Eleanor’s voice trembled despite her efforts to stay composed. “Adam… the Carters are no longer backing you. How can you still be this arrogant?”Adam let out a quiet laugh, low and dangerous.“If I want to shake this world,” he said coolly, “I don’t need anyone’s backing. I am the storm.”The confidence in his voice wasn’t just arrogance—it was conviction. “Obnoxious!” someone from the Armand side snapped.“Shameless!” another hissed.But the outrage was laced with fear. No one dared to take a step forward. No one dared to test him.Because in their eyes, Adam wasn’t just a madman anymore.He was a madman with power—dangerous, unpredictable power. They had faced his fury so many times as when he broke all the guests at the diety banquet. And even sent Wendy to iron gate prison.Eleanor’s face was pale, her mouth pressed into a thin, trembling line. She glanced at Gerald, who looked away, suddenly unsure of himself.Richard said nothing. His clenched fists betrayed his anger, but he

Selena’s fingers trembled slightly as she dialed the number. She pressed the phone to her ear, her expression composed but her knuckles white with tension. A moment later, a voice answered on the other end—sharp, impatient, speaking in rapid-fire Bandaskarian.Adam sat silently across from her, arms crossed, watching her every move with cold precision. He didn’t interrupt. He didn’t have to. He understood every word being said.Her voice was controlled, but it cracked beneath the weight of emotion as she pleaded. “Father… I’m still alive. I’ve been captured. They want the amulet in exchange—”The man on the line cut her off. His voice was calm, too calm, laced with political calculation and veiled dismissal. Adam caught the key phrases easily: Internal conflict… unstable leadership… wait it out… focus on the bigger picture. It was cowardice dressed as strategy. He wasn’t coming. Not now. Maybe not ever.Selena’s jaw clenched. Her knuckles whitened even further. She didn’t argue. She l

Selena had the kind of body that made men lose their minds. Not too skinny, not too thick—just that perfect in-between that begged to be touched. Her curves were deliberate, dangerous. Tight waist, full hips, round breasts that tested the limits of her nightgown.Her skin was pale, flawless, soft enough to bruise under a breath. Adam barely laid a hand on her, and already her thighs were streaked with red fingerprints.She lay on the bed where he’d thrown her, legs parted just enough to tempt him further, nightgown bunched at her hips. Her chest rose and fell, those full breasts heaving, nipples already hard, poking against thin fabric. Her lips—deep red and slightly parted—were pure invitation.Adam didn’t hesitate.He climbed over her, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand, the other sliding down, rough and greedy. She gasped, back arching, pushing her chest into him like she was starving for it."You sure you want this?" he growled, voice low, thick with need.She stared

Selena’s eyes blazed with fury as she whipped the blanket off and pointed at him like he was filth. “You’re despicable! I gave you the most precious thing a woman could offer, and this is how you treat me?”Adam barked out a laugh—sharp, mocking, and cold. He didn’t even look at her.“Precious?” he echoed, pulling his shirt over his shoulders. “Firstly, you drugged me. I didn’t ask for a damn thing. Secondly—” He turned, his eyes burning holes through her—“You are my prisoner. You talk about your body like it matters. Forget your body. Even your life belongs to me.”Selena’s nostrils flared. Her fists curled tight at her sides as she fought the scream caught in her throat. Her jaw clenched so tight her teeth ached.But Adam? He was stone. Unmoved. He fastened the last button of his shirt and turned toward the door, already half done with her.Then, it hit.A sudden wave of heat. Pressure. His chest tightened. His vision swam.He stopped mid-step and grabbed the edge of the table for b

Selena had her back to the door, steadying her breath, rage still boiling in her blood.Then—boom!The wooden door exploded inward with violent force. Shards flew like shrapnel, and the blast hurled Selena forward. She slammed hard onto the floor, her body skidding across the room with a grunt.Groaning, she clutched her side, the earlier blow from Adam clearly having cracked something. But pain didn’t slow her. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright—legs trembling, face pale—and staggered toward the hallway.Her eyes blazed with desperation. She couldn’t afford to fall here.She sprinted toward the exit.Outside, Hammer stood motionless, like a statue carved from stone. Broad-shouldered, arms crossed, his sharp gaze never strayed from the doorway. The instant Selena burst out, battered and bloodied, Hammer moved.No hesitation. No questions. Only execution.Hammer stepped forward and struck with a single palm, the movement deceptively simple—until the shockwave followed. A ho