“No,” Clara whispered, the word slipping out before she could stop it. Viktor smiled. "Surprised to see me?” None of them could find their voices. This was the last person they had expected to see. “Please, sit down,” he said, gesturing to the chairs around the table. "We have so much to discuss.” But they remained frozen, staring at him like they were seeing a ghost. “Viktor,” Clara breathed, her voice barely a whisper. The man at the head of the table smiled wider, his white teeth gleaming in the chandelier light. He waved his hand dismissively at the guard. “You can go now.” “But, sir—” The guard started to object, but Viktor raised his hand to stop him. “It’s okay. I can handle this,” Viktor said, understanding why the guard was concerned. “Okay, sir,” the guard said with a slight bow before turning and walking out. Now they were alone with only Viktor. Viktor chuckled softly, the sound filling the tense silence. “What are you all standing there for? Come, join me.”

The Aurelius family private cemetery stretched across the rolling hills.Black cars lined the gravel path leading to the freshly dug grave. Men in expensive dark suits and women in dark designer dresses moved slowly across the green grass. Most of their faces were heavy with grief and shock.Magnus’ casket sat beside an open grave, right next to where his beloved wife had been laid to rest.White flowers covered the wood surface. The family crest gleamed in gold on the handles.Lara stood at the front, dressed in a simple black dress. Her face was pale, and her hands shook as she held a single white rose. The council members stood nearby in a tight group.Behind them, business leaders from around the world had come to pay their respects. CEOs, politicians, and old friends of Magnus filled the space. Security guards in black suits watched from a distance, keeping reporters behind a rope barrier.Cavill stepped forward to the small podium. His voice was steady but filled with emoti

The crowd fell completely silent, hanging on every word.Ethan looked toward Lara briefly before continuing. “He never got over the loss of his infant son, who died so many years ago, and of his beloved wife, who passed away from the grief of losing her child. The weight of those losses haunted him every moment of his life.”A collective gasp swept through the crowd. People turned to each other with wide eyes and dropped jaws.“He lost a child?” Sophia whispered in shock.“I had no idea." She added.“That would explain why he never remarried,” another voice added. "Why he never tried to have another family.”“And why he took Lara in like his own daughter,” someone else observed. "He needed someone to care for.”“How lucky she was,” the first woman said. "To have someone like Magnus when her own family rejected her.”“Indeed,” came the reply.Ethan’s jaw tightened, and his free hand clenched into a fist as he struggled to maintain his composure. “What breaks my heart even more is t

The mistake Carlos made was revealing Viktor’s elaborate frame-up plan, thinking he was helping Ethan prepare for the inevitable.But what Carlos didn’t realize was that he had helped Ethan focus on precisely how to beat Viktor at his own game during those hours in the holding cell until Ethan finally realized that the perfect way to defeat Viktor was to turn Viktor’s ally against him by using The Order’s most valuable asset—information.Carlos had underestimated the power of information and, more crucially, underestimated Ethan’s ability to weaponize it.And that ally was Nicolas.For generations, the Aurelius family had maintained what they called “The Archive.”It was a comprehensive intelligence network that documented the secrets, financial dealings, and hidden activities of world leaders, corporations, and influential families.The tradition began with the previous King of the World centuries ago before Ethan, who understood that true power lay not in armies or weapons, but in i

For several seconds, Viktor could only stare at the name on the screen as the phone continued to buzz in his trembling hand.His thumbs hovered over the red decline button, trembling slightly.But something—perhaps morbid curiosity, perhaps the need to understand the full scope of his defeat—made him hesitate.Drawing on years of practiced deception, he cleared his throat and answered with as much composure as he could muster.“Well, well,” he said, his voice carrying forced amusement."I have to admit, Ethan, I’m genuinely impressed. I never thought I’d see the day when someone could make Nicolas betray me, but somehow you managed to pull it off.”Ethan’s chuckle came through the phone. “For every step you take, Viktor, I’ll always be ten steps ahead. That’s what distinguishes a true king from someone who merely dreams of being one.”Viktor’s jaw tightened, but he forced a scoff. “Don’t think this battle is over, boy. I’m coming after you and everyone on your side—and when I do, it’l