The next day, Roman walked through the towering glass doors of the Averne Corporation building like he owned the place.Because, technically? He did.The receptionist at the front desk barely had time to glance up before Roman was already striding past her with his long coat sweeping behind him. She called after him, probably to ask for ID or tell him he needed an appointment, but he didn’t slow down.He knew exactly where he was going.To the boardroom.To his family.To the people who had tried to erase him.The elevator ride was smooth and silent, but inside, Roman’s mind was anything but. He was still replaying Kade&rsq

Roman sat in the backseat of the sleek black car, staring out the window as the city passed by in a blur. Kade was driving. He was heading to a hospital. Not for a check-up or for an injury, but to find out if he even was who Kade thought he was.That was a whole new level of messed up, because what if he failed? How would the others take it? The ring was an indication of his heritage, but science still had it’s place. Kade sat at the driver's seat, completely relaxed, like they were on their way to grab coffee instead of taking a test that could shake Roman’s entire life. He just needed to recover his memory, and he would feel whole again. These petty doubts were getting tiring.The car pulled up to the private hospital entrance. Kade didn’t even have to announce their arrival—a small group of hospital staff and security were already waiting because Kade had called ahead.Roman took a deep breath and stepped out.Time to face the truth.When they got to the hospital, Lucian Averne,

Roman wasn’t used to having other people make decisions for him. But apparently, Kade didn’t care. Because one minute, they were talking about getting a secure place to stay, and the next minute, Kade had already bought one.Roman found out when Kade casually tossed him a set of keys over breakfast at his place the next day. “What’s this?” Roman asked, catching them mid-air.Kade smirked, sipping his coffee. “Your new home.”Roman blinked. “Excuse me?”“You know you need a place, right?” Kade leaned back in his chair. “So, I got you one.”Roman stared at him. “You didn’t think to, maybe, I don’t know, ask me first? What if I don’t like where you picked?”Kade shrugged. “Nah. And we are going to look at it after now. I will make any changes you want.”The place was insaneA grand penthouse in the heart of the city, with floor-to-ceiling windows, sleek modern furniture, and a skyline view that looked straight out of a movie.Roman stepped inside, looking around in disbelief.The living

Vivienne’s house was as grand and extravagant as ever. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, which threw a warm glow over the shiny marble floors. The air smelled of expensive wine and a faint hint of fresh lilies. It was Vivienne’s personal touch, since she loved lilies. But tonight, no one was admiring her expensive decor. Everyone sat around a mahogany table with flutes of wine in their hands. And their faces were tense.Lucian, Soren, Evander, Alistair, and of course, Vivienne herself—the inner circle of the Averne family. And the only thing on their minds now was Roman. He had just walked out on them earlier that day, making it clear as hell that he wasn’t backing down now or ever. Now, they had no choice but to figure out how to stop him for good.Lucian leaned forward. His fingers were laced together and his expression was unreadable. “We need to move fast.”Soren, who was swirling the wine in his glass, scoffed. “Move fast? With what, exactly? We’ve tried everything to

Kristan’s apartment was the complete opposite of Vivienne’s extravagant penthouse. Where Vivienne lived in a luxury apartment that screamed money, Kristan’s place was bare, practical, and very masculine. It smelled like his cologne—woody, rich, with a sharp manly scent that suited him perfectly.Vivienne stepped inside. Her heels were clicking softly against the hardwood floor. She glanced around and took in the minimalist decor as if she had never been there before. There was a black leather couch, a glass coffee table, a ridiculously large television that was mounted on the wall, and a stocked bar in the corner. There was no clutter or useless decorations. It was just the essentials. Like he was prepared to leave at a moment’s notice and had no attachment to the space. Given his line of work, it was understandable, but the lack of colour always made Vivienne complain.She smirked. “I thought you would have added some color to this monochrome by now, Kris.”Kristan smirked back. He w