Howard was stunned to hear his father’s voice. It had been a long time since they last spoke, and he wasn’t ready for this—not yet. But now, he’d been caught off guard.He should’ve known. Of course, his father and Tedmond would be in contact. And of course, he would walk in at the exact moment they were on a call.“Dad?” he said, almost under his breath.Tedmond glanced at him. Howard looked shocked—maybe even a little terrified. He reminded Tedmond of a child caught sneaking cookies before dinner.“Call me,” Thomas said again, calm but firm. “Don’t let today end without doing that. Okay?”Howard slowly shook his head and folded his arms across his chest in silent protest. Luckily—or maybe deliberately—the camera was angled toward Tedmond, so Thomas couldn’t see the gesture. But Tedmond noticed.He looked from Howard to the screen and then back at him, arching a brow. He silently questioned why Howard was avoiding his father.“About the call, Dad,” Howard began, his voice stiff. “I d

Loud news was playing in the background, and Kallista couldn’t move. She just sat on the couch in her room, wrapped in a large blanket and biting her thumbnails. She had been like that since the previous day when the news had begun.She had learned something from the news so far. Her brother had discovered something at the company, and instead of saying what it was or dealing with it secretly to prevent the private matters of the company from becoming public—like he usually did—he simply handed the case over to the FBI and let them conduct the investigation.“Something isn’t right,” she thought, her brows furrowing.And if the FBI were to find out the things she had done at the company, she might get arrested.Kallista’s heart pounded harder the more she thought about it.Why would her brother do that? He never involved outsiders. He had always been cautious, always in control. This time felt different—deliberate. Almost like he wanted everything to come out.Her phone vibrated on the

Tedmond didn’t flinch, but his mind quietly filed the thought away. He had shaken enough hands in the past—and been in enough sticky situations—to recognize the subtle signs.Back when he was constantly being sent to the countryside, he’d learned a thing or two from the retired old man who used to be in the military.That wasn’t a chef’s hand. It was a fighter’s. Maybe a hunter’s. Or worse—someone who had learned to make a blade feel like an extension of their arm.Petros smiled politely and pulled his hand back. “Feel free to make yourselves at home,” he said, his tone light. “I’ll bring the food out soon.”Tedmond nodded once, then stepped aside to let Bianca run further inside. Persis leaned slightly closer to him, her eyes scanning Petros as well.“He gives me a weird feeling,” she whispered. “And it looks like I've seen him somewhere.”Tedmond turned to her. “You have?”She nodded. “I can’t remember where, though.”Hearing Persis’ words, Tedmond turned his gaze back to Petros, wh

Marcus glanced at his wristwatch. He was seated on the couch, the remote in his hand. He wasn’t in the living room but in the guest lounge upstairs—a place he rarely used unless he wanted to be alone.Although he was a guest in the Marinos' house, he didn’t stay in the guest room. Most of the time—even when he wanted to sleep—he used the lounge instead.The television was on, but the volume was low. A news channel was airing, but Marcus wasn’t watching. His thoughts were elsewhere.He leaned back, staring blankly at the screen, tapping the remote against his knee. Ten minutes had passed since he last checked the time. He was waiting.Xander had asked him to wait for him there so he could go and meet with Kallista. However, Marcus had been waiting for hours, and Xander still hadn’t shown up.He was starting to get tired of waiting and was about to stand up to leave.Just then, the door creaked open.Marcus looked up quickly, expecting Xander. But it wasn’t him.It was Kallista.His bro

Tiptoeing to his height, she whispered into his ear, “Petros isn’t Petros. He is Adrian. Adrian Larke—Kallista Marinos’ real fiancé.”Tedmond froze.The name didn’t register at first. It echoed in his mind like a distant bell before finally hitting hard.He pulled back slightly to look her in the eye, his expression unreadable. “What did you just say?”Persis nodded slowly, a faint frown forming on her face. “I didn’t recognize him at first. He looked so different from the photos I saw at the villa the other day… but now I’m sure. It’s him. Adrian Larke.”Tedmond’s jaw tightened. Petros was Adrian Larke. And not only was he hiding his identity and living under their roof, but he’d also befriended Oscar.Now, Tedmond was beginning to wonder if Petros's approaching Oscar had ever been a coincidence. He didn’t believe in coincidences—everyone had motives, and some were just better at hiding them.First, there was the manipulation. Using Kallista. Making it seem like they were going to ru