Roseline's question hung in the air between them like a physical presence. Jacob stared at her, his mind racing through possibilities of how she could know about the fire, about Anna saving him, about the connection that had driven him back to Seron."I asked you a question," Jacob said carefully. "How did you know about the fire?"Roseline's expression softened slightly. "I have my sources. And I pay attention. The way you look at Anna, the way you protect her—it is not just love. It is debt. The kind of debt someone carries when another person saves their life at great personal cost."Jacob wanted to press further, but Leo's urgent knock on the door interrupted them. "Sir, we have new intelligence. You need to see this immediately."Jacob shot Roseline a look that promised their conversation was not finished, then followed Leo to the communications room. Multiple screens displayed surveillance footage, financial records, and intelligence reports that Leo had been compiling throughou

James Forno stood in his private surveillance room, watching the multiple screens that displayed live feeds from across Seron. His father had built this facility to monitor their business interests and potential threats, but James had repurposed it for more personal pursuits.On the center screen, Anna's image remained frozen—the photograph he had been studying for three days. Her face, her posture, even the way sunlight caught her hair fascinated him in ways he could not fully explain."Sir, we have updated movement patterns," one of his intelligence operatives reported, bringing fresh documents to the desk. "The target follows a relatively predictable schedule despite her husband's security measures."James accepted the papers without looking away from Anna's photograph. "Tell me everything.""She trains in the morning, usually between six and nine. Medical appointments on Tuesdays. She attempts to go shopping at least twice weekly, though her security detail often prevents this. On

The video ended, leaving the safe house in suffocating silence. Jacob stared at the frozen image of Anna's terrified face on his phone screen, his expression completely blank. Leo and Roseline exchanged worried glances, recognizing the dangerous calm that had settled over him."Sir, we need to analyze the video for location clues," Leo began. "The background shows concrete construction that suggests industrial—""I know where she is," Jacob interrupted, his voice empty of emotion. "James sent the video from his father's compound. He wants me to come there.""Then it is obviously a trap," Roseline said. "James has two hundred soldiers, automated defenses, and home terrain advantage. Walking in alone would be suicide."Jacob finally looked up from his phone, and both Leo and Roseline took an involuntary step backward. His eyes held something they had rarely seen—the complete absence of restraint or mercy that made the Dark Blade a legend across three continents."I am going alone," Jaco

The Forno compound had become a battlefield, and Jacob was its sole invading force. He moved through the mansion like a vengeful spirit, leaving destruction in his wake as he systematically dismantled every layer of security between himself and Anna.A ten-man tactical team attempted to ambush him in the main gallery, dropping from ceiling positions while others emerged from hidden panels in the walls. Jacob sensed their presence before they moved, his mystical abilities giving him awareness that transcended normal human perception. He spun, mystical energy exploding outward in a wave that threw bodies against walls with sickening force. The ambush collapsed before it could fully deploy.Two guards remained conscious enough to raise their weapons. Jacob closed the distance faster than they could track, his combat knife finding the first man's weapon hand and disarming him with brutal efficiency. The second guard managed to fire three shots, all of which passed through golden shields J

Anna's scream echoed through the throne room, raw with genuine terror. She struggled against her chains, desperate to put distance between herself and the blood-soaked figure standing over James's broken body.Jacob froze, the killing blow he had been about to deliver forgotten. In his rage and desperation to rescue Anna, he had not considered how she would perceive him. To her eyes, he was not a savior—he was another monster, perhaps worse than the one who had kidnapped her."Anna," Jacob said, his voice distorted through the mask's modifications. "You are safe now. I came to—""Stay away from me!" Anna's voice was shrill with panic. She pulled harder against the chains, not caring that the metal was cutting into her wrists. Blood trickled down her arms as she fought to escape.Jacob took a step toward her, intending to break the chains and free her. Anna recoiled violently, pressing herself back against the chair as if she could somehow phase through it to get away from him."Please