before correction.Three days before evolution chooses a direction.The drive home was quiet. Letty sat beside me, her hand resting on mine. They were not gripping or shaking but steady.She had grown into this world faster than I ever wanted her to.“You’re thinking too loudly,” she said softly.I glanced at her. “That’s not possible.”“It is when your jaw looks like that.” She said I almost smiled.“Voss wasn’t bluffing.”“No,” she agreed.“And Helena wasn’t surprised.” I said“No.”“And Rosa…” I exhaled slowly. “Rosa has lost control.”“That makes her more dangerous,” Letty said.“Yes.”Because a controlled enemy negotiates but a cornered one detonates.When we arrived at the estate, security was doubled again. Lucas met us at the entrance.“Sir.”“Status.” I asked“The ballroom footage is secured and external vehicles tracked.” Lucas answered “

Letty’s povFor the first time in a long time, I understood something clearly.This world was never meant for someone like me.Not a girl who once worried about rent, groceries, and whether her event designs would impress a client. Not a woman who built her life step by step through hard work and hope.This world Mason lived in was different.It was full of quiet wars, hidden enemies and old families that carried power like a curse passed down through generations.And now I was standing right in the middle of it, not by accident but because I loved him.That thought alone made my chest tighten.I stood by the large window in Mason’s study, watching the rain fall slowly outside. The sky was gray and heavy, like it carried the same weight pressing down on my heart.Andre was asleep upstairs. Catherine had just checked on him again. She always did that when things felt tense in the house.Everyone could feel it.The air had changed again.Ever since Mason discovered the truth about the B