Evans kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on her thigh, a simple, possessive gesture that made her heart stutter as he pulled up his car to the curb outside her building, the engine idling. He then turned to her, the early light catching the gold flecks in his eyes. Without a word, he leaned across the console, his hand coming up to cradle the back of her neck, and kissed her. It was a different kiss than the ones they’d shared before—not a desperate release or a reverent promise, but a seal. A punctuation mark on the night. It was deep, slow, and tasted of a future she was only beginning to dare imagine.“I’ll call you later,” he murmured against her lips, his breath warm. “Be careful today.”“You too.” She pulled back slightly, a thought occurring. “Do you… want to come up? Just for a minute. To say hi to Hailey? She’ll be full of questions.”Evans’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly. He glanced at the dashboard clock, a habit of a man governed by schedul

President Jonesboro stood at the head of the long, polished table, his hands resting lightly on the back of his leather chair. He looked older than his years, the burden of an unplanned term etched in new lines around his eyes, but his gaze was steady as it swept over the assembled members of his party's leadership."Gentlemen," he began, his voice a familiar, resonant baritone that had calmed the nation through the chaos of the Eclipse and its bloody, conspiratorial aftermath. "Thank you for coming. And more importantly, thank you for standing by this administration, and by our country, during one of the most trying periods in our recent history."He paused, letting his gratitude settle. "The cataclysmic events of last year—the tragedy that unfolded on what should have been a day of democratic expression—forced us into uncharted constitutional territory. My tenure was extended not by ambition, but by necessity. To ensure stability, to guide the recovery, and to root out the sinister

The drive back to the medical facility was a silent, tense journey through the city's veins. The streetlights cast fleeting shadows across Ruth's face as she stared out the window, seeing not the passing buildings but the gauntlet of hostile eyes she would face in the morning.Gilbert drove with his usual focused calm, the hum of the powerful car's engine the only sound. He could feel the weight of her apprehension filling the space between them.Finally, Ruth spoke, her voice softer, more vulnerable than it had been in the conference room. "Gilbert... thank you. For tonight. For... everything. The last twenty years."She turned her head to look at his profile, illuminated in the dash lights. "I don't think I've ever properly said it. You gave up a normal life to help me hide, to help me protect Jacqueline, and now Jackson. You've been my rock when the entire world felt like quicksand. I wouldn't have survived this without you."He kept his eyes on the road, the words soothing. Her gr

The elevator doors had barely closed on their silent, seething ride up from the garage before Elara shattered. The moment the penthouse door hissed shut behind them, the dam of frozen horror and fury broke. It wasn’t a scream, not at first. It was a raw, guttural sound of pure, animal frustration that tore from her throat. She hurled her crocodile-skin clutch across the foyer. It struck a priceless Ming dynasty vase, which teetered on its pedestal with a delicate, nerve-shredding wobble before settling.“HOW?!” The word exploded from her, echoing in the vast, sterile space. She whirled on Celestine, who stood rigid by the door, her own face pale with shock. “Twenty years! TWENTY YEARS I have had investigators, hackers, private eyes digging through every sewer on this planet looking for a trace of that sanctimonious ghost! A whisper! A credit card receipt! A blurry photo! But all I got was NOTHING!”She paced, a caged panther in a silk suit, her movements jagged. “And she just… walks

“You think she’s reaching out for the family connection you never had? Maybe a part of her is. But the larger part, the part that hired Thomas Rouke and prepared to go toe-to-toe with Elara, is assessing the new battlefield. She’s offering you a bridge. Fine. But remember, you control who and what crosses it. And you absolutely must check for explosives before you set foot on it yourself.”He was right. Ruth knew it in her bones. She took a deep breath, the weight of the crown she never wanted settling more firmly on her shoulders. It wasn’t just about legal documents and board votes. It was about navigating a minefield of historic neglect and present-day ambition.“Copper set the meeting for this afternoon,” she said, her voice regaining its steadiness. “Fifteen minutes.”“Good,” Gilbert said. “Be cordial. Be grateful for the public support. And be absolutely, immovably clear on the boundaries. She gets a seat at the table if, and only if, it’s the seat you assign her. Not the one s