From that moment forward, Jaden Rift became a name no one dared to speak lightly. Word spread fast. Even among the arrogant and reckless, there was now an unspoken line they wouldn't cross.Cassian, nursing the bruises and humiliation from his father's brutal outburst, got wind of the past—of the story Declan had kept hidden for years. The incident where he had dared to offend Morix Sable’s chief. The price Declan paid for that mistake was heavy. Broken bones. A ruined body. He’d been forced to crawl—literally crawl—to beg forgiveness. Even then, mercy hadn’t come easy.And now, that same ghost from the past stood before Cassian, flesh and blood.His breath hitched. Every fiber of his being screamed danger. Jaden Rift wasn’t just powerful. He was the man behind his father’s fall from grace. The man who crippled a titan like Declan Raze with nothing more than consequence.Cassian’s legs buckled. He hit the marble floor with a loud thud, knees first, pain shooting up his bones. His voic

Vane raised his glass, the faint burn of alcohol warming his cheeks, eyes slightly glazed but bright with gratitude. The sound of forks clinking against plates faded into the background as he turned toward Jaden, voice full of conviction.“This… all of this—it’s because of you, Jaden,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t even want to imagine what our family would’ve become without your help.”He wasn’t exaggerating. They had been one step from collapse not long ago. Now they were sitting in a multimillion-dollar villa, eating a home-cooked dinner like royalty.Vane took a deep breath, then chuckled, eyes glassy with a rare vulnerability. “I was always alone. Floating through life, going through the motions. Until I met you. Now, for the first time in a long time… I feel like I’ve got a real family.”He looked Jaden in the eye. “You made me believe again. As your family, I swear on my name—I won’t ever let you suffer again. Not on my watch.”Jaden didn’t respond immediately. He just smiled, th

The leader of the construction crew, Jackie Basco, stormed over with a scowl etched deep across his dirt-streaked face, flanked by two of his bruised men. “Ms. Verrick,” he called out, voice tight with urgency. “Thank God you’re here. This thing’s spiraling.”Selena’s heels clicked against broken concrete as she stepped forward, eyes scanning the wreckage. Her gaze hardened when she saw the twisted machinery and the bloodied shirt of one of Jackie’s workers. “Jackie. What’s the current situation?”Jackie’s jaw clenched. “Those punks over there,” he nodded toward the lounging gang with makeshift bats and rusted machetes. “They’re the ones who tore everything up. Sent four of my guys to the hospital. One of them might need surgery.”Selena’s tone dropped an octave, flat and cold. “Did you call the cops?”Jackie stepped closer, dropping his voice to a mutter. “I did. Twice. They claimed they were ‘dispatching units,’ but it’s been over an hour. You know how it goes.”“Useless,” Selena mu

As the thug swung the iron bar at his head, Jaden caught it mid-air with his left hand. The sudden halt echoed with a sharp clang. Then, without pause, his right fist rocketed upward.Crack!The man’s jaw snapped to the side, a sickening crunch sounding as bone gave way. He dropped like a rag doll, limbs twitching from the impact, blood spilling from his mouth.Jaden yanked the iron bar from the man’s limp grip and spun it once in his hand, like a conductor preparing for a symphony. Three more men charged him with machetes raised, yelling out threats they didn’t have time to finish.Clang! Clang! Clang!Jaden parried all three blades in a smooth, fluid motion, blocking them like he’d done it a thousand times before. In the same breath, he launched a flying kick that smashed into the cluster of heads.Thud! Thud! Thud!All three went airborne, flipped over themselves, and crashed to the ground like bowling pins.Selena gasped.Jaden didn’t even look back.This wasn’t a brawl. It was a

Behemoth was already on the verge of breaking. The pain in his leg hadn’t even come yet, but the fear had sunk its claws deep into his gut. He opened his trembling mouth to beg—voice cracking, pride forgotten—but fate cut him short.The screech of tires sliced through the tension like a blade. A black Land Rover slammed to a stop nearby, flanked by two matte-black Chevrolets. Doors burst open. Boots hit concrete. One after another, men poured out—rough-looking, hard-eyed, dressed for trouble.The first to step forward was a thick-chested man with a chiseled jaw and razor-sharp eyes that never blinked without purpose. His gaze swept across the scene, zeroing in on the mess. That was Ortega Moreau—known on the streets as the Bulldog. Silas Moreau’s younger brother and his enforcer in the Western District.Behemoth's face lit up with desperate relief. He flailed and shouted, "Big Brother Ortega! Help me! He's gonna break my—"Ortega didn’t answer. His steps slowed as he took in the chaos