Adrian didn't say a word. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek, matte-black card. It wasn't plastic; it was made of a rare, dark alloy and laced with gold."The auctioneer’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. "The Rhein Group Black Card.." he whispered, his voice trembling into the microphone.The room erupted in a frenzy of whispers. Everyone knew the Rhein Group. It was the largest conglomerate in the world, a shadow empire with more power than most governments. There were rumors to be only three of these cards in existence, linked to the world’s hidden treasuries. Even one billion dollars was less than 0.001 percent of the wealth stored behind that card.Lyra leaned in close to Adrian, her eyes wide with shock. "Adrian... how do you have that? Who are you, really?""I told you to trust me," Adrian whispered back, his eyes fixed on Silas.Silas’s face turned a deep, angry red beneath his mask. "Lies! It’s a fake!" he screamed, pointing a shaking finger at Adrian. "Ther

"It was because of him I was stuck in that cave! He was there the night the serpent struck! He didn't even bother to save me! He looked at me with those bored, cold eyes and simply turned his back while I turned to stone! He left me there to rot!"Myria's eyes widened in sudden realization. "No wonder... he bragged that you weren't even worthy to stand in his presence."Rootbinder’s eyes burned red with anger. His fingernails dug into his palms until they bled. "He took away two years of my life. He left me in a living tomb while he walked the earth as a king. He thinks I am a footnote in his story? He thinks I am beneath him?"Rootbinder stood tall. "I will make him feel every second of those two years. I will tear down everything he has built. I will make Adrian Lancaster beg for death!"The auctioneer raised his gavel high, his eyes fixed on Adrian with a mixture of fear and respect. "Going once... going twice... sold to the man with—"SNAP.The world went pitch black.It wasn't a

She sat down slowly, her hands trembling as she rested them on her knees."The Light," she whispered like it was a curse. "They are the ones who hunted me like an animal. They aren't just a gang, Adrian. They are a high-tech, global organization. They are ruthless, obsessed with collecting every powerful artifact on the planet. I don't know what their goal is, but it is definitely not good.She looked up at him, her eyes filled with genuine terror. "If they had laid their hands on the four stones back then, they would have ended the world by now. If they have the Key now... they won't just close the portal. They will use it to harness the energy of the Maw itself. You have to be very careful. These people are not like the thugs you’ve fought before. They are incredibly resourceful."Adrian stepped closer. "Don't worry," he told her, his voice low and firm. "They might have the Key for now, but they’ve just made themselves my primary target. I will find them. And I will take it back.

The rain lashed against the narrow windows of the Iron Heights Women’s Penitentiary.Inside, the air was thick with the suffocating scent of industrial bleach, damp stone, and fear.Isabella sat huddled in the corner of her cell, her back pressed against the freezing concrete. She was no longer the high-society queen who had once looked down on the world. She was a shell, but even in the darkness, her eyes of her former self, her body was thin, and her spirit was drained.But hatred burned in her heart more than ever. She reached up, her trembling fingers tracing the jagged skin on the right side of her face. It was a ruin of melted flesh and silver scars—a permanent gift from Sophia Aldridge, who had dipped her face into molten lava during their final confrontation. Every time Isabella closed her eyes, she felt the searing heat again. She saw Adrian’s cold, disgusted face as he watched her burn. He hadn’t lifted a finger to save her."I’ll kill you both," she whispered into the

Isabella took a slow, limping step toward them. The power had shifted. She could feel the agents standing behind her like twin towers of death."Grovel," Isabella commanded, her voice dripping with venom. "I want to see the Triple Threat on their knees. Beg for your lives. Show me how much you want to live."Big Sal and her partner collapsed to their knees, their foreheads touching the cold metal of the catwalk. The "Walking Corpse" was gone. In her place stood the Isabelle who had just found a reason to live: revenge.Isabella leaned down, her half-beautiful, half-ruined face just inches away from Big Sal’s trembling head. She felt a surge of adrenaline that felt very intoxicating."You like to use that iron, don't you?" Isabella whispered, her voice a sharp contrast to the terrified whimpers of the women below her. She picked up the jagged shiv Big Sal had dropped. "Show me. Pick it up. Slice your own arms the way you sliced mine. Prove to me how brave the Triple Threat really