Ryan gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned into a neighborhood that felt both familiar and strange at the same time. The streets stretched before him, wide and busy, yet his chest ached trying to search his memory.He hadn’t been here in years, not since the days when money was tight and dreams were still just that — dreams. Back then, this street had been full of little shops, cramped stores, noisy vendors. Now, glassy new buildings and modern storefronts stood tall, replacing what he once knew.“This has to be the place,” Ryan muttered to himself, squinting as he slowed the car to a crawl. His voice filled the silence of the car, calm one moment, agitated the next. “I remember… it was right around here, I think. On the left side. Or was it the right? Damn it, I should remember this. How can I not remember?”His heart pounded harder the longer he stared. He leaned forward, his nose almost brushing the windshield, as though being closer to the glass would somehow bring the p

The house was quiet when Ryan finally pulled into the driveway. For a moment he simply sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly, as if the energy to move had drained out of him completely. His shoulders sagged, his shirt clung to him with the faint smell of sweat and dust from the streets he had spent hours wandering, and his eyes burned from both fatigue and the countless conversations that had led nowhere.When he finally stepped out and shut the car door behind him, it was already late.Claudia was waiting for him in the living room. She sat curled on the sofa, her legs tucked under her, a thin blanket draped over her knees. The television was on, muted, showing flickers of light across the room, but her eyes had been on the door the entire time. The instant she heard it open, she straightened, the blanket falling away, and stood quickly.“Ryan,” she breathed. “Finally. Do you know what time it is?” She hurried toward him, her expression both relieved and worri

The heavy wooden doors of the boardroom closed behind them with a dull thud.Claudia’s chest rose and fell quickly, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. She tried to hold herself together, to keep her composure, but it was useless. The frustration in her blood was too much. She turned to Ryan, her eyes wide with disbelief.“Seven days?” she burst out. “Seven days, Ryan! How could they do this to you? How could they put you under such impossible pressure? Don’t they see what’s happening? Don’t they see that they are being manipulated by Julian and the McCarthys?”She wasn’t just angry—she was devastated.Ryan’s expression was calm, too calm, as though he had expected this. His hands curled into fists, then relaxed again as he tried to steady himself.“They see it, Claudia,” he said quietly, his voice even. “But they’re afraid. Fear makes people blind. It makes them grab at whatever looks like security, even if it’s a lie.”Claudia shook her head in frustration, her lips trembl

Elizabeth stood there, arms wrapped tightly around herself, her foot tapping restlessly against the ground. Her nerves were raw, her breaths coming fast as though her heart was refusing to calm down.Lord Ryder stood opposite her, leaning lazily against the wall. Finally, Lord Ryder broke the quiet and said in a low voice.“Elizabeth, you need to get it together.”Elizabeth’s head snapped up, her lips parting slightly. “Excuse me?”Ryder straightened, pushing herself off the wall and stepping forward. “You heard me. Get it together. You’re running around in circles, letting paranoia eat at you, when you should be focused. Do you want Claudia destroyed or not?”“Of course I do,” she snapped. “Why do you think I’m out here in the freezing cold meeting you like this?”Ryder’s lips curved in a smirk, but it was humorless. “Wanting isn’t enough. You keep saying you hate Claudia, you keep saying you’ll do anything, but the moment you face a little suspicion from one family member, you come

Agatha Duval sat at her dressing table, her frame wrapped in a light wool shawl. She tugged slightly at the scarf tied neatly at her throat. In the mirror, her eyes gleamed with excitement.“It feels strange, Martha,” she said softly, addressing the young woman fussing with her coat buttons behind her. “So strange to be preparing for a simple walk as though it were a holiday.”Elizabeth—“Martha” to her—smiled with practiced warmth, leaning forward to adjust the scarf with delicate precision. “It’s more than a walk, Mrs. Duval. It’s freedom, a breath of fresh air, a moment for yourself. You deserve it.”Agatha’s cheeks colored faintly, the flush of a girl decades younger. “Freedom, yes… that’s the word. I don’t want to feel caged anymore. I told the doctors that walls can heal the body but not the spirit, but of course they don’t listen. Always with their advice, their stern little warnings.” She shook her head, her earrings swaying like tiny bells. “But I remember the park, the way th