The First CrackThe dungeon beneath Sterling House was not often used. It wasn’t the kind of place Ethan liked to acknowledge existed. Yet tonight, the stone walls breathed with secrets.The passive guard , the one Clara had quietly distrusted for weeks .Sat bound to a chair, sweat dripping down his temple. His hands shook as though the ropes that tied them carried fire.Ethan stood in front of him, broad-shouldered, his expression calm but unreadable. Clara remained at his side, arms folded, her eyes sharp. For once, Ethan hadn’t dismissed her warnings. For once, he had dragged her along to see her instincts tested.“You’ve served this house for years,” Ethan began, his voice low, deliberate. “But loyalty isn’t measured in time. It’s measured in truth. And right now, truth is all that matters.”The guard’s lips parted, but nothing came out.Clara stepped forward, her tone sharper. “Notes. Left at my door. Don’t bother denying it. Your post was near the east corridor. No one else coul

TrapThe next morning broke under a heavy sky, the kind that pressed down on the city and muffled its noise. Ethan sat at the head of the long oak table in the strategy room, his hands laced together, knuckles taut. Clara was beside him, a silent presence with sharp eyes scanning every man seated in the room.Six executives — the most trusted circle Ethan had left. Men and women who had built Sterling Enterprises beside him, who had weathered storms and scandals and sworn loyalty. Each one now eyed the table with a mix of curiosity and tension.Victor Hale entered last, sliding into his seat with practiced ease, carrying his calm like armor.Ethan let silence stretch, forcing all eyes on him. Then he spoke.“We have confirmation that Kane has been pressing harder against our outer operations. That means one thing: he’s desperate.”A murmur rose. Clara leaned forward slightly, her voice cutting through the low chatter.“Desperation makes him reckless. But it also makes him dangerous.”

Sparks in the ashesThe night was still, broken only by the hum of the distant city lights through the penthouse glass. Clara sat across from Ethan, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles whitened. She had listened to his half-truth about the firehis voice halting, careful, as if each word was a landmine. And even though she sensed he was holding back more, the mere mention of that tragedy stitched a deeper thread between them.“Why now, Ethan?” she whispered at last. “Why tell me this much, after weeks of silence?”Ethan leaned back in his chair, his jaw tightening. Shadows carved harsh lines into his face. “Because the past is no longer staying in the past. Kane is dragging it back into the present, and if I don’t give you something—some reason, you’ll walk blind into the very thing that could destroy you.”Clara studied him. The fire, the locket, the way Kane seemed to know more than he should, it was all connected. She wanted to demand everything, all at once, but there was a r

Another strikeThe rain fell in sheets against the blackened glass of the convoy car, turning the city lights into streaks of molten color. Ethan sat stiffly in the back seat, jaw tight, phone clutched in his hand. Clara sat beside him, her eyes flicking between his face and the encrypted files glowing on the small screen.Kane’s move had been deliberate, targeted, and vicious. One of Ethan’s closest allies, a shipping magnate with ties to his network, had been cornered, his warehouse set ablaze before the man narrowly escaped with his life. It wasn’t just a strike; it was a message. I can touch what you guard.“Why go after him?” Clara asked, her voice quiet but sharp.“Because he’s valuable,” Ethan said. His tone was clipped, controlled, though Clara noticed the way his hand trembled slightly when he set the phone down. “He’s not Kane’s endgame. Just a warning shot.”Clara studied him, sensing the storm beneath the calm. The more Kane struck, the more protective Ethan grew not just

Shadows WithinThe coded note sat on the desk like a live wire. Clara stared at it, her chest tight, while Ethan stood across the room, his posture too controlled, his jaw too tight.The words still burned in her mind: Why does he always protect you like he does?Clara swallowed. “It’s him. It has to be Kane.”Ethan’s gaze flicked from the note to her face. “Yes. But that doesn’t matter.”“Doesn’t matter?” Clara’s voice rose. “He’s watching me, Ethan. Watching us. He knows things he shouldn’t.”“That’s the point,” Ethan said quietly. “The only way he could know is if someone inside gave him access.”Her stomach dropped. “You mean… a mole.”Ethan’s silence was answer enough.The air between them thickened. Clara gripped the edge of the desk, her knuckles white.“Who?” she asked finally. “Who would betray us again besides victor?”Ethan moved closer, lowering his voice. “That’s what I intend to find out. But listen to me, Clara—until then, you don’t move without me. Not an inch.”Her ey