Emily sat in her car, staring out of the window as the darkened streets blurred past. The night was quiet, but her mind was anything but that. Her thoughts kept circling back to the dinner, to the way the matriarch had so easily cast Cullen aside. It wasn’t just the rejection itself that disturbed her, but the immense betrayal behind it. Cullen was a prick, and an insolent little brat that deserved to be tossed aside, but he was theirs. For years, he had done no bidding but theirs. He was useless and spoiled, but he was their useless, spoiled Cullen.Her pocket buzzed, pulling her from her reverie. She fished out her communication device and glanced at the name flashing on the screen.“Mother”Of course, she’d call.With a resigned sigh, she accepted the call.“Oh, Emily!” her mother’s joy felt baseless. “You heard what your grandmother said, right? I know you’re still angry, but…you just have to give this proper thought. It’s wonderful news! You’re never going to have to worry abou

Sylvester moved through the streets of the city with intent. It had been a while since he was in through these parts – the market. The wealthier suburbs did a great job at shielding them from the disparity between the rich and the poor. Here, the poor reigned supreme, and Sylvester wasn’t sure he liked that. He was a super-wealthy man himself – perhaps one of the richest in his country, and he would have given all his wealth away if it would have helped. But he knew the truth. It just wouldn’t. He was here on a mission, though, the harsh runes of poverty aside. He was looking for people to join his army. People with a strong sense of justice. Greed had blinded the rich, and want had blinded the poor. There wasn’t exactly a middle ground to these things, but Sly was determined. He knew there were still people out there that shared his sense of justice. He wasn’t looking for just anyone. He needed people with fire, with hunger, with something to prove. That’s why the boy caug

Cullen paced the darkened alley, his fingers twitching with impatience. The stranger had told him to come alone.That alone should have deterred him. He could be robbed here. Stabbed and killed. No one would ever find his body.Yet, here he was. Bravery fueled by the craving for power and revenge.Was this even healthy? He wasn’t sure. But one thing was certain. He was going to get his revenge. If this fell through the roof, he would look for an alternative.He had done underground deals before.But nothing like this.He had handed envelopes under tables, sent hush money, even done deals where he had to bury transactions and randomize his mail. But what he was seeing? This felt…strange. Truly, he was face to face with the black market.At first, it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. Just a dark shady alley way.But the eyes of the people passing by…when they met his, had a certain knowing that he knew was not of the world he was used to.A shadow moved at the far end of the al

“So, this…Nine, you call him?” Sylvester asked Otto. He, so far, had tried to be as casual with the boy as possible. He didn’t want to do anything to force his back into a shell, knowing everything he had been through. “Yeah?” Otto picked at the breakfast that was given to him. It was the next day, and the people that had taken him looked like they were going to care enough for him, so he was at peace. “You think you can remember exactly what he looked like?” Sylvester prodded lightly. “Oh, yeah. Beat me for a while. Of course, I remember,” Otto chuckled, his eyes darting back and forth trying to shake a reminiscence too vivid. This was what Sylvester was avoiding. A recall that would send him back into his shell, but it was necessary. How was he going to remember the face of the man, if he didn’t relive his traumatic past? Otto was going to have to be strong here. Otto chewed slowly, eyes flickering with a distant memory. “Tall. Muscular. Scar on his left cheek. Wore a lot o

Cullen’s eyes were bloodshot when he saw Sylvester finally charge him.This was the moment he had been waiting for all this while, and Sylvester was finally giving it to him.The privilege to kill the bastard.However, when he struck with all his might, his fists met resistance. Resistance followed by a few quick jabs to his ribs. Nothing particularly disorienting, but it still mocked him."You’re sloppy," Sylvester said, shaking his head. "You’re not built for this, Cullen. Strength without control is just wasted energy."Cullen snarled. "Shut up!" He launched forward again, his strikes coming faster, more relentless. He swung, kicked, twisted his body for unexpected angles, but every single attack met the same result.Sylvester dodged each of his attacks like they were coming to him at a snail’s pace.Then, just as Cullen pulled back to strike again, Sylvester stepped in and delivered a sharp kick to the side of his knee, sending him stumbling. Again, these attacks didn’t do what