The boardroom had finally emptied, leaving behind only the faint echo of shuffling papers and murmured arguments that still seemed to hang in the stale air.Kirra’s hand lingered in Connor’s, limp, trembling. Her eyes were red-rimmed, staring at the polished table where her father had so coldly dropped the disowning documents.The doctor, who had sat silently for much of the heated argument, adjusted his glasses and sighed. “I will say this once more,” he said gently but firmly, looking at both sides. “Today, all of you treated this patient as if she were some… transaction. But she is a young woman under medical care, not a pawn in property disputes. If this continues, these public fights, these harsh confrontations… then you’re not treating her like a daughter, or even like a human. You’re tracking her like a hostel girl caught sneaking out after hours. And that is shameful.”Kirra flinched, though the words were not aimed at her.Connor inclined his head slightly, masking the storm

The Waratah clan mansion stood like a fortress in the middle of the city. Spread across nearly twenty acres of manicured lawns and marble courtyards, its facade gleamed beneath the floodlights. Three floors of cream-stone walls stretched outward in two wings, each lined with tall arched windows, more than a hundred of them in totalz catching the moonlight like watchful eyes.The central building rose higher, crowned with a copper dome that glowed faintly green with age. Balconies jutted at regular intervals, framed with wrought-iron railings polished so often they seemed to drink in the starlight. At the base, a colonnade of massive pillars supported the sweeping portico where the family’s fleet of black cars waited, silent and gleaming.Inside, the mansion was a world of hushed corridors and echoing marble halls. Chandeliers hung from ceilings painted with scenes of battles and triumphs long past, reminders of a lineage that prided itself on never bending to anyone. The Waratahs wer

The knock at the door came just after dusk, sharp and formal. Connor was the one who opened the door, expecting to receive their food delivery when a uniformed courier man handed him a sealed envelope, tamped with the seal of the district court.Kirra stumbled into the hallway on her unsteady footsteps, her robe cinched tight around her trembling frame. She didn’t need to see the seal to know what it could be… after all, ever since that confrontation with her father, a part of her had been waiting for it while the other half had been dreading it wholeheartedly. Connor closed the door behind him and broke the wax, and his eyes scanned the lines quickly, jaw tightening as he read further.Apart from this, he gave no indication about the contents od that letter. He folded the papers with calm precision, and looked up at her.“It’s official. Your father’s dragging us into court.”Kirra’s stomach dropped. She pressed her back against the wall, shaking her head softly.“I knew he would.

The invitation was still sitting on the table, untouched since it had arrived. The outer envelope had been embossed with gold leaf, and stamped with the Kuranda family crest. Kirra traced the raised lettering with her fingertip, her brows twitching together as she was deep in thought.“They want us there,” she murmured. “A charity banquet to raise money for children’s cancer hospitals.”Connor leaned against the counter, his sweatshirt folded till his arms, as he placed the two dinner plates on the table. “It’s bait, plain and simple. No offense, but Dundarra isn't the kind of person who will throw events to heal the world when he himself is suffering. In fact, he's the type of person who will throw parties just to humiliate his enemies while wining and dining them.”“I know.” She lifted her eyes. “And that’s why I’m going. I’m not going to hide in this flat forever. I’m not as fragile as they all want to make me seem. If they have sent the invitation, then I'll honour it at any cos

“All rise!" The bailiff’s voice echoed in the courtroom, commanding everyone to rise in honour of the judge. It was the day of the second hearing, and the customary scrape of chairs and shuffle of feet filled the chamber as the judge entered.Kirra was sitting beside Connor at the respondent’s bench. Her spine was straight, trying not to pay attention to the gazes of others that were fixed on her. However, her hands were still in her lap. Cameras flashed outside in the corridor, but here, every sound was dampened to maintain the decorum of the courtroom.Dundarra rose to boa abruptly, surrounded by two lawyers who looked more like undertakers than advocates. His hair was slightly rumpled, his tie hanging slightly off-center today. “Your Honor!” His lead counsel began, “My client wishes to make a statement before these proceedings continue.”The judge nodded, “Very well. Mr. Kuranda, you may proceed.”Dundarra stepped forward, his throat bobbing. “I… I appeal for leniency.” His w