Logan arrived home without saying a word to anyone.The gates closed behind him with a heavy mechanical sound, but he barely registered it. The vibration of the metal, the echo of the lock engaging, even the familiar security protocol that usually signaled control over his domain—all of it passed without meaning. His mind was already elsewhere, locked in the same relentless cycle of questions that had followed him since leaving the hospital.Charlotte.His child.The poison.The pattern that refused to make sense.He walked straight through the mansion, ignoring the staff who instinctively stepped aside. They noticed immediately that something had changed. No greetings were exchanged. No instructions were needed to understand that this was not a moment for interruption. Even the air felt different, heavier than usual, as though the house itself had begun to respond to the shift in its master’s intent.Logan went directly to his private room.Inside, the space was dimly lit, untouched

Adrien ended the call with Evelyn slowly, lowering the phone from his ear as if the weight of her excitement still lingered in the air long after the connection had cut. For a moment, he didn’t move. The silence around him felt oddly dense, as though the room itself was absorbing what had just been said and storing it away.Her voice had been sharp with joy. Relieved. Triumphant in a way that made it clear she had already begun celebrating something she believed was irreversible. To her, the message Adrien had delivered carried only one meaning: Charlotte Brooks was gone. Completely. Irrevocably. And that conclusion, in Evelyn’s mind, unlocked everything she had been waiting for.Money. Status. Freedom from restraint.She had not even hesitated.“I will compensate you greatly,” she had said, her voice almost trembling with satisfaction. “You will not regret this. I will send you extra. Heaven and earth will answer for you.”Adrien had listened carefully, letting every word settle into

Adrien stood motionless after ending the call with the gang leader. For several long moments, he simply stared at the small phone resting in his hand. His heart pounded so loudly that he could hear every beat echoing in his ears. The room suddenly felt unusually quiet. Even the ticking clock on the wall seemed louder than before. He swallowed hard. "Fifty million?" he whispered to himself. His voice barely rose above a murmur. He almost lost his balance. Quickly, he reached out and steadied himself against the nearby table before taking a slow breath. Never in his wildest imagination had he expected such an outrageous amount. When he first decided to contact the criminal organization, he had mentally prepared himself to hear a large figure. He had expected a few million at most. Perhaps five million. Maybe even ten million if the assignment proved especially dangerous. But fifty million? That was an entirely different level. He slowly walked toward the bed. His legs

As soon as Adrien ended the call with Evelyn, he remained seated for a few moments, staring silently at his phone. The room was completely quiet. Only the faint hum of the air conditioner could be heard in the background. He did not move. His thoughts wandered from one event to another, replaying everything that had happened over the past few days. The conversation with Evelyn echoed repeatedly in his mind. She had agreed to provide the money. The obstacle that had seemed impossible to overcome had suddenly disappeared. Everything had changed. The money had finally been secured. There was no longer any excuse for delay. Adrien slowly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. For the first time since accepting Evelyn's proposal, he felt that events were moving faster than he had expected. There was no turning back now. The assignment had reached a point where hesitation would only create more problems. He inhaled deeply before slowly releasing his breath. Then he ope

Logan nodded slowly. "I was." Charlotte stared at him in surprise. For a brief moment, she forgot about the fear that had gripped her only minutes earlier. She searched his face, trying to understand what he meant. "You knew?" Her voice carried both disbelief and curiosity. Logan took a slow breath before answering. "I received several security alerts while I was in my office in Broadstone." His tone remained calm, but the tension in his face had not completely disappeared. Even though the immediate danger had passed, the events of the evening were still fresh in his mind. Charlotte listened carefully, giving him her full attention. "My security network notified me that there was credible intelligence suggesting our home was about to be attacked." He paused briefly before continuing. "The alerts came from more than one source." "They weren't ordinary notifications." "They were urgent." "As soon as I saw them, I knew I couldn't ignore them." Charlotte looked at him wit