Ryan's POVI walked away from Liam, feeling heavy because of what I didn’t say. I just hoped he was smart enough to figure out the message on that napkin.I hoped he understood how much danger we were in. Every step I took felt slow and hard, like walking through thick syrup.My phone buzzed in my pocket. I looked at the screen. A number I didn’t know. I stopped, my stomach tight. Something felt wrong.I picked it up.“Hello?”A rough, cold voice spoke into my ear.“Ryan Blackwood. Be very careful with your next words.”My breath caught. It was Silas Scratch. Just hearing his name scared me. He was my dad’s…cleaner.“Silas,” I said, barely able to speak. “What do you want?”“Let’s just say I’m watching. I’ve got a powerful scope aimed right at your head. One move the wrong way, or one wrong word, and your brains will be all over the ground.”My heart pounded hard. I knew he wasn’t lying. Silas was like a ghost. You couldn’t find him. You couldn’t stop him.“You wouldn’t do that,” I sai

Liam's POV“What do you want, Tobias?” I repeatedly asked. My voice was low and serious. The press conference, the reporters, and the idea that I was chasing some kind of strange family revenge—it all disappeared from my mind. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the man standing in front of me.Tobias moved a little, and that sad look came back into his eyes. I had seen that look before, whenever he talked about his dead family. The pain was so strong, you could almost feel it. He looked around the room before his eyes came back to mine.“I don't care what you believe, Liam,” he said, his voice tight. “But I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill my family, even though that’s what they say.”I looked at him, trying to see if he was lying. The room suddenly felt small. His words felt heavy. I thought about all the news stories, the people talking, the name that had followed me around for years.Tobias Carter, the man who killed his own family. But looking at him now, seeing how sad he loo

Liam's POV“Liam!” my mom shouted. Her voice cut through my anger like a knife. “How could you talk to Melissa like that? She’s such a sweet girl.”Sweet? That’s not what I’d call her. Maybe sneaky. Maybe crazy. But sweet? No way.Aunt Maya spoke too, sounding upset.“She was just trying to be nice, Liam. You didn’t have to yell at her.”I clenched my fists. I couldn’t stop thinking about Alice’s sad face. Trying to explain to them felt useless. They believed what they wanted, and nothing I said would change their minds.“I don’t have time for this,” I said quietly, grabbing my car keys.“Liam, where are you going?” my mom asked sharply.“Out,” I said, heading to the door. “I need to clear my head.”“But it’s late!”I ignored her and slammed the door behind me. I started the car and drove off fast. I knew where I needed to go, to Alice's house. I had to explain what really happened.The drive was lonely. I was angry and nervous. When I got to her small house, I parked badly and ran to

Ryan's POVI couldn’t sit still. I felt nervous, angry, and scared all at once. Silas Scratch. Just hearing his name made me feel sick. He was blackmailing me. He had found out a terrible secret about my father—and now he was using it against me.I walked back and forth in my living room. The soft carpet didn’t help calm me down. I had been so careful when I planned that meeting with Liam. It was supposed to help me reveal what my father had done wrong. But Silas had somehow found out.I stopped walking and grabbed the closest thing—a crystal ball. I wanted to throw it across the room. But I didn’t. I didn’t want to deal with the mess.Just then, the intercom buzzed.“Sir, Silas Scratch is here to see you,” said Johnson, my butler. His voice sounded strange, like he was disgusted. Or maybe he felt sorry for me. Either way, it made me even angrier.“Let him in,” I said sharply.I stood still, waiting.The door opened, and Silas walked in slowly, smiling like he owned the place. His eye

Liam's POVWe pulled the unconscious man into a small hidden space so no one would see him, then we kept going.We found a quiet spot to talk to Sarah using our radios.“Sarah, we stopped a lab worker who almost called for help. No new info yet.” I said.“Got it. Be extra careful. I see more guards moving around your area.” Sarah replied.A cold fear hit me. They knew we were here.“Hans, we need to leave. This is getting too dangerous.” I said.“Not yet. We still haven’t found what we came for.” he replied.“And what is that, Hans? Proof that Blackwood is evil? We already have it! We need to go now, while we can!” I said angrily.“We’re looking for answers, Liam. We need to know why they’re doing this. What happened to Mason. I feel like we’re close to finding out.” Hans said, sounding sure.Before I could argue more, he pulled me deeper into the building.We walked down another hallway. It was colder, and the chemical smell was stronger. We passed more labs. Each one looked worse th