The iron bars clanged shut behind her, the echo carrying like a verdict across the empty prison corridor. Elena Frost adjusted the lapels of her white blazer, her heels clicking with sharp precision against the concrete floor. Every step felt heavier than the last.She told herself she had rehearsed this a hundred times, cold words, clean cuts, no looking back. And yet, the weight pressing on her chest only grew tighter.Outside the reinforced glass, inmates watched her pass. Her presence was a strange contrast here, an elegant CEO with a reputation as untouchable as ice.But she was not here as the feared executive of Frost Enterprises. She was here as a wife about to end her marriage. The guard opened the visitation room door.Inside sat Adrian Kane, his posture straight despite the dull gray uniform draped across his broad frame. His eyes lifted, steady and unreadable, the same eyes that once made her feel safe. Today, they only made her pulse stutter.“You sent your secretary,” Ad

The city skyline glittered as twilight descended, glass towers igniting with a thousand fractured stars. Adrian Kane sat in the back of Lyra Raven’s sleek black Bentley, the leather interior infused with her perfume, bold, fiery, impossible to ignore.She leaned toward him, legs crossed, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “So… what’s the plan, General? Straight home, or do I get the honor of hosting your welcome-back party?”Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly. “Low profile. I still have work to do. You should go on ahead without me.”Lyra pouted theatrically, her ruby lips curving downward. “Always the same excuse. You live like a ghost, Adrian. But ghosts don’t get promotions from presidents, do they?”He gave her a sidelong glance. “You’ve been listening in again.”“Guilty.” She winked, unashamed. “Information is power. And I like keeping up with the man I, ” She stopped short, biting the word back, and covered the lapse with a dazzling grin. “Anyway, I booked the Imperial Hotel.

The ballroom’s music had stuttered into silence, replaced by a hum of whispers that vibrated like static against the crystal walls.Every eye locked on the four figures in the center, Adrian Kane, Elena Frost, Magnus Hale, and Lyra Raven. A battle of empires wrapped in silk and shadow. Julian’s drunken jeers still lingered in the air, echoing louder than the orchestra ever had.Elena’s heart pounded against her ribs. She had told herself she was ready for this moment, that she could face Adrian with nothing but ice in her veins. But standing here, beneath the weight of his gaze, she felt her defenses strain.His eyes were the same as always, steady, unreadable, yet burning with something she couldn’t name. “Adrian,” she repeated, her voice clipped, sharp enough to slice the tension. “Enough.”The room bristled with anticipation, waiting for his reply. Adrian’s jaw flexed, his shoulders stiff as he spoke, his tone deceptively calm. “You think this is me making a scene? You haven’t seen

The gunshot cracked like thunder in the narrow corridor. Elena’s scream caught in her throat as Adrian’s arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her sharply against him. Her back slammed into the wall, his body shielding hers.The bullet tore past, striking plaster instead of flesh. Dust rained down where the wall splintered. For a moment, time slowed.Elena could feel the steady thrum of Adrian’s heartbeat against her cheek, fierce and unyielding. He hadn’t even flinched. Then time snapped back.The gunman adjusted his aim, but Adrian was already moving. With a blur of motion too fast for the eye to follow, he seized Elena’s wrist and shoved her behind him. His body pivoted, closing the distance between himself and the attacker in three strides.The man fired again. Adrian’s hand shot out, catching the gunman’s wrist mid-motion. With a brutal twist, the weapon clattered to the floor, and the man gasped in pain before Adrian drove his elbow into his throat.The attacker collapsed, chok

The ballroom was silent in the aftermath of the gunshot. Not because the chaos had ended. Far from it, guards still exchanged fire with masked attackers, smoke still curled from shattered marble, and frightened elites huddled under overturned tables.But silence had fallen because of one thing. Adrian Kane lay on the floor, Elena Frost’s hands pressed against his chest, her palms slick with blood.Her breath came in shallow gasps, her voice cracking. “No. No, no, no, Adrian”His hand lifted, strong despite the spreading crimson, brushing against her cheek. His eyes, still steady, still burning, held hers. “You’re safe,” he rasped.The words broke something inside her. Tears welled, blurring the world. “Don’t you dare, don’t you dare say it like this is the end.”He almost smiled. A bitter, weary curve of lips. “It’s… not the first time I’ve bled for someone I love.”Her chest was constricted. Every wall she had built, every shard of pride, every word of coldness, it all shattered with