Marcel coughed, blood splattering onto his lips.“You and your entire family…” he rasped, his eyes locked on Adrian. "You’re all devils.”He coughed again, more blood spilling from his mouth.“And because of your evil intentions,” He continued, his voice breaking. "The spirits of the predecessors who served The Order… they won’t allow you or your son to ascend the throne.”Lucas scoffed, his expression filled with disdain.“We’ll see about that,” he said coldly.Then, in an instant, he raised his gun and fired at Marcel.Marcel died instantly.Everything went muffled after the gunshot, like Ethan had been plunged underwater.A tear slipped down his cheek instinctively.He didn’t even realize Max had moved until it was too late.Max, fueled by rage and grief, lunged toward Lucas.But before he could reach him, one of the soldiers raised his gun and fired.The bullet tore through Max’ leg.He collapsed with a shout, clutching his thigh as blood poured from the wound.“Max!” Ethan scre

An eerie silence settled over the forest as the gunshots stopped.The forest floor was littered with corpses of Adrian's soldiers.Ethan stood in the center of it all, untouched, , his smirk never fading.What Adrian and Lucas hadn’t known—what they couldn’t have known—was that this spot in the forest wasn’t random.Beneath their feet lay a hidden underground headquarters that served as the main base for his operatives across the country.It was where they trained, planned covert missions, and stored weapons, intelligence, and resources too dangerous to keep anywhere else.The base was enormous, stretching deep into the earth like a secret fortress.Inside were training halls fitted with advanced combat simulators, armories packed with every kind of weapon imaginable, communication centers capable of tapping into networks worldwide, fully equipped medical facilities for even the worst injuries, and living quarters for operatives who sometimes stayed underground for weeks on end.It wa

The Aurelius family cemetery was quiet.Ethan stood alone among the rows of weathered headstones, his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets, his jaw tight.Twenty-four hours had passed since the attack.But no one on the outside had any idea what happened.The mansion’s soundproofing had blocked every gunshot, every scream, and every bit of chaos that went down.By sunrise the next morning, they’d cleaned up every drop of blood.All the bodies had been moved, and anything that got destroyed was replaced.It was as if nothing had happened at all.However, the squad couldn't save everyone.A handful of staff members had been killed in the crossfire before Ethan’s operatives could neutralize Adrian’s soldiers.Others had been injured—some seriously, some less so.But they were alive.The three new initiates—Amara, Dmitri, and Sofia—had been saved.They were shaken, traumatized, but unharmed.Max was still recovering in the mansion’s medical wing.The bullet in his leg had done signific

Theo froze when Adrian finally admitted it in a cold tone."Yes, I killed them! I set the fire! I made sure they all burned because I needed you! And they were in the way!" Adrian continued, his tone devoid of emotion.Theo’s grip loosened slightly, his face twisting with shock and horror.“And honestly? It was easier than I thought it would be. They didn’t even see it coming.” Adrian added with a smirk.Theo’s jaw dropped, his face contorting with rage and disbelief.“You… you monster,” he choked out.Ethan let out a low chuckle.“What a stupid being you are,” he said, shaking his head.“You knew how he operated. You knew what he was capable of. And yet you never once stopped to question whether he’d done the same thing to you.”Tears were streaming down Theo’s face now, his entire body shaking.He released Adrian’s shirt and slumped back in his chair, his hands covering his face.“I was so blind,” Theo whispered, his voice broken.“I should’ve seen it. I should’ve known.”He let out