Blake, seeing there was no one left to come to his rescue if that Cole bastard made another move, scrambled to his feet like a man waking from a nightmare.“You might be enjoying this now,” he spat, trying to summon some spine, “but don’t you ever forget—I’m the heir to the Blackridge Consortium Group! The only heir!”His voice cracked, but he raised it louder, hoping it would drown out the panic clawing at his throat.“I’ll come back for you, Cole! You’ll regret every second of this!” he added, staggering toward the door, already halfway gone.But Cole wasn’t done.He started walking toward Blake, not hurried. Blake halted, twisting back. “What now? You think an apology will fix this?” he hissed. “My father is the fucking president of the Blackridge Consortium Group. By the time he hears about this—you’re dead!”Cole didn’t give a damn about some president.Not when this coward had failed Amanda—and still had the audacity to run his mouth like this?Rage blanketed Cole's senses.Wit

After Cole dismissed the men—telling them he’d meet them another time—he walked out of the family villa and grabbed a cab to the house where he and his wife had lived before prison.It was his first day out, and too much had already happened. But nothing boiled his blood like knowing that bastard Harrison had done absolutely nothing all the while he was away.The driver kept stealing glances at the rearview mirror. Something about the man in the back seat made his skin crawl. The kind of passenger you pray doesn’t even breathe wrong in your car, because one mistake and you’re dead.And the way this guy’s fists were clenched didn’t help.The driver’s eyes accidentally met Cole’s in the mirror. He tried to look away, but it was already too late.“I—” the driver stammered. “I think you look like my sister.” The lie tripped all over itself as it left his lips. “I mean…” Damn. Should’ve just kept his mouth shut.“My sister’s got, uh,

The hood came off just as the van lurched forward.White light punched into his eyes.These weren’t street rats. Suits. Polished shoes. The kind of posture you only get when you take orders from someone who can buy and sell half of New York.“You’re out now, huh?” One jabbed him in the chest.“You should’ve rotted in there,” another spat.Cole’s gaze dropped to a badge gleaming on a breast pocket. He remembered that crest. He had seen it in the court three years ago. A boot slammed into his ribs. He said nothing.Some years back, an influential family had come to New York chasing a fresh start. In three years they’d become untouchable—the city’s richest, its most feared.And then their daughter had been assaulted.And in that story, Cole Bennett was the monster that had assaulted their daughter.The van ground to a stop.Hands hauled him out, half dragging, half throwing, until he slammed

The doctor didn’t even glance at Edward. His eyes went straight to Cole, and he bowed slightly.Cole gave a single nod, then pointed toward Eleanor.The moment he’d seen those needles, he’d made one call—to Scarface. And Scarface had brought him the best.The new doctor crossed to the bed. He didn’t waste a second.His hands moved with sharp, deliberate precision, his questions clipped and low. Edward answered every single one like he was confessing to a god.Because that’s exactly who this man was.If he had been here three years ago, Edward would have bet his entire fortune—Eleanor wouldn’t be lying here like this.And then, there was a sudden movement from the body that had been laying still for over two weeks now. Eleanor’s fingers twitched.Edward dropped to his knees beside the bed, his breath catching.Slowly, painfully, her eyes fluttered open. For a second they rolled, unfocused, before fi

“And I should give a damn about that?” Blake’s father growled.“Sir, Cole spent three years in prison for your son. Three years of his life gone,” Amanda said, forcing each word out steadily. “Your son didn’t even keep the promise he made. How would you feel if you were in Cole’s shoes?”That caught him off guard—just for a moment.Amanda pushed forward. “Sir, my husband is human. He’s bound to break. Three years—do you know what that cost us? What it cost him? There are so many things we could have done in that time, but he sacrificed it all. For me.”“For you?” Blake’s father’s voice shifted softly, almost curious now.Amanda rose slowly from her knees, her pulse pounding. “If Cole had been with me for those three years, we could have built a life together. That kind of loss can make any man… reckless.”“Yeah…” Blake’s father murmured, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. “Three years away from a woman like you. That wo